What should I cook? My favorite from-scratch cookbooks.
If I could pick a made-up job for myself, I would be a cookbook concierge. Sounds fancy, right? I’ve already shared my love for a good book recommendation in my Spring Gardening Book Recommendations post, but the cookbook concierge role would take it a step further. I would sit in a bright, airy kitchen/office combo piled high with stacks of cookbooks and stocked with every imaginable kitchen item, a huge gas range, easy garden access, and a big table for friends to gather around. I would never ever leave, and would spend my days reading through recipes, trying them out for myself, and then making perfect connections between cooks and the recipes they would soon fall in love with.
In a less dramatic way, and without that giant gas range, that’s what I want to do here. This is Part 1 in a series that will deep dive into my favorite sources for from-scratch, ingredients-only recipes that I use consistently in my own kitchen. I will begin with a run-down of my favorite cookbooks, then go a little deeper into some specific food categories: snacks, dinner, baked goods, desserts, and more over the next couple of weeks.
What constitutes a favorite? For me, a favorite cookbook is one from which I consistently cook more than five recipes, and those recipes are loved, enjoyed (or at least consumed) by at least 4 of the 5 members of my family (my kids are 10, 9, and 5, and yes - the 5 year old is typically the one who protests against anything that isn’t french fries). When we get into favorite websites, the same criteria will apply, and for favorite single recipes, a favorite means I have made that thing at least three times before with a 4/5 family acceptance rate.
**Note: the products linked in this article are affiliate links on Amazon and I will earn a teeny tiny commission if you choose to purchase those products **
Best All-Around:
The Prairie Homestead Cookbook, by Jill Winger
Getting my hands on this book was a life-changing experience. Like the most engaging and inspiring cookbooks, author Jill Winger tells a story of her life, her family, and the food they love to eat. Recipes are divided into helpful categories: “Country Breakfasts”, “Hearty Mains”, “Farm-Style Sides”, “Home Bakery”, “Old-Fashioned Sweets”, “Homestead Sips”, and “Prairie Pantry Staples”. A solid assortment of breakfast and dinner recipes is standard for any good cookbook and Winger’s recipes in these categories are top notch, but where this cookbook shines is in the “off the beaten path” categories. I can personally vouch for every single recipe in the Home Bakery section - delicious, and with a great selection of savory options including our go-to Sourdough Crackers (FILL IN). The Homestead Sips section is full of interesting and refreshing family-friendly beverage recipes and introduced us to my husband’s favorite summer drink, Haymaker’s Punch (222). Instead of buying Cultured Buttermilk (244), Cheese Sauce (259), BBQ Sauce (263), Tomato Sauce (264), or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (268), I have leaned heavily on Winger’s recipes in the Prairie Pantry Staples section to the point where I can now put these things together on my own.
In addition to offering a great collection of recipes to cook from scratch, Winger’s The Prairie Homestead Cookbook dedicates the last quarter of the book to information about growing your own ingredients, with a wealth of information divided into three sections: Herbs & Veggies, Eggs, Milk & Meat, and Stocking the Larder. There is such a wealth of information in this book, and if I were to pick only one cookbook to cook from for all of 2025, this would be it.
Best Preserving:
Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry, by Cathy Barrow
Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry was another happy discovery from my local library that I ended up purchasing for my collection. I knew I wanted to start canning and had some general knowledge of what to do, but this book empowered me with the skills I needed to make it happen and inspired me to embrace seasonality in a new way. My year’s supply of jam, several batches of delicious pickles, Ricotta (372), several rounds of Cream Cheese (389), and more batches of yogurt than I can count (376) are all courtesy of Mrs. Wheelbarrow. There is also a fascinating section on preserving meat and fish that I really want to try soon.
Preserving with a Purpose, by Sarah Thrush
Preserving with a Purpose brings a modern touch to the time-honoring tradition of food preservation by combining classic recipes (including the only pasta sauce we will make this year, page 61) with global flavors that reflect how much our palettes have changed since the time grandma spent canning in her kitchen. In addition to a wealth of delicious and simple recipes (like the Cranberry Juice on page 122), the instructional portion of this book is tremendously helpful and includes a troubleshooting section to help you identify common mistakes and how to avoid them. The “Planning Your Pantry” aspect of Chapter 2 will be especially useful to me this year as I try to can enough items to last us all the way through 12 months of regular use.
Best Simple Baking (non-sourdough):
The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day, both authored by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoë Francois
I’ve already declared my love for this concept in The Easiest Artisan Load You Will Ever Bake, but when it comes to a combination of convenience and taste nothing beats these books by Hertzberg and Francois. In New Artisan Bread, I love the Master Recipe (Chapter 5), and have made the Soft American-Style White Bread (204) more than any other bread. Holiday and Celebration Bread is a newer addition to my favorites list, but we absolutely love the Brioche Dough (65-67) and use it to make Pull-Apart Rolls (106) and the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted (185-186).
Best Sweet Treat:
Zoë Bakes Cookies, by Zoë Francois
I’ve never put cookies in my top desserts category (I’m a cupcake gal through and through) but we are in our cookie era thanks to Zoë Bakes Cookies. In the realm of from-scratch sweet treats, cookies are the perfect choice for us because they are so versatile. Dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to bake, cookie recipes are a great option for kids that want to help in the kitchen, they are easy to eat and require no dishes, they travel well for on-the-go snacking, and they last well. We typically make one batch of cookies per week, and this is our go-to cookbook. With categories ranging from “Healthy Cookies and Treats” to “Worldly Cookies” and even an entire section dedicated to “Chocolate Chip Obsession”, there is something here for everyone. Our favorites include: Speculoos (Biscoff-ish) (169), Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies (189), Rice Crispy Bars (221) and the absolute best ever Snickerdoodles (205).
Other cookbooks I love and use often:
I’m including a couple of shoutouts to recipes that I cook frequently below each book. I can only fit one or two, but rest assured - I could list many more from each of these books! These also meet the “favorite cookbook” criteria where five or more recipes are frequently cooked and loved by the majority of my family.
