Holiday Bake-Off

Holiday Bake-Off

A curated booklist by your favorite SPL librarians!


Holiday Bake-Off


Cookies | General | Gluten-Free and Vegan | International


Cookies

100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen with Classic Cookies, Novel Treats, Brownies, Bars, and More 100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen with Classic Cookies, Novel Treats, Brownies, Bars, and More by Sarah Kieffer

Known for her Vanilla Bean Blog, Sarah Kieffer offers recipes for 100 cookies, bars, brownies and blondies. Incorporating fool-proof techniques, including her special “pan banging”, you can feel confident your cookies will look like one of the many beautiful photos in the cookbook.

The Cookie Book: Decadent Bites for Every Occasion The Cookie Book: Decadent Bites for Every Occasion by Rebecca Firth

Rebecca Firth’s Cookie Book will catapult your cookie game to the next level. Featuring a wide-range of cookie types and baking difficulties - everything from Lemon Basil Curd Butter to Everything Chocolate Chip - these beautifully photographed recipes provide clear instructions, helpful tips, and plenty of desserts to dazzle.

Cookies: The New Classics Cookies: The New Classics by Jesse Szewczyk

Cookies: The New Classics was voted one of the best cookbooks of 2021 by Kitchn, Food52, and The New York Times with good reason! With plenty of pictures and explicit instructions, you can find twists on classics and new favorites in categories covering tastes like Boozy, Fruit, Smoky, and Savory.

Crazy for Cookies, Brownies, and Bars: Super-fast, Made-from-Scratch Sweets, Treats, and Desserts Crazy for Cookies, Brownies, and Bars: Super-fast, Made-from-Scratch Sweets, Treats, and Desserts by Dorothy Kern

With easy-to-follow instructions, each featuring its own photo, Dorothy Kern walks you through 85 kitchen-tested recipes for cookies, brownies, no-bakes, cakes, and even treats for your canine friends. This book is a great collection of traditional recipes and some with twists, all unfussy and accessible.

Creative Cookie Decorating for Everyone: Buttercream Frosting Recipes, Designs, and Tips for Every Occasion Creative Cookie Decorating for Everyone: Buttercream Frosting Recipes, Designs, and Tips for Every Occasion by Emily Hutchinson

Dive into cookie baking and decorating for every season and holiday with self-taught home baker Emily Hutchinson’s allergy-conscious, time-tested recipes. With many tips and tricks, bakers of any level can learn how to decorate beautifully with glazes, icing, and buttercream.

Live Well, Bake Cookies: 75 Classic Cookie Recipes for Every Occasion Live Well, Bake Cookies: 75 Classic Cookie Recipes for Every Occasion by Danielle Rye

Enjoy 75 foolproof recipes for classic cookies and bars. This cookbook contains helpful tips and tricks, instructions for making ahead and freezing, and small batch recipes that are dependably delicious.

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General

Baking for the Holidays: 50+ Treats for a Festive Season Baking for the Holidays: 50+ Treats for a Festive Season by by Sarah Kieffer

This festive holiday baking guide features recipes for brunches, cookie swaps, and your annual Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year’s Eve party. Each recipe, whether for pastries, breads, desserts, candies, cookies, or cakes, features beautiful photography and recipe variations to meet your needs.

Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing by Jerrelle Guy

Chocolate for Basil blogger Jerelle Guy’s recipes reflect her upbringing in a race-conscious space that led her to find comfort, connection, and healing through good food. A James Beard Foundation Book Award Nominee, each recipe contains a memory and ingredient like whole flours, less refined sugar, and vegan alternatives.

Christmas Baking: Festive Cookies, Candies, Cakes, Breads, and Snacks to Bring Comfort and Joy to Your Holiday Christmas Baking: Festive Cookies, Candies, Cakes, Breads, and Snacks to Bring Comfort and Joy to Your Holiday by Joyce Klynstra and Laura Klynstra

Christmas Baking features more than 100 Christmas-inspired recipes, whether you need fancy, quick, classic, or international treats. Written by a mother daughter duo, these kitchen-tested recipes feature beautiful photos and easy-to follow instructions for new baking memory making!

Christmas with Kim-Joy: A Festive Collection of Edible Cuteness Christmas with Kim-Joy: A Festive Collection of Edible Cuteness by Kim-Joy

Kim-Joy, a British Bake-Off favorite, provides simple decorating techniques and delicious flavors to make adorable holiday creations for novices and experts alike. With step-by-step photos, most of these treats also feature vegan alternatives as well.

A Jewish Baker’s Pastry Secrets: Recipes From a New York Baking Legend for Strudel, Stollen, Danish, Puff Pastry, and More A Jewish Baker’s Pastry Secrets: Recipes From a New York Baking Legend for Strudel, Stollen, Danish, Puff Pastry, and More by George Greenstein with Elaine Greenstein, Juia Greenstein, and Isaac Bleicher

Featuring an in-depth guide to ingredients and equipment, this charming collection crafts master dough recipes for European-style bakery classics and Jewish holiday bakes. Readers can also enjoy basic recipes for icings, filings, and glazes.

Nadiya Bakes Nadiya Bakes by Nadiya Hussain

In her newest cookbook, British Bake-Off winner Nadiya Hussain shares more than a 100 recipes for cakes, breads, cookies, tarts, and pudding in both British and American measurements. Find sweet and savory bakes with interesting twists and fresh takes.

Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-hearted Bakery in Detroit Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-hearted Bakery in Detroit by Lisa Ludwinski

In this cookbook, you’ll find 75 well-loved recipes for sweet and savory pies, each with their own photo and backstory, from the owner of Detroit’s Sister Pie Bakery. Not for the flavor traditionalist, you can find recipes like malted lime pie, potato waffles, and sweet corn nectarine streusel.

 The Sweet Side of Sourdough: 50 Irresistible Recipes for Pastries, Buns, Cakes, Cookies and More The Sweet Side of Sourdough: 50 Irresistible Recipes for Pastries, Buns, Cakes, Cookies and More by Caroline Schiff

These 50 recipes will show you how to use your sourdough starter - both active and discard - to satisfy your sweet tooth. Use that bit of tanginess to level up your favorite cakes, bars, tarts, and sweet breads, as well as find tips and tricks for maintaining your starter.

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Gluten-Free and Vegan

Baked to Perfection: Delicious Gluten-free Recipes with a Pinch of Science Baked to Perfection: Delicious Gluten-free Recipes with a Pinch of Science by Katarina Cermelj

Layered cakes, soft cinnamon rolls, and fudgy brownies are just a few of the divine sweets you’ll find in this highly informative gluten-free cookbook. Author and blogger Katarina Cermelj also shares gluten-free basics, best baking techniques, and scientific explanations for her methods along with some step-by-step photographic guides of recipes.

Decadent Gluten-free Vegan Baking: Delicious Gluten-, Egg- and Dairy-free Treats and Sweets Decadent Gluten-free Vegan Baking: Delicious Gluten-, Egg- and Dairy-free Treats and Sweets by Cara Reed

Cara Reed, creator of ForkandBeans.com shares over 100 one-of-a-kind treats from bars, scones, and pastries, to sauces, toppings, and frosting that are delicious, gluten-free and vegan friendly. Reed shares how to use natural substitutions such as almond milk, soy butter, coconut oil, and nut-based cream to whip up crowd-pleasing delights.

How to Bake Anything Gluten-free: Over 100 Recipes for Everything from Cakes to Cookies, Bread to Festive Bakes, Doughnuts to Desserts How to Bake Anything Gluten-free: Over 100 Recipes for Everything from Cakes to Cookies, Bread to Festive Bakes, Doughnuts to Desserts by Becky Excell

Bestselling author Becky Excell shares her expertise for baking delicious gluten-free creations, like cupcakes, donuts, and biscuits, plus bread and other savory eats. Excell shares her philosophy that gluten free foods can be exciting, simple, and taste just as great as their original counterparts.

Modern Vegan Baking: The Ultimate Resource for Sweet and Savory Baked Goods Modern Vegan Baking: The Ultimate Resource for Sweet and Savory Baked Goods by Gretchen Price

Covering breakfast, bread, and sweet treats, this vegan cookbook serves inventive takes on modern baked goods, with 125 step-by-step recipes. Food blogger Gretchen Price shares her clever vegan swaps to create culinary thrills like triple-chocolate glazed donuts, rosemary and fig focaccia, lemon-lavender shortbread, and more.

Very Vegan Christmas Cookies Very Vegan Christmas Cookies by Ellen Brown

A full-color cookbook with a festive twist, inside you’ll find over 125 delectable Christmas cookie recipes all made without eggs or dairy products. Renowned cookbook author Ellen Brown offers the perfect recipes for your vegan holiday baking needs.

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International

Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake by Michelle Polzine with Jessica Battilana

Bake in the style of Europe’s grand cafes with this delectable, award-nominated cookbook. Inside, you’ll discover irresistible confections and savory bakes in recipes from Central and Eastern Europe, including cookies, candies, custards, and chef and author Michelle Polzine's coveted honey cake.

The Cardamom Trail: Chetna Bakes with Flavours of the East The Cardamom Trail: Chetna Bakes with Flavours of the East by Chetna Makan

This fantastic selection of signature recipes from Chetna Mekan, of British Bake-Off fame, boasts flavorful Indian-Western infusions, like saffron meringue cake, masala chai baklava, and cumin bread with smoked eggplant. In British Baking Show fashion, these recipes depend on a food scale for measuring ingredients, but results are well worth the effort.

Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen by Luisa Weiss

Blogger and author Luisa Weiss shares her mastery of German classics, like Christmas cookies and stollen, plus tortes, apple strudel and coffee cakes. Weiss also introduces lesses known German recipes, including eisenbahner (almond macaroon paste piped onto jam-topped shortbread) and rosinenbrötchen (raisin-studded whole wheat buns), which are sure to appeal to folks of all ages.

The Italian Baker: The Classic Tastes of the Italian Countryside--Its Breads, Pizza, Focaccia, Cakes, Pastries, and Cookies The Italian Baker: The Classic Tastes of the Italian Countryside--Its Breads, Pizza, Focaccia, Cakes, Pastries, and Cookies by Carol Fiel

The updated edition of this Italian baking classic features breadsticks, focaccia, tarts, cakes, and pastries, plus color photographs, source guides, and updated equipment sections and instructions. This tried and true recipe book also includes a thorough overview of Italian bread making and its history, plus savory pizza recipes sure to please.

Middle Eastern Sweets: Desserts, Pastries, Creams and Treats Middle Eastern Sweets: Desserts, Pastries, Creams and Treats by Salma Hage

From one of the Middle-East's most beloved home cooks comes another winning cookbook full of simple to follow recipes using easily sourced ingredients. Inside you’ll find spiced cookies, cream-filled pancakes, aromatic pastries, and delicious cakes as well as recipes that are naturally gluten-free, vegan, nut-free and dairy-free.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho

Travel through the world of Chinese bakeries with architect-turned-blogger Kristina Cho as she shares her unique take on baked goods from her heritage. Cho shares insider tips for the perfect Chinese breads and buns, like the science behind tender milk bread dough, and shares intricate techniques that will transform your steamed, baked, fried, and stuffed treats.

My Sweet Mexico: Recipes for Authentic Breads, Pastries, Candies, Beverages, and Frozen Treats My Sweet Mexico: Recipes for Authentic Breads, Pastries, Candies, Beverages, and Frozen Treats by Fany Gerson

A fabulous James Beard nominated collection of recipes for Mexican sweets, including pastries, beverages, and frozen treats with flavors rooted in tradition. Accompanied by colorful photographs, author and pastry chef Fany Gerson includes ingredient and equipment guides, detailed instructions, and a history of customs.

Scandikitchen Christmas: Recipes and Traditions from Scandinavia Scandikitchen Christmas: Recipes and Traditions from Scandinavia by Brontë Aurell

These delightful Scandinavian recipes are peak-hygge season. Danish entrepreneur, restaurateur and cook Brontë Aurell’s delicious recipes and family traditions will have you enjoying the cozy comforts of home as your kitchen fills with mouthwatering scents of gingerbread spice and saffron.

Cookies | General | Gluten Free and Vegan | International | Return to Top