Already done recipes

I got a little recipe magazine for Christmas and I'm a little disappointed. Not at the gift, the person was very nice to get it, but at some of the recipes. It seems like most of them involve buying pre-made stuff, adding a bit too it and then TA-DA it is ready. I don't really see the fun in that. It is pretty limiting. Like I see a recipe for creamy fruit and nut cinnamon roll cups and the recipe is basically to buy the entire thing and add nuts on top. That's not really a recipe to me. I want to make the cinnamon roll cups.

Anyone else feel this way? Do you prefer these types of recipes?

Ugh, I hate things like that. I recently looked at a very beautiful cookbook for one of my favourite vegan restaurants, that included the recipe for one of my favourite menu items! I was so excited to make it, and then I got home and read that step one was to "go online to the restaurant's store and buy the main component of the recipe", which they would make and ship to you. :stare:

I get that they don't want to give away their secret recipe - but then just don't put it in there! The Babycakes book is a bit similar in that it uses a lot of very expensive (presumably gluten-free?) ingredients and alternative sweeteners and things that are very off-putting. I'll just have to hope I end up at a Babycakes someday :p

I sometimes like to make recipes with prepackaged items if I'm in a hurry or it's a weeknight and I can't be fussed with all the extra. But for desserts I either make everything myself or pull everything out of a box (usually the former. The only acceptable out of box dessert for me are brownies. I don't know why but I much prefer box brownies to my own brownies.)