Baking All Year Round

September 17, 2018
Pansino’s second cookbook (after The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook) is a delightful celebration of themed baked goods suitable for a myriad of occasions, including baby showers, birthdays, and religious holidays. Throughout, Pansino creatively utilizes store-bought candies for her confections: she uses Reese’s Pieces to create corn kernels for harvest corn–shaped peanut butter cookies; mini Cadbury eggs are painted to look like baby chicks for chocolate-coconut nest cookies; and Tootsie Rolls are formed into mini grilled hamburgers atop BBQ Grill Cupcakes (for Father’s Day). Many of the recipes require careful attention, such as Save-the-Date lemon sablé cookies (imprinted with a calendar and an event date), Conversation Heart petits fours, and a spiced reindeer-shaped cake, but all include step-by-step photographs. Pansino also includes several gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan recipes, such as wine gummy bears, strawberry champagne macarons, and salted whiskey caramels. Pansino’s anecdotes and family photos are as adorable as her culinary creations (“My elementary school teacher asked me what my favorite subject in school was and I answered ‘Snack Time!’ ”). From simpler projects like maple pecan blondies to more intricate ones like a beehive-shaped baby shower honey cake, this book will inspire bakers of all levels.

October 1, 2018
YouTuber Pansino is known for her cute and nerdy baking tutorials, which often feature guest appearances by other well-known personalities. Here she offers recipes designed to suit celebrations of nine North American holidays plus an assortment of items for other special occasions. Pansino's fans will not be disappointed, as many of these are full-recipe versions of tutorials she's previously shared in video form, and her personality and enthusiasm come through in her photos and the tone of the text. Ro Tips are scattered throughout, with hints for best practices related to specific techniques. Baking enthusiasts unfamiliar with her videos will nonetheless certainly recognize the classics she's embellished or tailored to her own style, such as beignets, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, macarons, and more. Most of the recipes require fewer than a dozen steps and ingredients that are widely available across most of North America. A bonus: among the base recipes are several vegan versions, including royal icing, buttercream frosting, and caramel sauce. Templates for shaped items are also included.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)