Cookie Craft Christmas

Product: Cookie Craft Christmas

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Rating: 3/5

First of all, I absolutely LOVE Christmas, and second, I absolutely LOVE decorating cookies. When I saw this book, I thought it was an absolute no brainer. Obviously I was going to order Cookie Craft Christmas. My first thought when I opened my box was: "That's it?" It's seriously small! It measures about 7x8 inches. Looking back at pictures, I now see it does show a picture that it measures 6.8" high and fits in the palm of a hand (much larger than my hand I guess!), so it's not that it's a negative for me. What I don't like is that it's that proportioned when the first Cookie Craft book is much bigger. When I have books by the same author(s) I tend to think they'll fit together like a collection. This isn't the case, so I'm a bit disappointed with that. I like them to look cohesive on my bookshelf!

As far as the content, it's ok. There are a lot of really basic designs. Being a cookie decorator who has self taught for the past year, it was a bit of a disappointment. I was hoping for new ideas and really cute cookies I never would have thought of. Instead it was a lot of basic Christmas cookies. I know there's people who don't have a cookie background that this book would benefit, but I feel like cookiers are more likely to purchase (and be disappointed) by Cookie Craft Christmas. I also don't care for the amount of fondant decorated cookies in the book. I don't tend to specifically make the cookies I see in the books, more use them as inspiration and to pick up tips on different techniques. That being said, there are many books that are far better.

It's a Christmas AND Cookie book, so if you MUST have anything in those categories, it's great. I do love that it's a subject I love. But I wish it were better executed. When I look at this book (and its' predecessor), I tend to think it's just outdated. The photography isn't as vibrant as 'newer' ones, the cookie techniques seem to be a step behind, etc. Seeing that the book was published in 2009 wasn't a shock to me at all. There's plenty of newer, more cutting edge books. There's a lot more to be found on blogs, websites, social media, and pinterest. So if you're looking for really up to date ideas, look somewhere else. If you're looking for a good book for cookie bakers that pretty much only use their (limited) skills every christmas, you might be in luck!