""Baking Gold,"" according to ""recovering"" bakery owner Curl (Candy Is Magic, 2017), refers to ""strategies and recipes that can do a lot with very little."" Before delving into the versatile, make-ahead basics her subtitle promises, Curl outlines her 13 elements for success, telling readers what tools to invest in and where corners can be cut. Seventy-five-plus recipes follow, organized under their base dough, batter, or mix. ""Overnight dough"" becomes yeasted treats like cinnamon rolls and chocolate-honey-almond butter poufs; ""butter dough"" can be used to make slice-and-bake cookies, mini buttercream sandwiches, and cherry crumble bars; and ""brown sugar-oat dough"" is the base for bars and crisps. She takes this same approach for sour cream-based cake batters in vanilla and chocolate that lead to celebration cakes of all sorts, and a dry mix to keep on hand as a shortcut to cookies and brownies. Cheekily staged and zippy photographs by Emily Kate Roemer add to the already significant appeal of this fun and useful baking book.--Annie Bostrom Copyright 2020 Booklist

In Curl's (Candy Is Magic) new book, the author offers a streamlined yet fun approach to baking and ways to make the process easier and less stressful. Included are recipes for three doughs, two batters, and a "magic mix" that are starters to making other recipes in the book that are easily customized. The author gives advice on tools and ingredients, along with tips that will help to re-create the recipes with ease. Home bakers will enjoy a variety of treats, such as gooey cinnamon swirls, sweet cherry crumble bars, peanut butter brownies, and peach blackberry crisp. Curl also provides savory recipes such as goat cheese and pesto tarts and aged cheddar and pear tarts. Included is a chapter on ideas for sharing your creations by having a cookie party or making a batch of the magic mix in a jar with a recipe attached. VERDICT Great for beginning to intermediate bakers, and a perfect addition to all culinary collections.--Holly Skir, Broward Cty. Lib., FL