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Fat + Flour: The Art of a Simple Bake: A Cookbook
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF 2025: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Bon Appétit, The Boston Globe, Wired, and The Strategist
A fuss-free, downright delicious collection of recipes for pies, cookies, brownies, cakes, and more—from “pastry queen” (Bon Appétit) Nicole Rucker, chef/owner of Los Angeles’s Fat + Flour
Fat + Flour is a celebration of the delights that abound when these two simple ingredients come together. Famed for her rustic desserts, homespun pies, and unique flavor combinations, Nicole Rucker is revered as one of America’s best bakers, and in this baking bible she shares the accessible, unfussy recipes that made her name.
From Rucker’s legendary pies—White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie! Stone Fruit Party Pie!—to cookies (Boozy Banana Snickerdoodles!), bars (Abuelita Milk Chocolate Brownies!), loaf cakes (Zucchini and Date Loaf Cake!), and much more, the book is a treasure trove of treats (including not one, not two, but five different chocolate chip cookies, six kinds of brownies, six unique apple pies, and five distinctly different banana breads).
Rucker gives readers everything they need to make bakery-quality baked goods at home—but without the fuss, in part thanks to what she calls the Cold Butter Method, a low-effort technique for melding fat and flour that produces perfect cookies and the tenderest pie dough every time. A cookbook guaranteed to take your baking to the next level.
A fuss-free, downright delicious collection of recipes for pies, cookies, brownies, cakes, and more—from “pastry queen” (Bon Appétit) Nicole Rucker, chef/owner of Los Angeles’s Fat + Flour
Fat + Flour is a celebration of the delights that abound when these two simple ingredients come together. Famed for her rustic desserts, homespun pies, and unique flavor combinations, Nicole Rucker is revered as one of America’s best bakers, and in this baking bible she shares the accessible, unfussy recipes that made her name.
From Rucker’s legendary pies—White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie! Stone Fruit Party Pie!—to cookies (Boozy Banana Snickerdoodles!), bars (Abuelita Milk Chocolate Brownies!), loaf cakes (Zucchini and Date Loaf Cake!), and much more, the book is a treasure trove of treats (including not one, not two, but five different chocolate chip cookies, six kinds of brownies, six unique apple pies, and five distinctly different banana breads).
Rucker gives readers everything they need to make bakery-quality baked goods at home—but without the fuss, in part thanks to what she calls the Cold Butter Method, a low-effort technique for melding fat and flour that produces perfect cookies and the tenderest pie dough every time. A cookbook guaranteed to take your baking to the next level.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2025
53 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 10, 2026
Sadly found this one a little underwhelming. Lie-flat binding, and most recipes have photos, but I found the subtitle of a "simple bake" to feel a little misleading. Half the recipes here felt so basic that I already have a go-to recipe, and the other half used more niche flavors and ingredients that didn't quite scream simple to me. Just not quite the cookbook for me.
December 16, 2025
A little pie heavy for me but still loaded with some great cookie & cake recipes too. And her pie crust recipe is intriguing enough for me to want to make a pie!
February 10, 2026
The cookie recipes are diabolical, especially the variations of chocolate chip. The cold butter method is a breath a fresh air and makes for unique textured bakes, and I love all the twists on the classics. Date and Zucchini loaf was TO DIE FOR. Buy lots of butter.
August 31, 2025
I have been mulling over how to review cookbooks for some time. How to review something that you don’t strictly read through (discounting cookbooks like the amazing SALT FAT ACID HEAT and THE FOOD LAB)? I decided that to get around this, if there is not a large literary element to the cookbook, as long as I’ve made three recipes and gotten a feel for the book, that would count. And for this baking book, I’ve actually made 7 different recipes from 4 different chapters in the book. Details on each below!
But first, an overview of the book as a whole. I love this baking book - not only are the recipes delicious and unique, but FAT + FLOUR is also a gorgeously designed book, from the deboss on the front cover to the simple styling of each recipe’s photographs, which match the “art of the simple bake” aesthetic in the subtitle. This book makes it fun and easy to make delicious and surprising bakes. The only catch is that the instructions are not always totally clear - she asks you to chill cookie dough sometimes without specifying the fridge or freezer - a very important detail! And the rosemary lemon bar recipe in the first printing was totally wrong - so wrong it didn’t include lemon juice. But corrections are available on the fat + flour website, and the rest of the book more than makes up for it. Nicole Rucker truly makes bakes easy and even season with plenty of fresh fruit bakes!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies - why hasn’t anyone thought of rolling cookies in pumpkin spice before??? This recipe did have issues though - make sure you chill the dough in the freezer and press the cookies down before baking
London Fog Brownies (x2) - so good I had to make them twice!! Untraditional brownies in all the best ways, calling for white chocolate (but don’t call them blondies - apparently the name brownies came from that famous shiny browned top of the best brownies) and ground up earl grey tea to be added to the batter. Moist, delicious, and utterly unique. I love the herbal notes Nicole Rucker adds without them being difficult to find for the home cook.
Lemon, Browned Butter, and Rosemary Bars - This recipe was incorrect in the first version, but I made the correct one from the website for a potluck and they were universally adored. Again, the added aromatics of rosemary are what really make this recipe special and also delicious.
Classic 1980s Mom Banana Bread - Moist, textured, and definitely classic. I especially loved the crust of sugar on top. There’s an entire banana bread chapter in this book and somehow each one seems totally different.
White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie (x2) - this recipe uses powdered vanilla pudding packets to simplify the process and is so easy yet delicious I made this one twice too. A perfect summer treat. My only quibble with her pudding pie recipes (including the one below) is that her default advice is to use a normal pastry crust, which this this liquid will get gooey and gross. Make sure you use her up-cycled cookie crust instead.
Chocolate (French) Silk Pie - the powdered pudding packet also came in handy for this ridiculously rich French silk pie. I like this recipe particularly since it doesn’t require a raw egg.
1990s Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies - YOU CANT TASTE THE OATMEAL!!! It just makes these more soft and chewy. But I accidentally overcooked them a little because I didn’t realize I was supposed to take them out when they’re still a little wet in the center.
Overall, I genuinely cannot recommend this book enough. Whether you want to get into baking or have lost your love for baking and need some inspiration, this is the baking book for you.
But first, an overview of the book as a whole. I love this baking book - not only are the recipes delicious and unique, but FAT + FLOUR is also a gorgeously designed book, from the deboss on the front cover to the simple styling of each recipe’s photographs, which match the “art of the simple bake” aesthetic in the subtitle. This book makes it fun and easy to make delicious and surprising bakes. The only catch is that the instructions are not always totally clear - she asks you to chill cookie dough sometimes without specifying the fridge or freezer - a very important detail! And the rosemary lemon bar recipe in the first printing was totally wrong - so wrong it didn’t include lemon juice. But corrections are available on the fat + flour website, and the rest of the book more than makes up for it. Nicole Rucker truly makes bakes easy and even season with plenty of fresh fruit bakes!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies - why hasn’t anyone thought of rolling cookies in pumpkin spice before??? This recipe did have issues though - make sure you chill the dough in the freezer and press the cookies down before baking
London Fog Brownies (x2) - so good I had to make them twice!! Untraditional brownies in all the best ways, calling for white chocolate (but don’t call them blondies - apparently the name brownies came from that famous shiny browned top of the best brownies) and ground up earl grey tea to be added to the batter. Moist, delicious, and utterly unique. I love the herbal notes Nicole Rucker adds without them being difficult to find for the home cook.
Lemon, Browned Butter, and Rosemary Bars - This recipe was incorrect in the first version, but I made the correct one from the website for a potluck and they were universally adored. Again, the added aromatics of rosemary are what really make this recipe special and also delicious.
Classic 1980s Mom Banana Bread - Moist, textured, and definitely classic. I especially loved the crust of sugar on top. There’s an entire banana bread chapter in this book and somehow each one seems totally different.
White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie (x2) - this recipe uses powdered vanilla pudding packets to simplify the process and is so easy yet delicious I made this one twice too. A perfect summer treat. My only quibble with her pudding pie recipes (including the one below) is that her default advice is to use a normal pastry crust, which this this liquid will get gooey and gross. Make sure you use her up-cycled cookie crust instead.
Chocolate (French) Silk Pie - the powdered pudding packet also came in handy for this ridiculously rich French silk pie. I like this recipe particularly since it doesn’t require a raw egg.
1990s Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies - YOU CANT TASTE THE OATMEAL!!! It just makes these more soft and chewy. But I accidentally overcooked them a little because I didn’t realize I was supposed to take them out when they’re still a little wet in the center.
Overall, I genuinely cannot recommend this book enough. Whether you want to get into baking or have lost your love for baking and need some inspiration, this is the baking book for you.
September 12, 2025
Eh more like 2.5 rounded up. A vast amount of recipes weren’t photographed and some of the instructions seem rushed so they can fit on page/spread. Which is nice so you don’t have to flip pages but not nice when it’s unclear.
The author is certainly proud of her methods and her recipes, and I’m happy she is. But I’m not sure there’s anything in here that has me wanting to bake it immediately, ya know?
Yay for the library checkouts!
The author is certainly proud of her methods and her recipes, and I’m happy she is. But I’m not sure there’s anything in here that has me wanting to bake it immediately, ya know?
Yay for the library checkouts!
June 8, 2025
As far as baking cookbooks go, this one is up there with my favorites! Easy, simple, no-fuss recipes that anyone can follow accompanied with photos of each baked good!
Really intrigued by the Old-Fashioned Sour Cherry Pie with Bourbon, so will be making it soon given that it's my favorite cocktail in pie form!
Really intrigued by the Old-Fashioned Sour Cherry Pie with Bourbon, so will be making it soon given that it's my favorite cocktail in pie form!
November 13, 2024
I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.
This baking cookbook is a delight. I was salivating over the recipes and pictures including the vegan ones which is harder to do. I will be using this cookbook for years.
This baking cookbook is a delight. I was salivating over the recipes and pictures including the vegan ones which is harder to do. I will be using this cookbook for years.
June 15, 2025
I wanted to like this one, but all the cookies look flat and I hate pie. So this book was probably never going to win me over. I may still try a cookie recipe, just may pare it down for baking science. I'll update my review if I do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2025
Overall, this was a pretty good cookbook. I liekd the variety of recipes along with the vegan and gluten free. pptions as well. Some of the recipes though didn't appeal or I could not enjoy because my food allergy but I am sure there are others who love to dig into them.
April 23, 2025
Less fuss and steps! Love the short cuts and all the flavor combinations.
August 13, 2025
Fat + Flour is a cookbook that focuses on baking. Baking is like chemistry and I was never good at it. The author does try to break things down so I appreciated that.
August 31, 2025
There are a lot of great recipes for desserts in here.
September 21, 2025
Great recipes! Love this cookbook for a good bake
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews