We can’t wait for the release of the holiday cookbooks and this year we’ve got a haul. We bought a bunch by our favorite chefs, read them in bed (nothing better), then cooked up some of the recipes. Here are the books you’ll want to give and get (and YES, you’ll need to make this Banana-Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crock-Pot Cake). 

If you don’t follow Chrissy Teigen on Twitter, you should. She’s hilarious (and stunning and married to John Legend!). Her cookbook Cravings: Hungry For More isn’t exactly what you’d expect from a cover model: this one is filled with comfort food like Cheesy Chicken Milanese, Hawaiian Pull-Apart Bacon Grilled Cheese, and Steak Diane! Absolutely everything looks ridiculously delish. Plus we love her. 

Ina Garten is the non-cook’s cook. Her recipes are easy and foolproof and many are in heavy rotation at my house (I learned to roast shrimp vs. sauteeing from her, and it’s a revelation). Her latest, Cook Like a Pro, provides plenty of crowd-pleasers (even an update on Chicken Marbella), plus smart tips at the beginning of each chapter, so yes, you too can cook like a pro.

I am completely crazy about Cristina Tosi, the absurdly innovative chef behind Milk Bar’s legendary desserts. Every restaurant in the world has copied at least one of her sweets, from Birthday Cake Truffles to Crack Pie and Compost Cookies. Her nostalgic flavors struck a nerve and here in All About Cake she shares how to whip them up, from super simple mug cakes to crock pot sweets. We gave the Banana-Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crock-Pot Cake a whirl and it was ridiculously yummy. See photo below.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s last book PLENTY was such a hit we couldn’t wait to dive into Ottolenghi Simple. We tried this scrumptious and well, simple, dish made with roasted Butternut Squash and a bursting-with-flavor-corn-salsa (charred corn, cilantro, mint, lime juice, chilis) and topped off with feta and pumpkin seeds. YUM! This book is filled with easier than you think dishes peppered with cross-cultural spices from saffron to sumac, using 10 ingredients or fewer.

As frequent followers of Christopher Kimball, Milk Street Tuesday Nights is a no-brainer for us. We’ve learned so much about technique from Christopher over the years, particularly about layering flavors in Asian cuisine. This book is so cleverly organized into chapters: Fast, Faster, Fastest, Salad Supper, Pizza Night and more. We made the simple Vietnamese Pork Meatballs and decided they’d make a great little bite for a cocktail party. And so easy!

Our dear friend, Dorie Greenspan’s Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook is most certainly on our list. With 125 simple recipes to choose from, from Salmon Rillettes to her Newest Gougeres, she can make anyone look like a pro in the kitchen.

Ottolenghi’s Roasted Butternut Squash with Corn Salsa

Banana-Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crock-Pot Cake

Milk Street’s Vietnamese Pork Meatballs