Holiday Gift Guide – Kitchen Gift Books

Do you know someone who loves baking? How about a coffee fanatic? Here are two books that are ideal for holiday gift giving.

For your favorite baker – Holiday Cookies contains prize winning family recipes from the Chicago Tribune. These recipes are from home readers who submit them into the Chicago Tribune Holiday Cookies Contest. Each of these tried and true family recipes are lovingly described as to why the cookie is special. The recipes are mouthwatering, and the stories are touching! This is a joy to read as well as being a cookie cookbook. 

Inside Holiday Cookies:

Simple Drop Cookies

Sugar & Spice

Fruit & Nut Treats

Chocolate Delights

Sandwich Cookies

Brownies & Bars 

I love the many full color photographs! Not all the recipes have photos, but those that do are beautiful! There is a very enticing recipe for Eggnog Cookies I can’t wait to make for our Christmas party. The Snowflake Sugar Cookies are a work of art! Christmas Rocks is a fruitcake type of cookie that dates to the 1940’s. Lots of history and family traditions are found throughout this gem of a cookbook. The chocolate section will have any chocolate lover drooling. 

Set this book in a basket of cookie ingredients for a lovely bakers gift! 

Holiday Cookies

Prize-Winning Family Recipes from the Chicago Tribune for Cookies, Bars, Brownies and More

By Chicago Tribune Staff
Introduction by Carol Mighton Haddix

Agate Publishing

For coffee lovers, check out the title Craft Coffee. As a coffee drinker, I found the information very comprehensive. I have learned a lot from this book. Simple tips as well as ways to choose beans, equipment, ideal ratios and much more are included to make the best coffee you can at home! Making craft coffee is a manual type of process and there is not much included about using electric coffee makers. 

This is more for those choosing coffee presses and manual drip brewing. The details and information is very well written by a coffee enthusiast! One tip I know I will be using forever is rinsing my paper filters before each use. I never noticed the paper taste really affected my coffee until I started using this tip. I found the book informative and it made me want to try a different way to brew! There are no photos, but they have included many illustrations. 

Add Craft Coffee to your gift giving list for any coffee lover.

Craft Coffee: A Manual

Brewing a Better Cup at Home

By Jessica Easto
With Andreas Willhoff

Agate Publishing

 

Holiday Gift Guide – Mouthwatering Cookbooks

I love cookbooks. I enjoy reading cookbooks as well as making the delicious recipes inside. I can never have enough cookbooks. This holiday here are two new titles good for everyday cooking and Holiday Gift Giving! 

Soups, Stews and Breads from Gooseberry Patch features more than 400 quick, cozy and delicious recipes. One of my favorite ways to cook year-round is in a slow cooker. There is a full chapter dedicated to Slow Cooker Soups. The variety is amazing. I have bookmarks on Jalapeno Chicken Chili, Creamy Chicken & Macaroni Soup, Stuffed Cabbage Soup just to name a few. 

The categories in this book are:

Everyday Comfort Soups

Hearty Chowders, Chilis & Stews

Slow Cooker Soups

Quick Fix Soups

Breads, Muffins, Rolls & Biscuits

Sandwiches

There are flavors for every taste. The book features full color photos of mostly all the recipes! Gorgeous mouthwatering photos!  I like the color-coded index on the page sides to get to the section I would like. This is a lovely book for any kitchen. Many soups are simple to make and can be made quickly. To accompany the soups, the bread and muffin recipes are just as enticing. Hot Chocolate Muffins, Williamsburg Bread, Cheddar Chive Bites and more! Gooseberry Patch is a family favorite publisher. Their simple and comforting recipes never disappoint.

304 Pages with full color photos. ASIN: B074BGHY7B 

Taste of Home 365 Days of Cookies – want to make a new cookie every day? There are enough recipes in this adorable cookbook to be a cookie maker all year long! This spiral bound type cookbook features full color photos on high quality paper. The book sits flat for ease of recipe reading. That is always a handy plus. 

The sections include:

Introduction

Cozy Bites

Celebrate Spring

Summer Fun

Fall Flavors

Bonus: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I like the introduction section filled with many troubleshooting and cooking making tips. Cozy Bites features delectable well-loved flavors. Spring flavors are plentiful in Celebrate Spring. Summer Fun is ideal for making cookies with kids home from school. Fall Flavors starts the holiday season. The book finishes with The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Christmas Cookies.

You can really make a cookie each day for the entire year and not make a duplicate. I think that is a challenge I will happily undertake! Cookie Lovers and home bakers will love this chock full of cookie recipes book. The photos are enticing, and the recipes are fabulous!

448 Pages Publisher Reader’s Digest

Look for these two mouthwatering cookbooks at your favorite book seller or online.

A gift giving idea – Make a basket with one of these cookbooks with baking tools, cooking utensils or ingredients. You can always add a gift card to a favorite grocer! If you give a cookbook, you just might get a taste of what recipe is made? Cookies anyone?