Sweet Reads

I thought it would be fun to share some books I’ve been wanting to bake from. Just some of the sweet reads sitting on my shelf. Well, actually they are on my mantle and on my floor because I am in desperate need of a bookshelf to house them all and keep them cozy.

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They pretty much stay stacked to save space. I can get more stacks on my mantle that way. But you know – the book I want to pull down is always the one on the bottom. Of course. But do I unstack them to get to the one I need? Of course not. I strain and push and wiggle to lift the ones on top and try to inch the one I want out.

It’s never pretty.

Thank goodness all of these books are.

Let’s take a quick peek at them and hopefully you can help me decide which one to use first.

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Tartine Bread ^[3] by Chad Robertson
Photographs by Eric Wolfinger

This is a big, beautiful book of bread. And it scares me a little. I haven’t worked with dough or yeast a lot. But I want to learn. I want to make bread! And this book from the legendary Tartine Bakery ^[4] in San Francisco is gonna help me. One day.

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Ultimate Cookies ^[6] by Julia Usher
Photographs by Steve Adams

Let me just say that this book could just as easily be placed in the art section as it is in the cookbook section. Julia’s cookie designs and attention to detail are absolutely amazing. Her piping work is impeccable and a little intimidating too. But she has lots of pictures and instructions to help you along the way.

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Sugarlicious ^[8] by Meaghan Mountford

Cute treats and fun sweets. This book is full of whimsical projects to that are easy to make and decorate for any occasion. And many of them kids can make, too.

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Handheld Pies ^[10] by Sarah Billingsley and Rachel Wharton
Photographs by Ellen Silverman

Umm… Pies? In my hand? Sold. Tiny treats in any form are hard for me to resist. And so was this cover. The book is divided into freeform pies, structured pies and jar pies. Too cute.

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The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier ^[12] by Ree Drummond

Hey Ree ^[13] – Thank you for including so many sweets in your beautiful cookbook. The Coffee Cream Cake is calling me. But so are all the other recipes. Maybe I should just start at the top and check each one off. If they are as good as the Chocolate Sheet Cake in your first book, I am in trouble.

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Sweet Auburn Desserts ^[15] by Sonya Jones
Photographs by Deborah Llewellyn

That’s a cover, huh. Completely captivating. I can’t stop looking at it and I think my heart just started racing.
Sweet Auburn Bakery is located in Atlanta and I can’t believe I haven’t visited yet. I must correct that immediately. Oh and stack cakes just moved up on the to-bake list. Oh my. Oh! My!

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The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook ^[17] by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day

Look how adorable these two are. This book is from another Southern bakery ^[18] and it makes me want to jump in the car and head straight to Savannah, GA to visit their charming shop. Turning the pages, each dessert is more tempting than the next. And there’s savories inside, too. Bacon Jam empanadas and the ham and cheese pastry puffs have my name all over them.

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Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book ^[20] by Jake Godby, Sean Vahey and Paolo Lucchesi
Photographs by Frankie Frankeny

With ice cream flavors like Secret Breakfast, Rosemary’s Baby and Fat Elvis … and more than 300K twitter followers, I want to know more about this little ice cream shop ^[21] in San Francisco. When they say ice cream with attitude, they mean it.

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Joy the Baker Cookbook ^[23] by Joy Wilson

Oh Joy ^[24]. Your book is a total biggie. I remember when we chatted at the book signing I had in Santa Monica and you were just starting it. Can you believe? Look at the amazingness you made. So happy for you! Oh… and those Baked Chili Cheese Fries… help me. P.S. Great arms!

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Milk & Cookies ^[26] by Tina Casaceli
Photographs by Antonis Achilleos

With a title like that, how can you go wrong. Divided by vanilla cookies, double chocolate cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies, sugar cookies, special cookies, family favorites, brownies and bars … milk is definitely mandatory.

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Marshmallow Madness ^[28] by Shauna Sever
Photographs by Leigh Beisch

I love this cover!!! Love it. I want to wallpaper my kitchen in it! All I know is marshmallows will be happening soon. I just need a better candy thermometer first and then look out.

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Pie it Forward ^[30] by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Photographs by Tina Rupp

Pies, tarts, tortes and galettes. Yes, yes, yes and yes! Filled with tons of recipes and a passion to pie it forward, Gesine’s book should make any pie lover happy.

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The Divvies Bakery Cookbook ^[32] by Lori Sandler

I’ve had this book for a little while now and have meant to bake from it way before now. All the recipes are vegan and some are gluten free, too. If you have a need for egg, nut or dairy free, you might want to check it out. You can order online from them, too.

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The Cookiepedia ^[34] by Stacy Adimando
Photographs by Tara Striano

An encyclopedia of cookies. Oh yes. Buttery, chocolaty, fancy, fruity, spicy and nutty cookies fill the pages of this super cute book. It lays flat, too. Love that.

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Home Baked Comfort ^[36] by Kim Laidlaw
Photographs by Eric Wolfinger

I’ve baked from this book before but I couldn’t help showing it again. It’s really beautiful and one of the few books that I want to make almost everything inside. P.S. I have a recipe in the book, too. Fun!

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Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts ^[38] by Mark and Michael Klebeck with Jess Thomson
Photographs by Scott Pitts

I didn’t make it to Top Pot Doughnuts when I was in Seattle, but hopefully I can fix that one day soon. I love cake doughnuts and old fashioned doughnuts. Okay, I love any doughnuts. Except filled. Can’t do filled so much.

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Les Petits Macarons ^[40] by Kathryn Gordon and Anne McBride
Photographs by Steve Legato

I love these little cookie confections. I’ve made them a couple of times, but not enough to feel confident with them, so I scooped up this cute book for inspiration.

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Push-Up Pops ^[42] from Courtney Dial Whitmore
Photographs Kyle Dreier

Hey Courtney ^[43]! Thanks for sending me your book. I have my push-up pop containers and I’m ready to go. Can’t wait to play with them.

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The Sugar Cube ^[45] by Kir Jensen with Danielle Centoni
Photographs by Lisa Warninger

Twisted treats from the heart of this sweet little food cart in Portland. And yes, those are chocolate chips drizzed in caramel on top of that cupcake. This one looks like it will be fun to dive in to.

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Sugar Baby ^[47] by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Photographs by Tina Rupp

This book is mostly about cooking with sugar instead of baking with it. Working on the stove instead of the oven. And yes, you can make your own rock candy at home. Super excited about that one. The recipes are divided by temperature so a good candy thermometer would be helpful.

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Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home ^[49] by Jeni Britton Bauer
Photographs by Stacy Newgent

I love everything about this book. The topic, the design, the unique flavors, the way the ice cream recipes are photographed. And I would love it more if I owned an ice cream machine so I could make some too. In the meantime, I just read that Jeni started selling some of her flavors at The Fresh Market last week – Yay for us! And you can also order them online ^[50].

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Flour ^[52] by Joanne Chang with Christie Matheson
Photographs by Keller + Keller

Spectacular recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery fill the pages of this mouth-watering book. Nutella tarts, chocolate brioche, and brown sugar popovers sound like a good place to start.

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Phew – That wasn’t as quick as I expected but I hope you enjoyed this sweet peek.

So, which book or books would you want to bake from first?

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, just answer that question here on the website and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $150 Amazon gift card so you can pick out a bunch of books to bake from – or anything else you’d rather get from their site.

Deadline to enter is Thursday, May 3rd at 6 p.m. ET. Sorry, Time’s Up. Winner announced below.

One winner will be chosen at random and announced sometime Thursday evening.

Good luck guys!

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Oh my. That was fun. I really like reading what you guys like. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing with me. I picked the winner and the gift certificate is going to Dawn H! Yay! Looks like you will be able to bring a little bit of Tartine right to your own kitchen. Have fun shopping and deciding.

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Giveaway sponsored by me.