The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook

I just finished watching the series The Gilded Age and really enjoyed it. Can’t wait for the next season! Set in New York and Newport, RI, it documents the lives of the old and newly rich, with their downtown mansions and numerous beach cottages, living in splendor in the late 19th century. Of course, the set production is spectacular as well as the costumes featured. It’s a feast for eyes in every way. I was contacted from a publisher about a new book based on The Gilded Age show and it’s a Christmas cookbook, which piqued my interest, so I got a copy to peruse and it’s a lovely book that I wanted to share with you. If you love that time period, as well as nostalgic Christmas ideas and recipes, you’ll enjoy this book by Becky Libourel Diamond.

From The Gilded Age Press release:

Sugar plums dancing, gingerbread glistening and cakes crowned with clouds of whipped cream — holiday tables of the Gilded Age were as extravagant as the era itself. While most Americans recognize sugar plums from Clement Clarke Moore’s beloved poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, few have ever savored one (spoiler: they’re not sugar-dusted plums!). Once the crown jewels of Victorian confections, these dainty delights disappeared with the dawn of the 20th century.

Now, food writer and historian Becky Libourel Diamond brings them back — along with dozens of other decadent desserts — in The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America’s Golden Era. More than a recipe collection, it’s a festive feast of flavors, stories and traditions from America’s most dazzling period.

Diamond has lovingly adapted recipes from the 19th century and earlier for today’s kitchens, making it possible to bake the very same cakes, pies, puddings, custards and candies that once graced Gilded Age holiday tables. Each recipe is paired with historical notes and sprinkled with lore, offering readers a colorful glimpse into a season when opulence met old-fashioned charm.

While the book brims with nostalgic Christmas favorites like brown sugar cookies and lemon gingerbread, it also highlights seasonal traditions from other celebrations, including Hanukkah and New Year’s. Accompanied by vibrant photographs, these recipes invite bakers of all levels to recreate the sparkle and spirit of holidays past in their own homes.

The chapters cover:  cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, and custards, as well as candies and confections, Hanukkah, and New Year’s desserts. The book has plenty of beautiful pictures and decadent desserts. You can find The Gilded Age Christmas cookbook on Amazon (affiliate link).