Best Cookbooks to Gift This Year, According to Our Food Editors

How serious can you be about cookies? If you're foodwriter and self-proclaimed cookie nerd, Ben Mims, it turns out, very. With a whopping 300 recipes from nearly 100 countries, Crumbs is more than a baking book; it's a multicultural cookie compendium. Mims, who was most recently a cooking columnist for the Los Angeles Times, brings an earnest curiosity about food history to dig into why a particular treat took hold in its host nation.

Take, for example, the Napolitaines (jam-filled sandwich cookies coated entirely in flamingo pink icing) from Mauritius, the island nation off the southeastern coast of Africa. "The Dutch, British, and French have all influenced the cuisine of Mauritius over periods of colonization, but French food culture had the biggest influence," Mims writes about these tiny sablé-like cookie sandwiches. He adds that their name points to the treats possibly being a cookie version of the French mille-feuille, or Napoleon pastry, which consists of two or more layers of puff pastry sandwiched with custard and then topped with powdered sugar icing.

"Crumbs" doesn't just refer to what's left behind after eating cookies, it also nods to the interesting tidbits and anecdotes that Mims sprinkles throughout the book like fascinating cultural nonpareils.

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Cookie lovers who enjoy a layer of history with their sweets.

"Vegetarian cooking is not about putting in more work, it's about putting in more thought," author Jenny Rosenstrach writes in the intro of her latest cookbook. She enjoys a burger or roast chicken now and then so understands that for a veg dish to fulfill, it also needs to satiate. Unlike a well-aged steak, however, a slab of cauliflower could use a big flavor boost.

To that end, Rosenstrach, founder of the popular food blog "Dinner: A Love Story," offers deeply satisfying vegetarian recipes that are easy enough to pull together on a random Wednesday. The One-Pan Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Burrata that she thinks of as a "cold-weather caprese" is a prime example. I will personally co-sign on her description that: "The juices from the roasted tomatoes join forces with the creamy burrata to create the most luxurious sauce."

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Vegetarians or those who need some breezy inspiration for Meatless Monday and beyond.

When the original Cake Bible by baking maven Rose Levy Beranbaum was published in 1988, it was a runaway bestseller. It became a go-to gift for newlyweds and anyone who liked to bake. The 35th-anniversary edition is a revised and improved version that Beranbaum brought up to speed for modern times. For instance, the tweaked recipes take into account higher heights for cake pans and lower proportion of yolk to whites in today's eggs.

Cakes are a cornerstone of celebrations in America and this 704-page tome has a recipe for every occasion, from easy loaves and Bundts to jaw-dropping show stoppers, like multi-tiered wedding cakes. Plus, you'll find Beranbaum's expert advice on how to decorate them all.

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Budding bakers and advanced pastry chefs.

You might recognize the author Yumna Jawad as the TikTok creator who helped stoke the baked feta pasta craze a few years ago. It's that easy, throw-things-together sensibility that has made her blog, food videos — and, now, her first cookbook, so appealing. "I have been a fan of Jawad's blog for years, so I was so excited that she came out with a book this year," says deputy food editor Trish Clasen Marsanico . "Her recipes (many of which go viral!) give off fresh, fun and creative vibes with Mediterranean flair."

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Someone who's constantly on FoodTok or loves Middle Eastern flavors.

With the release of " Culinary Class Wars ," the hit Korean competition show on Netflix in late 2024, came a swarm of worldwide viewers newly enamored with Edward Lee. Throughout the series, the Brooklyn-born now Kentucky-based celebrity chef laid bare his struggles with his Korean-American identity and said his motivation to appear on the show was to share that story with a global audience.

You'll find a similar sentiment in Buttermilk Graffiti, a book that's in equal measures a moving memoir, evocative travelogue and collection of recipes inspired by his trips. Lee traverses the United States in search of regional foods shaped by longtime dwellers and new immigrants alike. In the journey, he looks at cooking as a way to heal, make personal discoveries and push boundaries — not just in what defines a dish, but us as humans.

For instance, his chapter about beignets traces the origin of the fried dough treat from Africa to New Orleans and concludes with his own recipe for green tea beignets drizzled with sweetened condensed milk (perhaps a nod to the mostly Vietnamese waitstaff at Cafe du Monde, the NOLA famous for its beignets in NOLA) and dusted with matcha along with the powdered sugar.

Note that you'll find no images to accompany the recipes in this book. Lee explains, "We have been following recipes without photos for centuries. When we don't know what the end result is supposed to look like, the imagination is allowed to roam free and we come up with our own conclusions." He would rather readers rely on their own instincts and not feel like failures if their dishes do not mirror a photo food-styled within an inch of its life. "If it tastes good, you've succeeded," Lee assures.

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Fans of Edward Lee, beautiful story-telling and the pre-Instagram era.

Six Seasons is the book for anyone who's wondered what to do with a glut of, say, asparagus from the garden or a case of Swiss chard from their CSA. It's by Joshua McFadden, the chef who launched Ava Gene's and other hit restaurants in Portland, Oregon, and co-written by Martha Holmberg. "It helped teach me how to cook. I learned how to unlock flavor from vegetables — almost any vegetable — with the right seasonings and techniques," says assistant food editor Samantha MacAvoy . "McFadden expertly layers flavors so the end result barely tastes like it came from the ground. It's a total game-changer!"

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Gardeners, CSA subscribers and anyone looking to have more vegetables.

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, the former Culinary Director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site, published The Food Lab in 2015 but it's still a must-have reference book for novice and experienced cooks alike. "The Food Lab can feel more like a textbook than a cookbook (with almost 1,000 pages!) but it more than deserves its permanent spot on my kitchen counter," says Marsanico. "Whenever I try a new cooking method, I'll always take a look to see if this book covers it and eight out of 10 times it has."

She adds that what makes this book particularly remarkable is that Lopez-Alt breaks down the science behind culinary techniques in a way that's easy-to-digest and learn from. "Because of this book, I successfully made beef tenderloin for Christmas (finished on the stovetop), learned the secret to super-crispy roasted potatoes and made the cheesiest grilled cheese."

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Someone thinking about culinary school or who needs to know the why behind cooking techniques.

"My friends and I have a cookbook club and one of the best ones we cooked from this year was Woks of Life," says Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab Director Nicole Papantoniou . "The authors have a blog of the same name and this cookbook brings it to life." She adds that the recipes are from one family (the Leungs) and they're well-written.

The biggest appeal of this cookbook, though? "It offers an approachable way to cook recipes you might not be familiar with," Papantoniou says. She suggests that it's also a great cookbook to cook from with others since some of the recipes can require more than one set of hands. Maybe some shrimp with lobster sauce for your next date night or a dumpling party for the next group hang? Both sound like amazing reasons to stay in.

PERFECT GIFT FOR: Someone who has their local Chinese restaurant number saved in their phone.

From Abi Balingit, the blogger behind The Dusky Kitchen, comes this debut cookbook that's a riot of playful candy colors and tempting tropical flavors. (The title, Mayumu, is the Kapampangan word for "sweet.") "I may be biased because I assisted on the cookbook shoot for this book, but I like to think this gave me an even deeper appreciation for the crazy-good, whimsically wonderful recipes in this heartfelt book," says assistant food editor Joy Cho . "She incorporates Filipino flavors in fresh, creative ways, showcasing her dual identity and inviting the reader to discover (or rediscover) how delicious and surprising the journey can be."

Cho shouts out just a few of the particularly delicious recipes within the pages: Ube Melon Pandesal, Roasted Kamote Scones and Jumbo Calamansi Poppy Seed Muffins.

PERFECT GIFT FOR: The baking-obsessed, ube-lover in your life.

"The Fit Men Cook cookbook is one of my favorites and something I use on a weekly basis," says Stefani Sassos , a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of the Nutrition Lab. "It's perfect for the friend who is making their health a priority and needs not only nutritious but also delicious recipes to keep meal prep exciting and something to look forward to."

Sassos loves the way that the author, Kevin Curry, puts unique, flavorful spins on dishes and even gives tips for meal prep and planning throughout. Curry, started what would eventually become the Fit Men Cook site, when his mental and physical health were at a low point. He started cooking his own meals to help turn his life around. "It's a fantastic resource and every meal we make from here gets rave reviews!" Sassos declares.

PERFECT GIFT FOR: The person who resolves to meal prep and eat healthier in the new year.