The New Best of BetterBaking

I love Marcy Goldman! There, I said it. I've often whined about not being a "real" baker, being unsure of myself when it comes to baking, but baking with the help of Marcy has always come easy. I even got to have a chat with her way back in 2007, mostly about A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun ...I think the title says it all. I know the Chocolate Zucchini cake has been a hit here more times than I can count. She's so sweet and the book is fantastic!

The New best of BetterBaking.com is my third Marcy baking cookbook. If you're Jewish and don't own A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, you don't know what you're missing. And how come I never wrote about it specifically? By the way, even if you're not Jewish you will love the Apple Cake. But I digress...

I can't tell you how excited I was to receive a copy of the New Best of BetterBaking.com and I defy you to find better, easier to make, unbelievably authentic Montreal-style bagels!

Okay, that was an easy choice...I gasped when I found it. But the book has so much more to offer, I hardly know where to start....the perfect intro with her three key tricks of the trade , her excellent descriptions of all the equipment and ingredients you'll need for any and all baking projects...the gorgeous photos that will definitely inspire you...the very clear instructions ... oh...and naturally the recipes themselves.

Everything from lots of yeasty breads to small loaves and rolls, rustic pizzas and flatbreads, including Bombay Palace style nan bread, focaccia, thin, thick and whatever on top pizza recipes, the Corner Cafe with tasty treats to accompany that cup of coffee, the Cookie and Biscotti Jar (I know will be my favorite chapter), Scones and Muffin Mania...or perhaps that will be with both sweet and savory scones (The Asiago Cheddar Pancetta Cheese Scones are seriously calling to me). Then there's the Pastry Shoppe with things like chocolate brioche buns, dulce de leche pecan pie, brownie pie a la mode...and last but not least is the Cake Walk...from decadent cheesecakes to comforting coffee cakes.

Each chapter has great tips to make perfect..whatever. The Cookie & Biscotti Jar, for example, has a "Cookie Clinic" that explains the "why" of everything from her choices for flour and why she uses which chocolate chips, the whole soft/cold butter decision and more.

So, in my humble opinion, if you are going to buy one baking book this year....this one wins hands down.