10 Best Baking Cookbooks of 2024, Recommended by Our Food Editors
These sweet standouts will appeal to aspiring and experienced bakers alike.
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Whether you grew up baking with Mom or Grandma or (re)discovered your sweet tooth during the pandemic, a dependable cookbook of tried-and-true recipes is an invaluable resource. To help you reach your sweetest potential, we rounded up the best baking cookbooks as recommended by our robust network of food-obsessed editors here at Good Housekeeping. No matter your area of interest or experience level, these tempting tomes will help you become the best baker you can be — or give you a place to start your sweet journey!
Hunting for the perfect Thanksgiving cookie or Christmas cookie, your next go-to birthday cake recipe, a pie recipe that instills confidence instead of anxiety or a better-for-you dessert recipe that hits the spot? Lucky you — you’ll find just the book for it in this curated list. We’ve included a mix of classic, time-tested picks and more recent releases from the last few years to add to your collection, featuring both easily-whipped-up-on-a-Tuesday treats as well as more involved bakes for those wanting a challenge (who doesn’t love a weekend project?).
And importantly, you won’t just end up with a delicious dessert or snack (or an entire roster of sweets!) with these best baking cookbooks — they’ll also teach you the techniques and tips to expand your knowledge base and set you up for future success as a baker. Get flipping, then get ready for the intoxicating aromas of freshly baked treats to emanate from your kitchen.
Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in Between
Everything baker, food stylist and social media personality Erin Jeanne McDowell touches turns to gold — pies, cakes, cookies and now, the savory stuff too. “She’s very well known for her pies but this book is loaded with so much cheesy goodness,” shares Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab Director Nicole Papantoniou.
From French Onion Muffins and Pizza Babka to a show-stopping Croissant Breakfast Pie that will steal everyone’s brunch-loving hearts (not to mention an entire section of party-worthy bites and snacks), this cookbook is bursting with scrumptious recipes that will teach you to broaden your baking horizons. McDowell’s delightfully approachable style and voice will make even the most challenging steps doable (and even enjoyable). Consider her the best coach you never had!
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This James Beard Award-winning book by celebrated author Dorie Greenspan proves that our favorite handheld treat has serious range. “There are cookies of every kind imaginable and some that you might not have imagined,” she describes on her website (Pine-Peppercorn Thumbprints, anyone?).
From brownies and bars to holiday and party treats, you’ll find over 300 meticulously tested cookie recipes that will intrigue and delight. “The outrageously good World Peace Cookies recipe is a staple in my holiday treats box,” says Good Housekeeping Recipe Editor Susan Choung. “Dorie Greenspan spent three years developing and testing recipes for this title, so you can trust each one will work. I love how she conveys directions clearly and guides readers with a reassuring hand.”
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As we come up on its ten-year anniversary, Rose Levy Beranbaum’s IACP Cookbook Award-winning tome remains as relevant and timeless as ever. The highly respected baker and multi-cookbook author has a reputation for crafting thorough, detailed recipes with ultra-clear instructions and helpful tips that set home bakers up for continued success.
“Rose Levy Beranbaum is always a go-to when I am looking for trusted baking books,” Chief Food Director Kate Merker says. Divided into four sections (Cakes, Pies and Tarts, Cookies and Candy, and Breads and Yeast Pastries), this ambitious book boasts over 500 pages of recipes that will quickly become the standard bearers in your kitchen — and also give you the confidence to tackle something completely new (we’re looking at ya, Golden Orange Panettone with Chocolate Sauce!).
Simple Cake: All You Need to Keep Your Friends and Family in Cake
Wall Street Journal columnist and two-time New York Times Best Cookbook author Odette Williams makes cake wonderfully approachable in this beautiful book — because a slice shouldn’t be reserved just for the weekend or special occasions (though there’s definitely a cake for that!).
The mix-and-match format (10 cakes + 15 buttercreams, glazes, syrups, sauces and more) allows you to choose your own adventure, or you can try your hand at one of the 30 “cake-worthy moments” with the author’s suggested combos.
Williams sprinkles in tips and variations throughout her recipes and options for adapting the cakes to different pans, so you can make your creation deliciously yours. I’ve personally made the Milk and Honey Cake many times for various occasions, and the subtly tangy, just-sweet-enough, impossibly moist cake is always a hit.
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The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook
When it comes to a dependable, practical resource to keep within arm's reach at all times, it doesn’t get better than King Arthur Flour’s baking cookbook. Awarded the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook of the Year in 2004, this book not only offers recipes for a whole range of baked goods (from fried doughs, pancakes and yeast breads to cobblers, tarts, cakes, cookies and so much more) but also provides plenty of educational tips and info so you’re learning as you bake.
“I grew up baking with my mom, using this time-honored tome as our guide. The recipes tend to have simple, short ingredient lists and the results are consistently delicious,” says Assistant Food Editor Samantha MacAvoy. “Thanks to this book, we had tasty quick breads on the table pretty much every weekend!” Home and Apparel Reviews Analyst Amanda Constantine adds, “No matter what I'm baking, I'm sure to find a starter recipe, piece of advice or conversion in this cookbook. It's packed full of helpful information!”
Clarkson Potter Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence
Recipe developer, video host and former Bon Appétit Senior Food Editor Claire Saffitz declares, “There are no ‘just cooks’ out there... only bakers who haven’t been converted yet.”
A casual perusal of Saffitz’s beautiful, IACP Award-winning debut cookbook will be enough to bring you over to the dessert side (if you’re not there already). Creative meets comforting in over 100 thoughtful, mouthwatering recipes, like a cozy Kabocha Turmeric Tea Cake, flavor-packed Earl Grey and Apricot Hamantaschen and gooey, caramelized Walnut-Maple Buns. “We made the Cranberry-Pomegranate Mousse Pie last Thanksgiving — and it was a huge hit!” raves GH Contributing Editor Karen Cicero. “Plus, the Chocolate Buttermilk Cake is our go-to birthday celebration dessert.”
Along with “do ahead” notes and footnote tips for recipes, Saffitz offers a helpful matrix where all the recipes are mapped onto the axes of "difficulty" and "total time," so you can easily find the right recipe for you. Oh, and for the Team Savory folks among us, fret not: A section on "Breads and Savory Baking" ensures you get your salty fix (especially when Miso Buttermilk Biscuits are involved!).
Good Housekeeping The Best-Ever Cookie Book: 175 Tested-'til-Perfect Recipes for Crispy, Chewy & Ooey-Gooey Treats
Call us biased, but the Good Housekeeping Cookie Book is one of our personal favorites in our home kitchens, too. There’s a tested-’til-perfect cookie for every palate and occasion (Ginger Crinkles, Millionaire Shortbread, Lemon Icebox Cookies, Matcha Cookies, Double-Stuffed Brownies and a stacked roster of other classic and creative treats) as well as a whole chapter dedicated to holiday cookies, so you can be the MVP of any seasonal swap.
“I always refer to [this cookbook] especially when I'm baking up my Christmas cookie boxes each year,” says Deputy Food Editor Trish Clasen Marsanico. “The Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fudgy Chocolate Cookies and Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies are a must!” Don’t miss the editor-approved gifting tips so you can pack up your precious sweets like a pro.
Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe
“This book brings to life the recipes of pastry chef Joanne Chang, a cofounder of my go-to Boston café, Flour,” says Associate Food Editor Becca Miller, who grew up outside that city. It offers recipes for bakers of any skill level — from simple but stunning cupcakes and a rich, fudgy chocolate tart to dedicated projects like flaky croissants worthy of a French patisserie, these baked goods will satisfy your sweet tooth. If you can’t get yourself to Boston to taste Chang’s crowd-pleasing bakes, this is the next best thing.
Just the Good Stuff: 100+ Guilt-Free Recipes to Satisfy All Your Cravings
This isn’t technically a “baking book,” but Rachel Mansfield’s debut cookbook contains a slew of delicious recipes for those craving slightly healthier sweets or those with dietary restrictions (no deprivation though, we promise!). None of the baked goods contain refined sugar, an amazing feat given how tasty the treats are — the gluten-free and vegan Coconut Sugar-Dusted Snickerdoodles were devoured in the Test Kitchen when we made them.
Even Nutrition and Fitness Lab Director Stefani Sassos approves this book: “I love that she puts a health-conscious twist on everything, and many of the recipes are kid-friendly or healthier takes on old favorites,” she explains. “The banana bread is a staple in our home, the mini blueberry muffins are a favorite and the Paleo Everything Bagel Bread is incredible.”
In this gorgeous cookbook, culinary icon Yotam Ottolenghi and renowned baker and recipe developer Helen Goh join forces to present a breathtaking spread of elegant sweets designed to inspire and excite. Many of the recipes feature Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients — think aromatic saffron, cardamom, pistachio, figs and orange blossom — for uniquely flavorful, beautifully balanced treats you won’t be able to get enough of, whether you’re looking for a simple bake or a “challenge-accepted” labor of love.
“I’m obsessed with the Tahini and Halva Brownie recipe,” says Home & Kitchen Appliances Reviews Analyst Eva Bleyer. The refreshing Campari and Grapefruit Sorbet and Rosemary Olive Oil Orange Cake are high on our to-make list, as well!
Joy (she/her) is an assistant food editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, where she develops and tests recipes to ensure both deliciousness and accuracy before they appear in titles like Good Housekeeping, Women’s Health, Woman’s Day, Prevention and Country Living. After graduating from UChicago with a major in political science, she made the (best) decision to pursue her passion for food by enrolling in pastry school and working at her dream restaurant, Gramercy Tavern. Before joining the GH team, Joy assisted on cookbook and editorial shoots, ran an Instagram micro bakery, and worked as a freelance writer and developer with bylines appearing in Eater, Food52, Simply Recipes, Food Network and more. Joy has a special place in her heart for croissants and tiramisu, and is always on the hunt for the next cafe to explore in the city (a journey that never ends!).
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