5 Old-School Cookbooks Every Baker Should Already Own

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Cookbooks are a huge part of every home baker's repertoire, equal in importance to such essentials as a digital scale, a pastry cutter, and a dough scraper. But with thousands to choose from, not to mention the dozens of new ones that come out each year, it can feel overwhelming to figure out which ones are the best of the best. There are so many wonderful baking cookbooks that have been written, many more than the five we selected. But these handful of baking guides share hundreds of positive reviews, renowned authors, and legacies of being tried and trusted.

Some of our picks focus on one category of baking (like breads and cookies), but the others encompass the vast world of baked goods, from cakes and pies to pastries and brownies. Whatever your skill level, these five books should give everyone more than a solid base for getting started in baking, building your recipe repertoire, mastering skills, or just strengthening your know-how when it comes to flour, eggs, and sugar, and the plethora of treats you can create with them.

Rose Levy Beranbaum's cookbooks are so popular and trusted that they have been translated into such languages as Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Czech, and Spanish. Her most acclaimed publication, "The Cake Bible," was first released in 1988, and since then, the baking pro has amassed countless fans who trust her baking skills endlessly. She is notoriously meticulous in her instructions, which everyone, even beginners, can appreciate. Her tips and expertise are no different in "The Baking Bible," which was first published in 2014.

Readers will find recipes for classic cakes, cupcakes, sponge cakes, cheesecakes, scones, pies, tarts, pastries, cookies, candies, breads, and preserves, plus a handy equipment guide in the pages of "The Baking Bible." Those with an eye for detail will appreciate her list of "Golden Rules" that she's included, with information like what kind of ingredients she uses and why. Some of the more unique recipes include banana split chiffon cake, Stilton baby blue cheesecakes, gooseberry crisp, Hungarian raisin walnut tartlets, and crumpets (which are different from English muffins).

Buy "The Baking Bible" on Amazon for $45.00 (or $16.49 for the digital copy).

Dorie Greenspan is an absolute legend in the baking and pastry universe. She has written several best-selling cookbooks, is the recipient of numerous culinary awards, and has collaborated with the who's-who of the food world. When she releases a cookbook, people take notice. It was no different with "Baking From My Home To Yours" in 2006. In this book, there are about 300 recipes for breakfast baked goods, cookies, cakes, pies, tarts, spoon desserts (puddings, custards, ice creams), and more.

Throughout, Greenspan intermixes her recipes with charming stories, like how a French pastry chef once asked for her recipe for mind-blowing French chocolate brownies. Along with classic recipes, keep your eye out for treats like sweet potato biscuits, chestnut scones, chocolate spice ice cream sandwiches, pineapple banana crisp, Earl Grey madeleines, and chocolate Armagnac cake.

You can purchase "Baking From My Home To Yours" on Amazon for $40 (or $13.99 for the digital copy).

This wonderful cookbook was first released in 2019 and includes many of author Maida Heatter's best recipes from her previous books. With no formal education in pastry or culinary arts, Heatter was a self-taught baking genius who would eventually become known as the "Queen of Cake" and inspired bakers of every experience level. Dorie Greenspan, whom we mentioned above, actually wrote the foreword of "Happiness is Baking," a book that includes sections on cakes of all kinds, cookies, pies, tarts, brownies, dessert bars, and more.

Along with recipes, Heatter offers helpful information, like how to properly melt chocolate, separate eggs, prepare a cake pan, and freeze cakes. Many recipes take classic bakes and kick them up a notch, such as 86-proof chocolate cake, which includes plenty of bourbon. Some other recipes you don't see in many other cookbooks are Chinese fortune cookies, doggie treats (hilariously called "Bone Appetit"), Mexican wedding cake, and mint-kissed Palm Beach brownies.

You can buy "Happiness is Baking" for $28 on Amazon (or $13.99 for the digital copy).

There are more people baking bread in America than ever before (thanks, in large part, to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020). If you are a part of this statistic, or if bread-baking has been a long-time hobby of yours, you definitely should have "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" as one of your guides. This respected book, first published in 2001, is the recipient of both a James Beard Foundation Book Award and an IACP Cookbook Award (International Association of Culinary Professionals. It blends science, technique, and history with recipes to help make you a serious bread baker.

Written are formulas for fifty different breads, including ciabatta, New York Bagels, brioche, and sourdough, plus recipes for bread-based pastries such as stollen and cinnamon buns. "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" is known for its thorough explanation of the "Twelve Stages of Bread," which take readers from mixing to fermentation to shaping, proofing, baking, and eating. While creating bread loaves seems intimidating to some, this respected publication is friendly enough for novices to understand and begin their own baking ventures.

You can buy the 15th Anniversary Edition of "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" on Amazon for $42.99 (or $6.99 for the digital version).

We couldn't possibly leave Betty Crocker off our list of cookbooks every baker should own. After all, Crocker (who isn't a real person at all), has been a household name in baking for generations. The "Betty Crocker Cooky Book" was first published in 1963 and includes over 450 cookie recipes. What we love about the current version is that it is a replica of the original, from the brightly colored cover to the recipes inside, which are displayed just like those in the OG. Recipes are broken down into categories like holiday and family favorites.

There are baking hints, storage tips, info on how to correct problematic dough, and more guidance for bakers of any experience level. Flipping through the book is like a kaleidoscope of cookies in all different shapes, flavors, and colors. From snickerdoodles to Russian tea cakes, and French lace cookies to chocolate chip and absolutely everything in between, you'll likely never run out of cookies to bake, no matter the occasion.

Buy the "Betty Crocker Cooky Book" on Amazon for $29.99 (or a mere $.99 for the digital copy).