7 Best Cookie Cookbooks Reviewed 2024 and A Roundup Buying Guide

Are you a beginner when it comes to making cookies? Believe it or not, the initial decision to bake cookies is crucial because it can affect your experience to come. You need little motivation to get started, so do not underestimate the power of this decision. There’s no better way than to begin your journey with the best cookie cookbook around.

Cookies are popular in America and are pretty convenient to prepare anytime. The best cookie cookbook can take your experience with cookies up a notch or two.

In this review, I’ll share my experience with the seven cookie cookbooks that I have explored to detail their content, design, and so much more. You’ll also learn what I liked most about each of them so you can see if you are after the same thing. Let’s dive in and find out.

1. 100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen, with Classic Cookies, Novel Treats, Brownies, Bars, and More by Sarah Kieffer

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First and foremost, reputation is the guiding factor in authorship, and more so, regarding publications that are meant to guide. Sarah doesn’t fall short of this, as she has been featured in several respectable magazines for her work and contribution to the culinary industry.

These publications and websites include The Kitchn, Wall Street Journal, Bake from scratch Magazine, Food and Wine, Food52, and Wine Enthusiast. As if that’s not enough, Kiefferwas also nominated for the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award, under the Best Cookbooks category.

100 Cookies is a collection of over 100 recipes for every cookie occasion. In the book, you’ll get a chance to learn the ins and outs of cookies and bars, formatted in an easy-to-grasp 7-chapter guide. The recipes featured in 100 Cookies cover a wide range of sweet and savory flavors, all of which have been tested and proven to be a success.

Do you love chocolatey? How about fruity and classic? Do I even need to ask if you like chewy and crispy because those are the core components of cookie-making? You can never go wrong with this cookbook.Finding the ingredients is easy, making these recipes accessible to almost everyone.

The cookbook is generous with innovative baking techniques, including Sarah’s own pan banging hack, which gives crispy edges while maintaining the centers as soft as ever. Each recipe is followed with at least a photograph, which makes it easy to follow through the recipe and gives a glimpse of the end result- quite a motivator.

There are dessert recipes for bars, blondies, brownies, and the classic chocolate chip. These are infused with different flavors such as pistachio and cardamom, lavender and honey, or salted dark chocolate.

Some specific recipes you’ll really want to try over and over again include Snickerdoodles, Olive Oil Sugar Cookies with Blood Orange Glaze, S’mores Cookies, Red Wine Cherry Cheesecake Swirl Bars, Pan-Banging Ginger Molasses, and Marshmallow Peanut Butter Brownies.

If you are a home baker looking for new bake sale ideas, you must have read through Sarah’s The Vanilla Bean Baking Blog. Still, 100 Cookies will make a great addition to your cookbook collection because it is a complete package with more than 100 recipes.

What we like:

Include 100 cookie recipes
Available in Kindle, hardcover, and spiral-bound edition

Comes with outstanding photography and technique guide
Written by an outstanding author
A beautiful cover design that makes it a great gift book

Reasonably priced

2. The Great British Baking Show: Love to Bake by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith

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This cookbook offers up the sweet and savory recipes of traditional British baking, presented in a way that is fast to follow yet remains easy on the eye. Presented by Paul Hollywood, an outstanding judge on the Great British Baking Show, this cookbook is just as professional and meticulous as one would expect it to be. It is a reminder that baking expresses thanks, love, togetherness and is still a celebration.

The cookbook goes into baking basics, with measurements and recipes. It is helpful for both novice and professional bakers because it gives them a chance to study some of the proven recipes for simple baking items like dough, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and classic fruit pie.

If you want to infuse sympathy as you offer some tea to a friend, you’ll learn how to go about the Chai Crackle Cookies. Have fun and comfort simultaneously with the Sticky Pear and Cinnamon Buns or the Rainbow-colored Bagels.

You could also enhance a memorable event with the Pandowdy Swamp Pie or make a Mini Lemon and Pistachio Battenbergs bake sale for that charity you hold dear. Raspberry and Salted Caramel Eclairs is another recipe by Prue that you can barely resist.

So, if you plan on an occasion, this cookbook will guide you through amazing bakes that range from frog birthday cakes, ideal for a child’s birthday party, to the croquembouche wedding cake, perfect for a wedding.

What we like:

Comes with over 100 recipes and techniques for baked goods and desserts

Extensive baking guide
Available in Kindle and paperback editions
Ingredients, tools, and times of each recipe are provided

Written by a reputable author

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This cookbook is filled with inspired recipes based on the classic cookie. Even if you think your baking cannot rise to the standard of the cookie, you’ll be surprised about how quickly and easily you’ll put together a variety of recipes with some simple ingredients, thanks to Helen’s 45+ years of experience in making pastry.

Perhaps her other books and the fact that she owns a bakery can help you put into perspective what an excellent baker Helen is, in addition to teaching baking at the collegiate level, and featuring severally in Bon Appetit Magazine and Cuisinart.

The book offers over 200 illustrative clicks, accompanying the recipes to make everything visually easy to comprehend. Through the 188 pages of this book, you’ll find a color photograph of both the finished product and the equipment for clarity. The authorlists and discusses the ingredients before delving into the details of cooking techniques.

You’ll enjoy a range of classic and contemporary cookies, including Peppermint Ravioli, Harlequins, and Cardamon Black Pepper Snaps. Alongside each are the expert tips for nailing it down.Have a tooth for Shortbread? Helen discusses the 3-ingredient, savory and sweet versions before taking you through the best way to store and serve them, all in a dedicated chapter.

For those of us who prefer the gluten-free way, there are recipes like the Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie, offering you the chance to make gluten-free cookies without much effort. 8 other gluten-free recipes are waiting for you to try out.

Do you love bars? Helen has a whole chapter dedicated to the best recipes you can find. You’ll learn how to make Lemon Bars, Rugelach bars, Dutch-Apple bars, No-bake Peanut Butter bars, and even the Banana Split bars. In short, there are at least 20 recipes in the bar-dedicated chapter.

Brownies are another specialty in this book, with recipes like the Macadamia White Chocolate Lightning-Fast Brownies and others made from caramel, chocolate, and peanuts. The book is a perfect companion for wannabe cookie lovers, newbie bakers, and experienced pastry chefs.

What we like:

Ideal for both novices and veteran cooks
Over 80 recipes to choose from

Ingredient, tools, and cooking times provided for each
Available in Kindle, paperback editions
Very illustrative

4. Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book by Betty Crocker and Eric Mulvany

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Betty will take you on a 450-recipe gourmet tour of the world’s most delicious cookies through this book, while Eric provides all the illustrations. The book will amaze you with such a wide array of recipes and the new ab old school approach to the cookies.

Betty, a redhead who has been in this biz long enough to know her stuff, dating back from the 1963 classic edition to this newer edition of her work. If you grew up baking with your granny, then there’s a high chance that you followed through her book. You might have come across Chewy Molasses Cookies or even the Chocolate Crinkles that are not as different from Toffee Squares.

The cookbook rounds up a whopping 450 recipes that will definitely keep you busy for weeks or months to come. You’ll find holiday cookie recipes for Christmas, Family favorites including snacks or lunchtime treats, and even company best cookies designed for the holidays and other special occasions, like weddings and parties.

Each recipe has a color photo or an illustration, so you won’t wonder how your baking is going. In addition to the now-customary ingredients and utensils, you’ll also find some cooking tips as well as storage information for each. The 160-page paperback makes the book easy to read and valuable in your kitchen for seasoned bakers and starters alike.

What we like:

450 recipes avaialble
Customary ingredients, utensils, tips, and storage info provided for each
Available in paperback, hard-cover spiral, and spiral-bound editions

Grows with you in the kitchen for seasoned bakers and starters alike
Illustrations and photographs make it a no-brainer for bakers
Now includes gluten-free recipes as well

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Speaking of foolproof, America’s Test Kitchen has arrived with a bang! It’s not for the number of recipes, but the honorable feature in the Forbes, New York Times, Southern Living, Huffington Post, Parade, and Real Simple.

This is a perfect addition to your baking counter, no matter whether you’re a busy mom or an experienced chef. This book will provide you with fun, simple, and super-tasty recipes for all occasions. You could even gift someone with the book if the cookies still feel daunting to make.

From kitchen-tested and no-fail cookie jar classics to rich and chewy brownies, the book contains the most popular recipes out there. You’ll be delighted with candies like fudge and truffles, no-bake confections, fruit and crumble topped bars, as well as a range of holiday treats.

Every recipe is accompanied by a high-resolution, full-page photograph, which makes the whole process of cooking easy and fun.

This cookbook collection has been edited in a way that even starters can use it easily. It’s also advanced enough for seasoned chefs. There is an introduction for every chapter, where you learn the basics of making chewy vs. crispy cookies, the specific baking sheet to use, the most essential utensils for successful baking, etc.

And if you’re wondering what is inside this book that hasn’t been covered by most other cookbooks, you’ll learn tips and tricks that the kitchen experts test for every recipe. They have made all ingredients taste better or more appealing to give you more mileage from the recipes without feeling bored.

This is a big book with more than 440pages, filled with mouth-watering images of what you could make at home. It comfortably fits among the best cookie cookbooks of all seasons.

What we liked:

448 pages of foolproof, delicious recipes with high-res images
Classic and festive treats for any occasion
Ongoing recipe testing ensures the perfect outcome

Customary ingredients, utensils, tips, and storage information for each
Available in hardcover and Kindle editions
Cost-friendly

6. How to Cook That: Crazy Sweet Creations (Dessert Cookbook) by Ann Reardon

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Inspired by the Australian cooking channel How to Cook That, this recipe book has been profiled by PopSugar. The cookbook is Amazon’s Bestseller for various categories, including Holiday cooking, Pie baking, Cookies, Garnishing meals, Confectionary desserts, and Main and Courses and side dishes.

The book ranks at #1 for so many categories; it is a bestseller in Australia, where the show is available for streaming on SBS On Demand.Ann Reardon, a food scientist, has a knack for making cooking an engaging activity.

With this cookbook, she has managed to bring all those fun-packed aspects of food science and to cook to your kitchen. Even if you’re a novice, this book will encourage and empower you, just like she attracts millions of viewers to her weekly shows on How to Cook That YouTube series.

The book addresses desserts, cakes, and ice creams in a fun, practical way. Rather than advocating the “perfect” recipe, this book is about creativity and fun in the kitchen. You’ll learn how to separate eggs and fold egg whites, how to use a piping bag, and so on. Even experienced bakers can’t resist this book and all its creative ideas.

It simply gets the whole family in the mood for cooking along with pop culture trends. Get the book and learn how to wow your guests with mouthwatering desserts like chocolate mousse brownies, strawberry tartlets, and more.

What we liked:

Industry tested recipes ensure successful outcomes
Short and easy recipes for bakers of any skill level

Makes cooking a fun experience with pop culture trends
Chefs of all levels can get something out of the book
Available in hardcover, Kindle edition, and spiral-bound versions

Affordably priced

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Sally McKenney is one of the most creative bakers on Instagram. She already has Sally’s Baking Addiction as the forerunner to Sally’s Cookie Addiction, another wonderful cookbook focused on baking.This book is a roundup of all the best recipes from her original, blog-based cookbook.

Within the first few pages, learn the secrets to the Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Biscoff Sandwich Cookies, the Five-Ingredient Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies, and the likes of Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies.

The cookbook combines the ordinary cookie ingredients to make up delicious and sweet cookie bars, no-bakes, cookie dough dips, and even slice-n-bakes. It is big enough to please any sweet tooth, with more than 100 recipes of all the best cookies you will find anywhere.

Do you like doing the prep work ahead of time? Sally’s Cookie Addiction has got you covered. There are recipes for the frozen dough, right from eggless chocolate chip to the snickerdoodle dough.If flavors are your weakness, Sally’s Cookie Addiction is your pillar.

Learn to incorporate flavors from oatmeal, sugar, coconut, s’more, butterscotch, chocolate, and lemon, just to name a few. The flavors will take your baking and cooking experiences from novice level to a whole new level.

All of these recipes are accompanied by striking photo shots, clear instructions, and all the information you need to make your favorite cookies. Call it a repository of cookie-making tips, tricks, and knowledge.

Get this 200-page guidebook, and your kitchen could soon be the center of Warm Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookies, Soft-baked sugar cookie bars, or even the iconic Lemon Creme sandwich cookies! Just imagine the scent!

What we liked:

All the best cookie recipes from Sally’s Baking Addiction in one volume
Recipe preparation is done in advance, letting you get to the fun parts

Photography is attractive and easy-to-follow for inexperienced bakers
Contains tips and tricks on cooking and ingredients
Affordably priced

Comes in both Kindle and hardcover versions

Now that you know the best cookie cookbooks and have probably fallen for one, don’t you think it’s best that you know to make the best of the investment?

Look for simple and easily executed recipes.

Every cookbook has tons of recipes with varying complexity. To experience a smooth learning curve, start with the more uncomplicated recipes and advance to the more challenging ones as you master your confidence. This will save you disappointments and discouragement along the way.

Ensure that there is a thorough list of ingredients and all the tools you need.

This ensures that you can go grocery shopping in advance and start immediately. You will also avoid awkward situations where you realize you don’t have a crucial tool or ingredient midway through cooking

Get the most out of your cookbook with tips

Most cookbooks include tips and tricks that the authors have tried before. Use these to increase your chance of succeeding on your first trial.

Create several batches of cookies recipes and store them in the freezer.

Baking everytime you need a treat is challenging, not to mention that they will probably expire before you can finish them. Use the freezer and keep some ready dough or cookie bars in your fridge or freezer.

Immerse yourself in the recipes by reading them before you begin

The authors of the best cookbooks write their publications to convey the experience and information through trial and error. They want you to learn from them, so don’t be lazy. Read the entire recipes and introductory parts before you get your ingredients.

Others Cookbooks:

Best pasta cookbooks

You’ve probably noticed that the cookbooks vary in every possible way, and each one is aimed at a different type of audience. Be it recipes, cookie types, presentation style, equipment, or ingredients, you’ll find that each cookbook has something unique to offer. Here is how to choose one that fits your needs:

Recipes

The specific recipes you are interested in will determine which cookbook you will get. Do you want to bake new and unique cookies or stick with the classics? What type of ingredients do you have a lot of at home? Do you have a specific brand or kitchen tool that you use to measure ingredients?

Price

The prices of the cookbooks vary enormously according to their quality and size. You can find a cookbook for as low as $10 or pay up to $40 for a quality publication. Make sure you pick the right cookbook, but don’t get too caught up in prices. Even if it’s inexpensive, if it has what you’re looking for, then go for it.

Ease of recipe presentation

Different cookbooks have different ways of presenting the recipes. Some have detailed steps with illustrations, while others are written out with just a few words per action. You can choose the method that appeals most to you, but the point here is to pick one where you feel your cooking will be successful.

Number of cookie recipes

You already know there are several kinds of cookies, so try to find a cookbook that has at least the kinds you are interested in. Some have hundreds of recipes most of which are not actually cookie but desserts for example. If you want to make some money off a bake sale, go for a cookbook with many diverse recipes focused on cookies.

Extra features

You can find cookbooks with bonus resources like cookie decorating ideas or guides that teach you how to choose the best ingredients. These extras will definitely come in handy, but they’re not necessary for enjoying a great baking experience so don’t feel bad if they’re not in your budget.

Final Words

If you’re looking for the best cookie cookbook, then this is your guide. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you find one that fits your needs and budget. Whether it’s recipes or presentation style, we hope these pointers will lead you in the right direction when shopping around for new cookie ideas!

Jennifer

Jennifer D. Simon has spent the last 26 years studying and practicing nutrition science. She has used a larger part of this time in improving people’s livelihoods. She has done so by coming up with unquestionable ideas on how to tackle food problems in her community. Read More