Zoë Bakes Cookies: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Cookies and Bars [A Baking Book]

by Zoë François

The expert baker and bestselling author behind Zoë Bakes Cakes and Zoë Bakes on the Magnolia Network takes us through her life with 75 cookies and bars from her Vermont roots and Midwestern living.

There are countless ways to make a cookie. Whether it’s thin and crispy or soft and cakey, everyone has a different version they crave. In Zoë Bakes Cookies, Zoë François shares the classic cookie recipes every home baker wants to master and adds in some personal favorites from different eras in her life.

She takes you through recipes from her hippie days in Vermont, with Ultra-Peanut Butter Cookies and Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. You get a chance to step into Bubbe and Granny’s kitchens, where Zoë has adapted their recipes like Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies and Chocolate Caramel Matzo. You'll find old favorites from her college cookie cart days, with recipes like Zoë's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies and Smash Cookies. She has you covered beyond cookies as well, with Blueberry Gooey Butter Bars and Cocoa Nutella Brownies—you’ll have plenty to bring to your next potluck or holiday cookie swap.

With her easy-to-follow recipes, Zoë shows you how to make delicious cookies that touch on nostalgia while also helping you alter them to fit your ideal cookie needs today.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2024

About the author

Zoë François is passionate about food that is real, healthy, & always delicious. She is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to teaching baking & pastry courses nationally, she consults to the food industry & is the creator of the recipe blog www.zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband & two sons.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Doris]

I've marked a few to try.

[Donna Siebold]

Good selection of cookies: bar, drop, rolled. I especially like the explanations and tips included with the recipes.

I have baked a few of the recipes and they turned out well, as I expected. I am looking forward to making a couple of the refrigerator doughs next.

As some other reviewers have said, I could do with a larger font, but as I age I feel that way about most things I read. My phone is getting quite the workout as I photograph the recipe to decipher if I need 1/3 or 1/2 a cup of something!

Note to editors everywhere - put the ingredients in large bold print!

[Jessica]

I loved her pictures of her chocolate chip.cookoe experiments with butter, flour, eggs, and other ingredients.

[Kayes Hasan]

Discover the joy of baking exceptional cookies and bars with Zoë Bakes Cookies, a welcoming collection created for bakers who want dependable recipes, thoughtful guidance, and plenty of inspiration. Whether you are searching for a familiar classic or hoping to experiment with a new favorite, this cookbook offers an inviting range of treats for every occasion.

Inside, readers will find recipes designed to make the baking process enjoyable and approachable, with helpful techniques that take the guesswork out of creating delicious results. From crisp and chewy cookies to rich, indulgent bars, each recipe encourages you to understand the ingredients, master essential methods, and develop confidence in your kitchen.

The book is equally suited to casual bakers and enthusiastic home pastry cooks. Clear directions make it easier to follow along, while the variety of recipes provides endless opportunities to bake for holidays, celebrations, afternoon treats, or simple moments when something sweet is calling.

More than a collection of recipes, Zoë Bakes Cookies is an invitation to slow down, bake from scratch, and share something homemade. With its practical approach and irresistible selection of cookies and bars, this cookbook deserves a place on the shelf of anyone who loves creating memorable desserts at home.

[Leane]

As well intentioned and as organized and helpful as Zoë’s cake cookbook, this book was even more so for me because I am very into cookies and bars. Beautiful photographs and clear step-by-step instructions make this valuable on its own and very accessible to any level baker. However, as well as an biographical and interesting Intro explaining how and why she organized the book as she did, there are chapters on the usual: Ingredients, Equipment (with a lovely chart of scoops and their sizes), a chapter entitled Cookie Academy which goes over the basics of cookie baking and potential pitfalls and solutions. Her pictorial examples from less to more on ingredients like baking soda and unsalted butter show what the cookie would look like under certain conditions is genius. So many of these recipes are keepers, some emphasizing healthier ingredients than some. What a great gift/resource this book is. For fans of Taylor and Arguin’s Fabulous Modern Cookies, Christina Tosi’s All About Cookies, Sarah Kieffer and Edd Kimber.

[Debbi Herold]

I am a senior citizen who has been a foodie all my life. I have purchased so many cookbooks over my lifetime, as well as purged many in recent years just because it was time to let go of some. I picked this book up at the library. But now I MUST purchase it! #ZoeFrancois has a very interesting culinary and historical past which I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. I love how she tied food and her heritage together. The resourcefulness of her Cookie Academy section is awesome! What a reference to read and refer back to. And when I thought I already owned the necessary Baking Tools, alas, I will have to purchase additional items. LOL. As for the recipes, it's evident that Zoe put extensive time into tested, tweaking, re-creating.....which speaks to me so that I don't have to research multiple recipes by different bakers until I find the right one, or tweak one.
I can't wait to begin making so many of her recipes.
I would give this a 4.5 rating if I could. Thank you #ZoeFrancois!

[Zoé V]

A good amount of cookies by occasion. When reading it all seems well & good but when following the recipes to the letter I found they fell short of my failsafe, tried & true recipes. The snickerdoodles made good sense on paper and the script made note of the precarious consistency, however after 3 attempted batches I had to make personal adjustments. You can tell a good baker by their chocolate chip cookies and the triple chocolate chip cookies were not nearly as good as my go-to recipe. The homemade oreos broke me. Many batches retried only to be left with what would be later used as a chocolate cheesecake crust. Use this book as inspiration, not instruction.

[Catie]

I enjoyed this, so I can understand why it's received all the hype. I appreciate that every baker has their family-favs and then sometimes we just want to try something new. So this will appeal to those who prefer "the classics" as well as those who want to make a healthier cookie, or something a little bit fancy, or even a few I had not seen before.

Beware, you will write down a ton of recipes or tricks to try to improve your own favorite cookies.

[Davenportbh]

Really enjoyed this. Like all of her books you’re going to learn something new and the reasoning behind it. She’s an excellent teacher and the way she broke up the book into different facets of her life was fascinating to me. Other cookbook authors put in variations on recipes but I always like to see it included.

A worthy addition to a home cookbook collection and well worth reading the whole thing in its entirety.

[Miss Clark]

3.5 stars

Gingerbread Cookies
Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Brownie Mint Sandwiches
Maple Coconut Bars
Sarah Berkowitz's Mandelbrot
Poppy Seed Cookies (Mohn Kichel)
Chocolate Caramel Matzo
Alfajores
Speculoos
Russian Tea Cakes
Zoe's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bourbon Biscoff Brownies
Snickerdoodles
Rhubarb Blondies
Blueberry Gooey Butter Bars

[Meredith]

The family history and stories are what really make this book! And there are some familiar recipes along with a lot of different ones, which is really nice to see. A beautiful book from a beautiful baker! Zoe seems like such an interesting person, someone that you’d feel fortunate to know and would also feed you the most delicious goodies!! Her book reflects her personality. A cookbook, but also a life story. Loved every page!!

[Rifatuzzaman]

*Zoë Bakes Cookies* is a wonderful cookbook for anyone who loves homemade cookies and bars. The recipes are creative, approachable, and full of useful baking guidance. I especially enjoyed the variety and the attention to texture and flavor. It is an inspiring collection that makes baking feel enjoyable and rewarding. Five stars for a beautifully presented cookbook that belongs in every cookie lover’s kitchen.

[Kristen Barenthaler]

I immediately went and ordered a copy for myself. Every recipe looks like delicious, heavenly goodness.

If you're a big cookie (or even just sweets) person, this is the book for you. I cannot wait to bake my way through every recipe.

Will I gain a million pounds? Maybe. Will it be worth it? Most definitely.

[LocalLibraryReader]

Great cookie book. Not a traditional cookie book in the sense of straight forward recipes, but one that has more of a personal touch by the author. She has lots of stories to go with the recipes, and I always appreciate photos of the finished product. Most of the recipes are doable, some only sounded ok. Overall, a great addition to your baking library!

[Michelle]

Cookie cookbooks are hard. Either they are the same old same old, or they are very, very fussy, or they insist on putting seven different flavors in a single cookie, including something I would have to send away for.
This cookbook manages to avoid all those pitfalls and be both an inspiration, an "I can do that" vote of confidence, AND a joy to read.
I really want a cookie.

[Spiritwindusa]

Take your cookies to the next level

Chocked full of great tips and terrific recipes. Filled with information that will improve the quality of your baking. A book you'll want to on your reference shelf.

[Foxy Vixen]

There is so much to learn from this cookbook and not just about cookies!
She gives us recipes from her childhood living in a Vermont commune. Recipes from her Russian grandmother and finally from MN. So many delicious recipes and tips.

[Sue Snyder]

I borrowed the book from the library and made four recipes over the weekend - Raisin Biscuits with Graham Cracker Dough, Maple Coconut Bars, Bourbon Biscoff Brownies and Rhubarb Blondies! They all turned out great so I bought the book.

[Clint]

Excellent tables, with pictures and explanations, demonstrating how changing various ingredients, techniques, temperatures, etc., will change the outcome of a cookie recipe. Almost worth buying the book for that set of tables, in my opinion.

[Laura]

I love this author's baking. a lot of classics with some great takes on them. I am currently not so into making cookies so did not really inspire me to get in the kitchen but one to come back to if I go through a cookie phase.

[Barbara]

The best cookie book, EVER!! No doubt, I will gain a few pounds, but these cookies are worth it.

[Sarah]

Zoe is just amazing, and I want to bake every cookie here!

[Lydia Kass]

Some great tips and photos.

[Cherie]

Some excellent-sounding recipes. Some are more fussy than others. Want to try a few for sure

[Mary]

Amazing baker. Always on point! 🥰

[Mary Swenson]

My kitchen and I are ready to create some of these beautiful recipes!!
I learned about powdered meringue! Who knew!!!

I hope to be a graduate of her Cooking Academy in this coming year!!!

[Elizabeth]

Some good recipes, but a lot that I would never make because they are too complicated or I already have an easier recipe.

[Nathan Brungart]

Incredible dive into cookies with sections on trouble shooting for new bakers so the understanding of where it went off the rails detailed and easy to assess.

[Lori]

Beautiful! I have flagged about 20. Just need to decide what to bake first.

[Romantic_AT_Heart]

What a variety of recipes!

I have enjoyed watching Zoë François’ cooking show. She makes such tasty treats. I look forward to trying this collection of her recipes.