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!