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Treat your favorite foodie to these vintage-inspired cookbook gift ideas. These books offer a variety of tried-and-true recipes, from classic entrees to retro desserts to festive holiday cocktails. The vintage-loving foodie in your life will enjoy adding any of these fun and informative cookbooks to their collection. Not only are they filled with delicious, timeless recipes, they also offer a glimpse into the past with stories and photos about the period during which the recipes were popular. They’re ideal for last-minute gift ideas, as you can pick up many of these cookbooks, baking books and cocktail books from your local bookstore.
Scroll on for vintage-inspired cookbook gift ideas and visit my Gift Guides section for more vintage-inspired gift ideas.
Vintage-Inspired Cookbook Gift Ideas
Vintage-Inspired Cookbooks
It’s A Wonderful Life: The Official Bailey Family Cookbook
Inspired by the classic holiday movie from 1946, It’s A Wonderful Life: The Official Bailey Family Cookbook has everything you’d need to host the most festive vintage-inspired Christmas party. There are over 50 recipes including a classic Christmas punch, mulled wine and Clarence’s Angel Food Cake, plus craft ideas and entertaining tips. The vintage foodie will be transported to Bedford Falls with this beautiful book filled with retro-inspired photography.
Betty Crocker Lost Recipes: Beloved Vintage Recipes for Today’s Kitchen
As a child, whenever I wanted to bake banana muffins or macaroni and cheese, I brought out my mom’s old copy of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook. Betty Crocker Lost Recipes captures that nostalgic feeling with a mix of tried-and-true recipes every home cook should have, plus retro recipes that may not be worth making today but are sure fun to imagine. Waldorf Salad, Chiffon Cake and Beef Stroganoff are just some of the classic dishes your favorite foodie can make with this cookbook.
Retro Recipes from the ’50s and ’60s
Retro Recipes from the ’50s and ’60s has 103 retro recipes including appetizers, breakfast, dinners, sides, drinks and desserts. Even the cover, which features a colorful pineapple upside-down cake, screams “retro kitchen.” Recipes include Old-Fashioned Potato Salad, Vintage Coffee Cake, Slow Cooker Party Meatballs, 1950s Goulash, Chocolate Cream Pie and much more.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1: 50th Anniversary Edition
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle has inspired home cooks for decades. The 50th anniversary edition features a whopping 524 recipes and 100 illustrations for those interested in bringing more French cuisine into their kitchens.
The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook
Fans of Downton Abbey can host their own Downton-inspired tea or dinner party with help from The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook. Divided into “upstairs” and “downstairs” sections, there are over 100 recipes that range from casual staff dinners, like Beef Stew with Dumplings, to more elevated recipes that the Crawley family would have enjoyed, like Cornish Pasties. Food historian Annie Gray provides a variety of dishes adapted from original recipes of the period and recipes mentioned or seen in the show, like Salmon Mousse. There’s also The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook for those who enjoy getting into the Christmas spirit.
Vintage-Inspired Baking Books Gift Ideas
The Vintage Baker: More Than 50 Recipes from Butterscotch Pecan Curls to Sour Cream Jumbles
The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan features more than 50 recipes inspired by vintage desserts from the 1920s through the 1960s, including doughnuts, cookies, cakes, ice cream and more. As a bonus, there’s also a vintage-style recipe booklet nestled within the pages. The fun variety of recipes and retro glam design of the book make this a must-have for the vintage-loving baker!
For the friend or family member who loves to bake a cake for every occasion, Vintage Cakes has more than 50 ideas inspired by author Julie Richardson’s collection of cookbooks and recipe cards. There are delectable recipes fit for any party or event, including Blueberry Cornmeal Skillet Cake, Banana Cake with Coffee Walnut Buttercream and Peppermint Patty Flourless Cake.
Retro Cocktail Books Gift Ideas
Mod Cocktails: Modern Takes on Recipes from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s
For the friend obsessed with mid-century style, Mod Cocktails by mixologist and Arsenic Lace blogger Natalie Jacob is the perfect addition to an at-home tiki bar. The gorgeous cocktails include classics like Piña Colada and Mai Tai plus twists on retro drinks and recipes for flavored syrups.
Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season
If you’re shopping for someone who’s obsessed with the holidays, they’ll treasure Very Merry Cocktails by Jessica Strand. Some of the festive drinks including Candy Cane Martini, Holiday Bellinis, Foamy Mexican Hot Chocolate and Hot Buttered Rum, plus party punches and zero-proof libations.
A Drinkable Feast: A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris
A Drinkable Feast by cocktail historian Philip Greene looks beautiful on a bar cart and is filled with fascinating stories behind classic cocktails and the people who drank them. I referenced this book when I hosted my 1920s dinner party. Reading the book feels like a trip back in time to share a drink with American ex-pats in Paris like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.
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