The Best Baking Cookbooks to Keep You Busy
Updated: Jan. 20, 2023Staying home more gives us all plenty of time to sharpen our baking skills. Read on for the best baking cookbooks to work through!
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Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts
If you’re craving sweet treats, look no further than this instant classic cookbook. It includes a combination of classic American favorites like blueberry muffins and traditionally store-bought goodies you can make at home, like vanilla wafers.
Why it made our list: This cookbook also includes some fun facts about the history of American baking, like the story behind Nestle Toll House’s famous cookie recipe.
Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland
Traditional Midwestern cuisine is the star of the show in this 125-recipe cookbook. The book traces the cultural history of its recipes, shining light on their roots in German, Polish and, Scandanavian immigrant families, among other forgotten facts.
Why it made our list: It’s not every day that Midwestern favorites like Danish kringles, Cornish pasties, and scotcheroos are celebrated in a cookbook.
The Vintage Baker
Full of retro charm, this gorgeous cookbook offers over 50 recipes that would’ve felt right at home in grandma’s kitchen. It’s inspired by pamphlets from the 1920s to the 1960s, full of scrumptious pies, cookies and cakes reworked for the modern age.
Why it made our list: This cookbook is a favorite of Taste of Home editors!
Bread Toast Crumbs
It seems like everyone on social media is boasting about their bread baking skills. If you want to take part in the trend with simple bread recipes, try this cookbook. All of its recipes are no-knead, so sore muscles are a thing of the past.
Why it made our list: This cookbook also offers ideas and recipes for what to do with every last bit of bread, from homemade croutons to delicious toast with fresh toppings.
Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes from a Little Neighborhood Bakery
Known for its mouthwatering marshmallows, the Butter Baked Goods bakery is here with a book full of sweet treats. Enjoy everything from meringue tarts to cheesecake bars in this charming cookbook.
Why it made our list: Some cookbooks focus on the bakes, dedicating the smallest blurbs to frostings, but not this one. It offers an entire chapter on frosting and buttercream, because what’s a great cake without great frosting?
Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit
Part cookbook, part memoir, this pie book is all heart and soul. It tells the tale of sisters who own a bake shop, alongside recipes for the pies that made their shop legendary, like toasted marshmallow butterscotch pie and sour cherry bourbon pie.
Why it made our list: Pie lovers will adore this cookbook since its 75 recipes are all centered around the classic dessert: pie.
Dappled: Baking Recipes for Fruit Lovers
When summertime rolls around, fruits are in season and ready to be enjoyed. This cookbook will help you get the most of them, with baking recipes for cobblers, tarts, and cookies that are just as good as any chocolate-centered dessert.
Why it made our list: This cookbook is centered around fruits you can find all year round, so it’s not limited to just summer recipes.
Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky
If you love baking old-fashioned recipes, this is the next cookbook you should add to your collection. It guides you from beginner to expert status, with recipes for every taste plus the tips and tricks to help you ace every task.
Why it made our list: This is a cookbook ready to be passed down through the generations with its timeless recipes.
Taste of Home Bake Shop Favorites
Full of delicious, foolproof recipes, this Taste of Home cookbook is sure to become a family favorite, stat. Bake everything from pastries, coffee cakes, cookies, bread, and more, with special attention paid to each season and the treats that complement them.
Why it made our list: Taste of Home readers are the heart of this cookbook.
The Baking Bible
If you’re a total newbie when it comes to baking, this cookbook is what you need. It covers absolutely everything you need to know about baking, from how to make foolproof pies to flawless pastries and more, with a delicious result every time.
Why it made our list: It’s ideal for those looking to move beyond the store-bought mixes and into the more advanced world of baking, with recipes that taste like they’ve been made by a pro baker.
