The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook    by Barbara Grunes Order:  USA  Can Chronicle, 2007 (2007) Softcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto I don't think bake sales are as prevalent as they once were, but if you are ever asked to participate in one, Barbara Grunes is here to help with her new Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook. Chock full of mouthwatering baked recipes, the cookbook is a good resource for any experienced baker. I say experienced because these are not the easiest recipes and some are missing steps that an avid baker would know, but a novice might not. For instance, I made the Butterscotch Bars to take to a party (they were a big hit, although everyone thought they tasted more gooey butter than butterscotch) and almost ended up scrambling the eggs by adding them to a hot liquid without tempering them first, because the directions did not say to do so. Also, some of these recipes are complicated, not for someone who is used to whipping up a dessert out of a box. I, myself, make cookies and brownies from scratch, but most of my cakes start with a mix. However, I thought that since my mom's birthday was coming up, I would try Grunes's Malted Milk Candy Cake. The cake was delicious, but there were a lot of time-consuming steps in the recipe and I ended up spending almost all afternoon in the kitchen. There are a lot of other recipes I want to try, such as the Chocolate Cupcakes with Mile-High Frosting pictured on the cover, but I am going to have to wait until I have more time, because these recipes need it. The one thing that makes The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook a cookbook geared towards bake sales rather than just baking is that Grunes offers presentation and packaging tips for the baked goods throughout, to entice buyers to spend their money. Also, Grunes makes sure that all of her recipes are portable, which not only makes them good for bake sales but also for potlucks, which bakers are more likely to encounter in today's world. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews