Back in July, I went to #BlogHer15, a blogging conference which just happened to be right here in New York City.
Anyone that knows me in real life knows that I’m a sucker for freebies. (It’s actually a pretty bad habit, especially when you live in a New York City apartment.) While I was in the vendor expo, I came across the Best Buy Wedding Registry booth. There was line to take a photo with someone I wasn’t all that familiar with in exchange for a free cookbook. Since I love to bake, it seemed worthwhile to spend a few minutes in line.
Sally McKenney even autographed my book.
She seemed nice enough so I looked her up when I got home, and found out that her blog, Sally’s Baking Addiction, is filled with some incredible yumminess.
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Since then, I’ve read through the book, also called Sally’s Baking Addiction, and today I’m sharing my review.
Sally’s Baking Addiction is a visual delight. In the opening section, Sally shares her list of kitchen essentials and provides more details about the ingredients (such as which brands and types of peanut butters she used).
The book primarily consists of recipes – 76 in total. In each recipe, there’s a “Sally Says” section that includes tips or more details.The book also includes vibrant photographs (usually two or three for each recipe), and it’s organized into eight chapters:
- Breads & Muffins includes 9 recipes,
- Breakfast includes 8 recipes,
- Brownies & Bars includes 10 recipes,
- Cakes, Pies, & Crisps includes 10 recipes,
- Candy & Sweet Snacks includes 10 recipes,
- Cookies includes 10 recipes,
- Cupcakes includes 8 recipes, and
- Healthier Chocies includes 11 recipes.
One of my favorite details about the book is that Sally includes information about how (and how long) to store each item after baking at the end of the recipe.
Like me, Sally has a fondness for peanut butter and chocolate, Nutella, and bananas. The recipes lean heavily towards the sweet side of things. (The book’s subtitle is Irresistible Cookies, Cupcakes, and Desserts for Your Sweet-Tooth Fix.) I would say the title of the “Healthier Choices” section is a bit dubious, but that’s ok. I don’t think any one is picking up this book with the expectation of finding anything remotely healthy inside!
Other than the tendency towards super sweet (which may or may not be your baking preference), there isn’t much I didn’t like about this book.
I made the Brown Sugar Glazed Apple Bread, and it was a hit. I actually skipped the glaze because I thought we might go into sugar shock, but in my younger years, I probably would have added it.
One thing I didn’t like about the book is that when ingredients are divided, it wasn’t noted on the ingredients list. So, when making the extremely delicious apple bread, I actually added all my chopped pecans into the batter because when I glanced over to the ingredients list to check the amount, it didn’t indicate they would be divided. That’s a relatively minor flaw.
I would highly recommend Sally’s Baking Addiction if you enjoy baking sweet treats – especially over-the-top sweet treats! It has great pictures, recipes that cover a range of goodies, and helpful storage hints. If you aren’t into super sweet desserts, you should skip it as there won’t be much for you inside.
