Treat Yourself Book Review

I was looking through some new books that looked interesting through Blogging for Books but I decided to peek over and look at the cook books.  I think that I have a horrible weakness for cookbooks because I was super excited to see all of them.  I couldn't pass up Treat Yourself: 70 Classic Snacks You Loved as a Kid (and Still Love Today) by Jennifer Steinhauer!! Who can turn down that cover....only note is that it doesn't come with all of the baked goods it shows in the pictures so you do need to make them yourself!

The book starts with a great introduction that I think that everyone can relate to because we all have memories that relate to food even if they are not the same as the author.  I know that I remember many childhood memories attached to my mom making banana bread and my brother and "trying" not to eat the whole loaf in one sitting.  My dad remembers his father eating tasty cakes and other treats and when he came home the little wrappers were all over his car.  There are always memories or holiday dinners or favorite foods that come to mind when I think about different events in the past.  Each recipe gives a little story at the

The book is separated into a few different chapters including the following:

Classic Cookies
Sandwich Cookies
Snack Cakes
Fruit Treats and Filled Things
Savory Snacks
Candy
Frozen Treats

There are a bunch of recipes that I know that I will try like the lemon coolers because my husband would like them.  There are others that look great that I know that I won't take the time to make like the thin mints but I can dream.  I am interested in trying the Chips Ahoy because I am always on a search for the cookies recipe that the whole family is going to like.  I also think that I might try some Nilla Wafers because I have a new piping bag that I have never used so I am excited to try a bunch of the cookie recipes.

The Sandwich Cookies look interesting but I know that I probably won't put in the effort to make them but I love the idea of the Nutter Butters because I love the cookies and the cookies look amazing.  I am not a fan of marshmallow so I will not make the mallomars but I might try the oatmeal cream pie because I loved those as a kid.  I really can't put any stock into why I liked it but I am sure the homemade version would be way more tasty.

The snack cake chapter is really interesting because there are so many regional snacks that I didn't have growing up.  I would try to make the donut holes in the book but they are not make with yeast so I am interested to taste the more cake like donut but I would probably do cinnamon powdered sugar because that is what we prefer on our donuts so they would probably have to be fried to stick to it or rolled in butter.  I also enjoyed the Star Crunch when I was in high school as part of my not nearly nutritious lunch so I think that I would make those for my son because I think that he would really enjoy them.  I had a bunch of caramels that I got to make a special cookie but I ended up eating all of them so I would have to make them soon after buying the caramels!

I look forward to trying the soft pretzels with my homemade pizza dough sometime.  It is perfect because the dough makes double so I can make one pizza and use the second to make another treat.  Soft pretzels would be a great after dinner treat (especially in cinnamon and sugar version) or save for the next day for a snack. I am also interested in trying the Ritz crackers and her Cheez-Its to see how different they are from the ones that I made previously.  The Fritos are going to be a special treat for me to make because they would be prefect to make for the top of the crunchy taco rice that we like even if they aren't the prettiest when they turn out but I can't wait to try them.

I was least interested in the candy but then I got to the Twix and thought that they looked amazing.  Of course I love Twix bars so why wouldn't they!  I loved the look of the candy dots but that seems like a lot of work to make your own but fun that you can.  The other chapter that seemed that I wouldn't like and I was surprised was the frozen treats.  I think that there are a few that I would try like the ice cream sandwiches or the creamsicles and pudding pops. 

My biggest disappointment came in this book because the items weren't all made from scratch.  The honey buns uses a box of hot roll mix.  The filling starts with marshmallow fluff which I don't normally buy and probably would have to go out of my way to get it which means that I probably won't make these treats without a lot more effort.  Obviously if the recipe calls for a store bought pie crust, you could make your own version but I don't know how homemade marshmallow fluff would stack up for these recipes.  I also don't have a clue what the hot roll mix is in order to make my own.  If I figure out how to make some of these recipes more from scratch, then they have more a chance of being made.

This book has great stories, great recipes and great pictures.  My aunt would call it great food porn because you can see all the pictures and not gain any weight because there are no calories associated with it.  I totally agree and this is a cookbook that you could read over and over with the great stories and I know that I will be.  I added it to the cook book shelf in the kitchen but it might be nice to keep on my bedside table to read at night.  It is a hard cross over when it has so much good reading and you can literally read the book from cover to cover like a novel.  I hope that you check out this book and the tons of great recipes.  If there are any recipes that you would like to try (and share the goods with me), you are more then welcome to come over and borrow the book.  Of course, I share opinions on which ones you should make but I can't wait to try lots of them.  I hope that you check out this book and some of the great recipes!!!  Even if you are just getting it for the reading, it is well worth the purchase to take a trip down memory lane of all of these childhood treats.