The Messy Baker

Since when did every cookie on the plate have to be just like the next? Or each layer of cake exactly the same height? Each piecrust an impeccable work of art and encircled by stunningly perfect pastry leaves? To the uninitiated, all that fastidious, spotless baking is intimidating, not to mention exhausting. The Messy Baker celebrates baking as it happens in the real world--sweet, messy, fun, not always gorgeous, but a way to show love. Which doesn't make it any less delicious; to the contrary, Charmian Christie's flavor combinations rise far above the ordinary. Why have a raspberry galette when you can enjoy a raspberry-rhubarb galette with drippy, unctuous walnut frangipane? Or how about a Brie and walnut whiskey tart? It's all yours without the rigid perfectionism or complicated instructions of other gourmet cookbooks. Christie's warm, irreverent voice brings the fun back into baking at a time when home cooks--pulled from pillar to post by jobs and errands--need to have fun. The Messy Baker is a full-service book that not only guides the reader through simple, delicious recipes but is also there to help out when things go wrong. For anyone who gave in frustration when that cake collapsed or the frosting smeared, Christie's practical advice is here to rescue even the worst disaster and inspire the baker to try the next recipe.

The Messy Baker offers food made and enjoyed in a kitchen not unlike your own. Charmian Christie has worked in many professional kitchens, perfecting baked goods, but prefers the realities of a home setting to a stainless steel “test” kitchen every time. It just makes things taste better! There is nothing trendy or artful about real baking; it’s honest, sticky, humble and moreish. The Messy Baker is an antidote to the precious perfectionism of today’s baking where every cookie on the plate is just like the next, each layer of cake is exactly the same height, and impeccably scalloped pie crusts dare you to cut into them. To the uninitiated, all this fastidious, spotless baking is intimidating. The rest of us, out here in the real world, cook and bake in space-challenged kitchens where floors aren’t always waxed and there’s cat hair to consider. Lopsided cookies and interestingly shaped pies are the norm, and in The Messy Baker they are celebrated. Recipes here are down to earth, incredibly delicious, and often rather pretty. In chapters such as “Smudgy”, “Crumbly”, “Flaky” and “Drippy”, The Messy Baker redefines perfection, on achievable terms.

A collection of dessert recipes that gives you more than seventy-five delicious reasons to stock up on napkins. Chocolate Caramel-Pecan Soufflé Cake Cinnamon-Donut Bread Pudding Chewy Lemon-Pistachio Financiers Double-Crumble Hot Apple Pies Butterscotch-Bourbon Macadamia Nut Pie Still not satisfied? How about Cheesecake Pops, Giant Coconut Cream Puffs, Hawaiian Caramel Corn, Milky Way Tempura-on-a-Stick, or Sticky Pear and Walnut Upside-Down Gingerbread? And there are plenty more where that came from. In addition to each buttery, sugary favorite, author Jill O’Connor has included all the techniques and tools you’ll need to re-create these perfectly decadent treasures. Sprinkled throughout are sweet tips on using phyllo dough, toasting nuts, choosing the right cocoa, and making a heavenly ganache, ensuring that every pudding, cookie, cake, pie, and over-the-top treat tastes as irresistible as it sounds. If you think chocolate, marshmallow, whipped cream, and caramel belong in a separate food group all their own, you’re ready to bite into all that’s Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey.

When it comes to baking, less is more. Would you believe that you can make high-quality, no-stress sweets using just three ingredients? What if those recipes can be made with ingredients you already have on hand or can buy in a single trip to just one grocery store? Does it sound too good to be true? Charmian Christie, creator of blog The Messy Baker, promises that it's not! In The 3-Ingredient Baking Book, she shares 101 delicious and easy-to-follow recipes, from cookies to ice cream, to help you spend less time in the kitchen and less money on food. Whether you're looking for entertaining-worthy desserts or just want to make yourself an effortless treat, Charmian has you covered. Impress your guests with Quick Chocolate Mousse, Mini Baklava Bites or a heaping serving of Strawberry Eton Mess. Feeling like a bit of self-indulgence? Keep it simple with Peanut Butter Cookies, Maple Popcorn or Chocolate Hazelnut Mug Cake. She also provides tips and tricks, must-have pantry items and equipment, and walks you through how to avoid the most common baking mistakes. If you're new to baking, this book is a great place to start. Nothing here is too difficult and you won't have to spend a car payment on speciality pans. If you're a seasoned pro, you'll find inspiration and new ways to make old favorites without the fuss. So grab an apron and take the 3-ingredient challenge!

While most of us trudge toward the cross with the best intentions, at times our lives just don't pan out the way we've planned. Messy Faith addresses the muddled adventure that we call "working out our salvation." It is being sure and unsure, whole and broken, warring, losing, and winning. It is being right and being wrong and having no clue, but believing anyway. And it is trusting in God to perfect the final product of our flawed, human lives. Author A. J. Gregory explores her own personal experiences, and those of a handful of flawed biblical heroes and others who have endured painful or simply ordinary realities in the journey to belief. This honest book will comfort anyone who has had a less-than-straight path to belief and those who continue to struggle.

Take your baking from simple to sensational with Anna Olson's comprehensive guide to beautiful baked goods. Bake with Anna Olson features more than 125 recipes from her popular Food Network Canada show. From chocolate chip cookies to croquembouche, pumpkin pie to petits fours, Anna Olson's newest baking book is full of delectable delights for every occasion, category and skill level. Beginner bakers, dessert aficionados and fans of her show will find over 125 recipes to take their baking to the next level, whether through perfecting a classic like New York Cheesecake or mastering a fancy dessert like Chocolate Hazelnut Napoleon. Introductory sections on essential tools and ingredients explain how to prepare your kitchen for baking success, and Anna's helpful notes throughout point you towards perfecting key details for every creation. Recipes for cookies and bars, pies and tarts, cakes, pastries, and other desserts give bakers a range of ways to savor their sweet skills, with a chapter on sauces and decors to round out your knowledge, and a chapter on breads to practice your savory savoir-faire. Gorgeous photography illustrates each recipe and guides you through difficult techniques. Baking your way through Anna Olson's favorites couldn't be easier (or more delicious!). Whether you're looking for a classic baking recipe or a new baking challenge, Bake with Anna Olson is your new go-to baking book for all occasions!

Jim Lahey’s "breathtaking, miraculous, no-work, no-knead bread" (Vogue) has revolutionized the food world. When he wrote about Jim Lahey’s bread in the New York Times, Mark Bittman’s excitement was palpable: “The loaf is incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique I’ve used, and it will blow your mind.” Here, thanks to Jim Lahey, New York’s premier baker, is a way to make bread at home that doesn’t rely on a fancy bread machine or complicated kneading techniques. The secret to Jim Lahey’s bread is slow-rise fermentation. As Jim shows in My Bread, with step-by-step instructions followed by step-by-step pictures, the amount of labor you put in amounts to 5 minutes: mix water, flour, yeast, and salt, and then let time work its magic—no kneading necessary. The process couldn’t be more simple, or the results more inspiring. Here—finally—Jim Lahey gives us a cookbook that enables us to fit quality bread into our lives at home.

Decadent, delicious seasonal comfort foods and desserts you can make at home no matter what your cooking level from the beloved social media star @PreppyKitchen. Preppy Kitchen creator John Kanell delivers his fan-favorite recipes and baked goods so everyone can create them at home. Organized by season so you can shop at peak freshness and embrace new traditions, the dishes featured in Preppy Kitchen are inspired by well-loved staples updated with a touch of Kanell’s signature sophistication. Recipes include: -Chive and Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits -Pecan Shortbread and Rosemary Caramel Bars -Roasted Garlic and Olive-Stuffed Chicken Breasts -Blackberry-Balsamic Pork Chops -Apple Butter and Marzipan Bread -Chorizo Beef Burgers with Queso and Avocado -Fresh Tostadas with Green Tomato and Mango Salsa -And many more! In addition to the delicious recipes that feature tips and tricks throughout to help save time in the kitchen, Kanell includes special projects, everything from making flower arrangements and winter wreaths to pickling vegetables. Through these mouthwatering recipes, inspirational crafts, and beautiful photography, Preppy Kitchen is sure to delight longtime fans and newcomers alike.