Best New Baking Cookbooks for Holiday Gifting
‘Tis the season for baking! Well, I bake all year long, but the winter holidays are an especially sweet time for pies, cakes, and cookies. I’ve collected eight of the best new baking cookbooks here that provide excellent inspiration for your holiday treats. But even better, they make excellent gifts for the bakers in your life. I’ve also paired each cookbook with a kitchen tool or utensil that plays a big role in that book’s recipes to make your loved one’s present really stand out.
All of these cookbooks came out within the past year, and most of them were released in the past few months. That means they’re great for holiday gifting, as it’s less likely that your baking friends already have them on their shelves. They include a variety of sweet and savory bakes, experience levels, techniques, and flavors. As for the cooking utensils and kitchen accessories I’ve paired with each book, they’re all inspired by what each cookbook author prioritizes in their recipes. Each item also comes in under $30 on Amazon. But if you’re looking to give a swankier gift, you can find more expensive versions of each item listed elsewhere. For any cookbook, I highly recommend this Marble Rolling Pin and Holder Set from The Pampered Chef ($55). It’s especially great for working with pastry and pie crusts, as you can chill it in the refrigerator or freezer before using to keep your butter extra cold.
For the Great British Baking Show Fan Baker
Nadiya’s Everyday Baking: From Weeknight Dinners to Celebration Cakes, Let Your Oven Do the Work by Nadiya Hussain
The Great British Baking Show has inspired home bakers the world over. One of the most beloved contestants from the show, Nadiya Hussain, has gone on to write multiple cookbooks and host her own cooking and baking shows. Her latest cookbook celebrates baking at every meal, not just dessert. Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner, a veggie-forward healthy meal, or a show-stopping celebration dish, Hussain has the perfect recipe.
Gift it with: Sage+Stitch Heat Resistant Oven Mitts ($19)
Since Hussain’s newest cookbook celebrates dishes made in the oven, it’s a great opportunity to upgrade your favorite baker’s oven mitts. The neoprene nonstick grips on this pair give them great functionality, and they come in six different adorable designs.
For the Stress Baker
Baking by Feel: Recipes to Sort Out Your Emotions (Whatever They Are Today!) by Becca Rea-Tucker
I love to channel my stress and anxiety into baked goods, and I know I’m not alone. This cookbook is the perfect gift for your loved ones who find themselves channeling their anger into kneading bread dough or curbing their sadness with pastries. Becca Rea-Tucker is the baker behind the viral @thesweetfeminist Instagram account, where she brings messages of reproductive rights and self-love to her beautiful cakes and pies. In her debut cookbook, she encourages bakers to embrace the wide range of their emotions and choose flavors and dishes that match their feelings. The recipes are separated into happy, sad, mad, anxious, and hopeful sections, and each recipe has affirmations or activities to make your baking experience more therapeutic.
Gift it with: Greater Goods Kitchen Scale ($10)
Kitchen scales are a fantastic way to take home baking to the next level. They’re more precise, they save you from having to pull out a bunch of measuring cups, and as Rea-Tucker shares in her cookbook, “You can get a scale for $15, but it feels fancy.” It will help your loved one follow recipes written by weight instead of volume in this cookbook and many others. And for an extra stocking stuffer, throw in a sheet of The Sweet Feminist stickers for $8.
For the Pie Loving Baker
Justice of the Pies: Sweet and Savory Pies, Quiches, and Tarts Plus Inspirational Stories from Exceptional People: A Baking Book by Maya-Camille Broussard
Pie is the most important food group. If you know a baker who agrees, this new cookbook will be their favorite holiday gift of the year. Maya-Camille Broussard, who can be seen on Netflix’s Bake Squad, is the owner of Chicago’s Justice of the Pies bakery. Her bakery gives back to the community in honor of her late father, a criminal defense attorney and self-designated Pie Master. Her new cookbook features 85 pie recipes, both savory and sweet. Even better, those recipes are presented alongside stories of activists and changemakers fighting for justice outside the kitchen.
Gift it with: Wisenvoy Ceramic Pie Dish ($26)
With so many delicious pies to make, you can never have enough pie dishes! This one is particularly adorable, and its fluted edge makes it easier to create a perfect fluted pie crust.
For the Busy Baker
Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day: Easy Recipes to Bake Through a Busy Week by Gemma Stafford
Baking is a hobby that can take up a lot of your time, but it doesn’t have to! Irish-born chef Gemma Stafford, known for her incredibly popular Bigger Bolder Baking YouTube and social media channels, wrote this cookbook to help home bakers fit beautiful and delicious creations into their busy schedules. From approachable bread recipes to confections you can make in 15 minutes or less, this cookbook is great for experienced bakers and newbies. It’s also got kid-friendly recipes and impressive dinner party delights. Gemma Stafford has suggestions for every occasion, so it’s a versatile gift for the bakers in your life.
Gift it with: Now Designs Tin Cake Stand ($17)
Even the simplest, fastest baked goods look fancy on a cute cake stand! This is a great way to display many of the cakes and pastries in Stafford’s new cookbook. If you’re looking for an especially unique cake plate you can customize for your loved one, check out great options on Etsy.
For the Sweet Tooth Baker
What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People by Claire Saffitz
Do you know someone who believes dessert is the most important meal of the day? Then this cookbook is a must-have! Claire Saffitz has made complicated recipes like croissants and croquembouche accessible to home bakers in her popular YouTube videos and recipes at The New York Times. Her newest cookbook includes a huge range of flavors and techniques to shake up your dessert course. Not only does What’s for Dessert include tons of tastes, it also has desserts made on the stovetop, the refrigerator, and the freezer. Even better, the recipes don’t require expensive equipment like stand mixers or difficult to find ingredients.
Gift it with: Katbite Silicone Baking Mats ($16)
Saffitz’s cookbook includes lots of tips for reducing waste in your baking. I personally use silicone baking mats and have found them to be a total game changer. They’re even more nonstick, sturdier for transferring baked goods, and easy to clean than parchment paper.
For the Impulse Baker
A Good Day to Bake: Simple Baking Recipes for Every Mood by Benjamina Ebuehi
Do you ever get the urge to bake on a whim? That’s what former Great British Baking Show contestant Benjamina Ebuehi wants to enable home bakers to do with her newest cookbook. These recipes celebrate the quiet, contemplative moments of watching your creations turn golden brown in the oven or pouring ganache over a finished cake. Her dishes are full of unexpected yet delicious flavors, built around herbs, teas, and fresh produce. They’re less about showy presentations and more about taste and baking experience.
Gift it with: Kitchen Measurements Chart Magnet ($15)
This magnetic kitchen measurement conversion chart makes baking a breeze, even when you’re using cookbooks written in other countries with different forms of measurement. It even has a handy metric for converting oven temperatures and timing for boiling eggs!
We hope this list of baking cookbooks helped you find the perfect gifts for the bakers in your life! You might also enjoy:
8 New Cookbooks to Level Up Your Culinary Skills
8 Essential Filipino Cookbooks to Read After Devouring Arsenic and Adobo
I Cooked My Way Through a Jane Austen Cookbook. Here’s How It Went.
