"Finally, because everybody on your list deserves to be surrounded at all times by cookies, muffins, tarts, cobblers and cakes, there’s Genevieve Ko’s BETTER BAKING: Wholesome Ingredients, Delicious Desserts (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30). Don’t be put off by the word “wholesome.” It’s true she cuts back on butter and refined sugar; it’s true you’ll find whole-grain flours and a plentiful use of nuts and seeds, but she handles these alterations with the wisdom and integrity of a great baker; and the results are scrumptious by any standards. Her pistachio-orange ricotta cake is a gem, and the batter took about three minutes to put together. Your friends who bake from scratch will be happy, and the ones who have always insisted on using mixes will never look back."

-Laura Shapiro, New York Times