Knowing that I'm a wannabe baker, Rick bought me BAKED Explorations for Christmas. I was a little intimidated at first because my experience with baking cookbooks has been overwhelming but I quickly fell in love! This is truly the easiest cookbook to follow and these guys are foodies, can't you just tell? I love their witty writing and they don't make you feel like you need William Sonoma as your kitchen. In fact, they say in the Kitchen Tools & Equipment section that their kitchen once "overfloweth with useless, discarded, and unnecessary kitchen tools & utensils".
I've vowed to bake every recipe in the book (I've got two under my belt, one in the works) and rather than pressuring myself to do a certain amount of recipes in a certain amount of time, I just wait for something to come up (a brunch with family, Easter, a birthday, a Sunday night sweet tooth) and I pick what I feel like.
So far both the Double Chocolate Loaf and the Maple Cupcakes have turned out amazing! Double Chocolate Loaf being my favorite of the two (without the frosting, it was amazing just plain).
Without typing another couple hundred words on the topic. I have to just quickly mention that while in NY for St. Patty's day, I insisted that we visit the BAKED Brooklyn location - well worth the long walk over the bridge and can't-find-a-cab-catastrophe, the whoopie pies (which are next on my list) were amazing!!!
If you're looking for a gift for the baker in your life - this is a good one that won't break the bank!
