Looking Back: 2012

Happy New Year! We hope you had a fantastic night, whether you were out celebrating, on your couch by the fireplace, or under the covers and asleep already.

There's always something nice about waking up to a new year, even though there isn't anything really different. I guess it's just the feeling. But it's nice, it does feel like a fresh start, even if it's all imagined in my head! It's the same feeling I get when I wake up on my birthday. Regardless, here's two of my favourite blog activities, looking back at some of the year's highlights and hosting a giveaway!

Howard's Top Highlights:

Lemon Macarons: When it comes to desserts I always prefer citrus flavour profiles, so these were extra delicious.

Mille Crêpes Cake: My favourite birthday cake ever. Also brought back a "look what the cat dragged in" memory Sylvia and I shared while we were in NYC on a rainy day the previous year. Fun times!

Chelsea Market: Food market! What else is there to say?

Dreams of Sushi: I'm salivating while dreaming of eating sushi made by Jiro. Doc, what should I do??

Pok Pok: I can't say I had fun getting to this gem, tired and wet after a long day of shopping. But I can say it was definitely worth the trip. Also, now I know how their recipe is supposed to taste. Attempt number three, here I come.

Sylvia's Top Highlights:

Um, my latest obsession with MACARONS! Chocolate filled macarons, lemon macarons, snowmen, festive macarons, and matcha macarons. I'm so happy to have had some success in making these temperamental cookies.

Decorating cupcakes to the theme of Jon Klassen's award-winning pictures books. I had an amazing palette of colours and characters to work with and seeing everyone's expressions when they saw the cupcakes was easily one of the highlights of my year.

Gosh, it was a really good year. 2013 is going to have a tough time topping this. I got to attend an event for Thomas Keller. I got to have brunch with Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I even got to collaborate with some amazing kitchen and food brands this year. And even received a feature in Today's Parent magazine!

Making easy peasy pizza! I must have held a few D.I.Y. pizza parties all thanks to this recipe.

Well, I also found out that flan wasn't hard to make. So I made a bunch and luckily it's one of my parent's favourite desserts.

That pretty much sums the year up! We missed doing this in 2010, but if you want to look back with us, we did it for 2008, 2009, and 2011.

So now that it's a new year, we have to see what amazing cookbooks are missing from our wishlist. If you didn't receive these under your tree, in your stocking, or through a secret Santa exchange, you're in luck! We're giving away the following cookbooks:

Giveaway Regulations and Conditions:

• The New Year Giveaway is open from Tuesday, January 1, 2013 to Sunday, January 13, 2013. Entries submitted after 12 midnight EST on Sunday, January 13, 2013 will not be considered.
• There is one main way to enter: by commenting on this post. There are also some bonus entries in instructions #2-6:

1. Post in the comment section below: I want to spend my new year reading ______________. (Fill in the blank with one of these titles: La Tartine Gourmande, One Girl Cookies, or The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook)
2. To enter via Twitter, tweet: @abakedcreation I want to spend my new year reading ______________. (Fill in the blank with the title you would like to win.)
3. To enter via Facebook, post on our wall: I want to spend my new year reading ______________. (Fill in the blank with the title you would like to win.)
4. Follow us on Pinterest, let us know who you are in the comments below.
5. Follow us on Instagram, let us know who you are in the comments below.
6. If you're already following us on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, just mention it in the comments for bonus entries!

• Please leave a way for us to contact you (e-mail addresses or social media handles).
• Winners will be randomly chosen and announced here on A Baked Creation.
• The winners will have 7 days to claim their prize. If we do not get a mailing address, the prize is forfeited.
• This contest is available to residents of Canada and the U.S.A. only! However, if you have friends and family with a Canadian or American mailing address, feel free to enter. There will be three different winners, one for each book.

Best of luck!

UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to those who entered!
Congratulations to Amanda for winning a copy of One Girl Cookies!
Congratulations to Rebecca for winning a copy of The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook!
Congratulations to Carmen for winning a copy of La Tartine Gourmande!
Happy reading and cooking everyone!

Our Favourite Cookbooks of the Year

The third time is quite the charm! We're very excited to share with you our favourite cookbooks from this year. There are some stellar new books for bakers and a few outstanding cookbooks from the food blogging community. If you're looking for gift ideas for bakers, cooks, or that friend that instagrams their food, consider these:

Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients
By Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Photographs by Tina Rupp
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang
ISBN 9781584799856

Every time they come out with a new cookbook, we can't help thinking about our visit to their bakery. Their desserts are that good. They're memorable. They're delicious. You're probably familiar with them now that Williams-Sonoma carries a lot of their products. But do pick up their books and try baking from scratch! What are the ten featured ingredients in this book? Peanut Butter, Lemon and Lime, Caramel, Booze, Pumpkin, Malted Milk Powder, Cinnamon, Cheese, Chocolate, and Banana. It's highly likely that you love more than seven of these ingredients. This book has a different design from their previous two, but you'll love the infographics that start each chapter!

Bouchon Bakery
By Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel, with Susie Heller, Matthew McDonald, Michael Ruhlman, and Amy Vogler
Photographs by Deborah Jones
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published by Artisan
ISBN 9781579654351

Who doesn't get distracted walking by a Bouchon bakery case? The gigantic-sized cookies, macarons, éclairs, cupcakes, financiers, bouchons, madelines, tarts, and croissants! And what about the bread they use in the restaurants? They're all in this book. Read the helpful tips and create your own memories at home.

La Tartine Gourmande: Recipes for An Inspired Life
By Béatrice Peltre
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published by Roost Books
ISBN 9781590307625

Wow. The photographs in this cookbook are stunning. Just stunning! You may know Béatrice from her blog by the same name, La Tartine Gourmande. This cookbook is such a treat to see, flip through it and you'll get it. Everything Béatrice has captured for us to see is just charming, bright, and fresh.

Macarons: Authentic French Cookie Recipes from the Macaron Cafe
By Cecile Cannone
Paperback, 144 pages
Published by Ulysses Press
ISBN 9781569758205

Having visited Macaron Cafe in NYC, we placed this book on our holiday wishlist last year. Luckily our Secret Santa did deliver and we've made three batches of macarons following the recipe in this book. They've all turned out nicely and it's such a relief to be able to make macarons at home now! The instructions are clear and easy to follow. There are lots of recipes for the fillings and decoration ideas. It's an inspiring book for all!

One Girl Cookies: Recipes for Cakes, Cupcakes, Whoopie Pies, and Cookies from Brooklyn's Beloved Bakery
By Dawn Casale and David Crofton
Photographs by Iain Bagwell
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published by Clarkson Potter
ISBN 9780307720481

The cover had us at whoopie pies. But there's more inside! Orange Butter Drops with Shredded Coconut, Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, Chocolate Chip Pistachio Pound Cake, Banana Whoopie Pies with Dulce de Leche Filling and Milk Pie. We love all of these updated classics! It's about time that we pay them a visit on our next trip to New York!

Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery
By Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough
Photography by Paige Green
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published by Ten Speed Press
ISBN 9781607741848

Ice cream! We have not made ice cream yet, but we have good inspiration to now. This puts getting an ice cream machine on the top of our list. The book will help you master the basic techniques like making the base for the ice cream, sugar cones, sorbet, granita, ice pops, ice cream cakes, ice cream pie, and ice cream sandwiches. There are step-by-step photos and tips interspersed between the instructions. Trust us, you'll be craving for their ice cream, even in the middle of winter.

Tartine: The Boxed Set
By Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson
Photographs by France Ruffenach and Eric Wolfinger
Hardcover, 528 pages
Published by Chronicle Books
ISBN 9781452107028

A serious addition to your bookshelves! This is a great box set for those who love to bake. Tartine offers sweet treats and Tartine Bread is famous for their bread in San Francisco. These cookbooks will make you gain a whole new level of respect for pastry chefs and bread bakers. The clear instructions are filled with details, cups and weight measurements are both included, and each recipe includes carefully written kitchen notes with practical advice. Both books are designed with clean, simple lines. The burlap-covered box case adds such charm!

The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook
By Lindsay Landis
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published by Quirk Books
ISBN 9781594745645

If you're thinking that her name is familiar, it's probably because Lindsay is the blogger of Love and Olive Oil. She's come up with the perfect, egg-free cookie dough that tastes great and is easy to make. We were scratching our heads and wondering how a whole cookbook could  possibly feature cookie dough, we were pleasantly surprised. The book features treats such as Cooke Dough Crème Brûlée, Cookie Dough Whoope Pies, Malted Cookie Dough Milkshakes, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, Deep-Fried Cookie Dough Fritters, Cookie Dough Dessert Pizza, and Cookie Dough-Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cupcakes. Oh there's more, but you're probably drooling already. We love the design of the book and Lindsay's photography knocks it out of the park. We're also quite excited to learn that Lindsay's next book, Breakfast For Dinner, will be out next year!

The Seasonal Baker: Easy Recipes from My Home Kitchen to Make Year-Round
By John Barricelli
Photographs by Ben Fink
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published by Clarkson Potter
ISBN 9780307951878

A follow-up to The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook (we featured it in our first list), this one makes a great companion. There are more stories about John and his family, more mouth-watering recipes, and offers savory recipes as well. This book focuses and explains the diversity of fruits and vegetables - when to buy them and how to prepare and store them. Some of the recipes I've already tagged for trying are Brioche French Toast with Vanilla Filling, Caramel-Apple Tart, Lemon Soufflé Tartlets, Asparagus Tart with Herbed Béchamel and Gruyère, and the Ratatouille Hand Pies.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
By Deb Perelman
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published by Appetite
ISBN 9780449015797

You read Deb's blog, don't you? If there were courses in school about food bloggers, Smitten Kitchen would be on a required reading list. What you'll love is her no fuss approach to food and photography. Cooking from her tiny Manhattan kitchen, she's never been a chef, restaurant owner, or even a waitress, but here we are, in love with her recipes!

Click on the year to view our previous lists: 2010, 2011.