Cookbook Excitement

I'm not a big buyer of "things," but if I have one weakness (besides clothes), it's baking cookbooks! I get them for xmas and birthdays and I buy them as gifts for myself. I'm even guilty of purchasing cookbooks and then never actually using them! They just sit on the shelf staring back at me. Needless to say, if there's one thing that I don't need, it's another cookbook. That said, there are a number of new cookbooks on the market right now that I'm super excited about. Here are just a few.

First up, Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery. Yes, that's right, you no longer have to go to NY in order to sample some Fat Witch goodness. Now you can make Fat Witch brownies, blondies, and bars right in your own kitchen! With over 50 recipes for everything from a Banana Bread Brownie to a Breakfast Brownie, you're bound to find the perfect brownie for you. (Releases September 2010).

For all of you out there who, like me, are fascinated with the current trend of alcohol-spiked desserts, there are two new cookbooks on the market to help inspire you. The first one, Booze Cakes, includes recipes for cakey desserts like Rum and Coke Whoopie Pies, White Russian Cupcakes, and Pink Champagne Cake, among others.

The second one, The Boozy Baker, was written by food writer, Lucy Baker (who also happens to be a co-writer for the Fat Witch Cookbook) and with 75 recipes it will cover all your drunken dessert needs. Inside the pages you will find recipes for Homemade Bourbon Vanilla Extract, Green Tea and Banana Cake with Sake Syrup, and Donut Bread Pudding with Tennessee Whiskey Sauce. Fancy!

Brownie Husband

Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. This is one of the funniest things that I've seen in a while. High-larious! [Thanks, Alja!]

Brownies with Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse

Another take on my beloved salted caramel, but this time it's gluten free! The trickiest part is the caramel, which is easy to make and easy to screw up, all at the same time. Everyone has there own way of making caramel, but I've found it's best to take it off the burner as soon as it turns amber...and I mean immediately! It's not difficult, but you do have to time it right or it's a disaster! Luckily, there aren't that many ingredients involved, so, if if turns into a big candy ball, you can just try again.

Recipe after the jump.

Crack Pie (again) and Gluten-free Brownies

My birthday was last month (yes, I can admit it) and my wonderful mother was kind enough to make me Momofuku's Crack Pie to help celebrate! Talk about pressure! I've pretty much been obsessed with the Crack Pie since I wrote about it back in July and have been longing to try it. I had such high expectations for this pie that I was sure that I would be disappointed and, to my surprise, I wasn't! It was sooo good!! And I wasn't the only one who thought so! I gave a piece to one of my coworkers and this is what she e-mailed me:

Oh my gosh. It is delicious. I can see how it got the name. I had to stop twice while writing this email to take another bite.

The best I can describe it is that it's sort of reminds me of pecan pie filling: buttery and sweet. It may be too sweet for some people (aka my sister), but I loved it. Supposedly, it's basically a take on the classic chess pie, but as I don't believe that I've ever had chess pie, I can't really compare the two.

Momofuku is coming out with a cookbook at the end of October, but while there will be sweets included in the book, the recipe for Crack Pie will not be one of them. You'll have to watch the video on Martha's Web site for the instructions. Click here for the complete show.

Also, available for tasting at my bday party: Betty Crocker's Gluten-Free Brownies. Again, I wasn't really expecting much. Can Betty Crocker really make a good gluten-free brownie? Yep, they sure can! The brownies were yummy and chocolaty, just like a brownie should be. You would never know the difference. Also, the ingredient list was fairly short and I actually recognized all the words on the list, which is surprising given that this is a box mix.

Baked in Brooklyn

It seems like everyone is talking about Baked these days. There is the hip bakery, the new cookbook, and the interesting flavor combinations. I admit it, I've bought into the hype! I just received my copy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking and I'm awfully excited to start trying out the recipes, especially the sweet and salty cake and the green tea smoothie. But here's one thing that you may not know about Brooklyn's latest culinary hunks: they don't only sell delicious brownies and mouth-watering cakes at their shop, but they also have the cutest little bird mug for sale AND it's available online, too! Want to check out their goods and dream about marrying them? Click here to view the Baked Web site and dream away. :-) If you're interested in making their Sweet & Salty Cake for yourself, you can click here for the complete recipe.

Chocolate with Bacon?

Being a vegetarian, I won't be sampling any chocolate bar with the word bacon on its packaging, but I had to post it because it's just so odd! I will admit, that after I thought about it for a minute, I decided that it probably does have a really great flavor, but maybe that's because I'm a sucker for all things sweet and salty. At the very least, it would be interesting! If you prefer a little less meat with your chocolate, Vosges offers a slew of interesting bars. There is chocolate with mushrooms, chocolate with wasabi, and chocolate with curry, among others.

For truffle lovers, the Aztec Collection offers up chilies and cinnamon, while the Zion Collection includes allspice, pumpkin seed, and ginger. Don't even get me started on the ice cream and brownies, both of which include equally unusual items in their ingredient lists. If you're tired of boring old chocolate, then definitely check out Vosges Haut-Chocolat. You can find their stores in Chicago, New York, and Las Vegas or you can click here to order items online.