20 Ways to Become a Better Cook

If you haven't visited Brooklyn's utterly charming Ovenly bakery, thumbing through the pages of (and cooking from) Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes From New York's Most Creative Bakery ($30) by Erin Patinkin and Agatha Kulaga is a close second best. Many aspects are winning, but what we appreciate most (aside from the tempting recipes) are the detailed photo tutorials for intimidating baking techniques like frosting a cake or making scones and the choose-your-own-adventure-style "base" recipes that allow for experimentation.

Recipes we can't wait to try:

• Bloody Mary scones
• Banana nutella coffee cake
• Muffin bread pudding with cream cheese icing
• Savory rosemary popcorn
• Blue cheese apple pie with toasted walnuts
• Cinnamon and ancho chile brownies
• Eggnog sandwich cookies