The Golden Book of Baking: Over 300 Great Recipes

I first checked this book out at the library. This book had so many fabulous easy recipes, I had to buy it. A picture of every recipe, now that is a BONUS!

For bakers who like to feast their eyes, this latest in Barrons' Golden Books series features more than 300 full-page color pictures to accompany 300 traditional and modern recipes. A handsome, chunky book with gilt-edged pages and a ribbon place mark, its focus is on desserts, with a last chapter devoted to savories like Mini Leek and Potato Strudels or Spinach and Feta Muffins. There are four chapters devoted to cakes, including yeast cakes like Kulich (Russian fruit cake) and Tuscan Harvest Bread. Pies, pastries, and cookies cover the rest. Each recipe includes prep and cooking time and a 1 to 3 scale of difficulty, with most falling into the easier categories: Basic Pound Cake, 1, Cherry Almond Strudel, 2, Bavarian Apple Cones, 3. From plain and simple to extravagant, this book covers the gamut and the exquisite photos provide inspiration.

Every page in this book has a picture of something to make you drool. The only difficulty is deciding which recipe to try first. I'm starting with the white chocolate/raspberry muffins! If you like to bake this belongs in your library. It contains the traditional things like carrot cake and scones, but the real beauty of this book is all the more unusual recipes that you don't see just anywhere, like the plum and amaretti crunch tart or the passion fruit cupcakes.