Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking: Because It's Always Time for Dessert (A Cookbook)

by John Kanell

These recipes are designed for everyday baking—easy to start, hard to resist, and always worth it.

You can make these recipes on a weeknight or on a one-bowl cakes, muffins and quick breads, cookies and bars, and cakes that look impressive but demand little time or technique. New York Times bestselling author John Kanell has developed them just the way he does for his online baking destination Preppy Kitchen. You won’t need special tools beyond a stand mixer or hand mixer, and for ingredients—just basic pantry staples. Think butter, flour, sugar, and other supermarket items. Nothing fancy.

Designed to fit into busy days, these recipes make it easy to bake just because. Or, if you need something for any occasion they fit the bill, whether a breakfast or bake sale, a party or potluck, or simply because you really need a snack from scratch.

- Breakfast Bakes: Rum Raisin Cinnamon Rolls, Biscuits Three Ways, Berry-Orange Turnovers
- Muffins, Quick Breads, and Yeasted Breads: Grapefruit Poppy Seed Muffins, English Muffins, Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
- Cookies, Brownies, and Bars: Cherry Pie Bars, German Chocolate Brownies, Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
- Cakes: Angel Food Loaf Cake, Classic Swiss Roll, Coconut Sheet Cake
- Air-Fryer Sweets: Apple Crumb Cake, Triple Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Pies, Tarts, and Make-Ahead Limoncello Meringue Pie, Pear and Buttered Rum Crisp, Vanilla Bean Semifreddo

A former math and science teacher, John brings his superpowers of clarity and consistency to every page so that bakers both new and experienced can bake with confidence and delight.

Genres: Cookbooks

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 13, 2026

Reviews

[Pattie Tierney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest,I had no idea Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking was the third book in John Kanell’s series until I held it in my hands. Now I’m wondering how I missed the first two, because this one has completely won me over.

As someone who isn’t a natural baker, I didn’t expect to fall in love with a baking cookbook. Yet here I am, bookmarking nearly every page and feeling genuine excitement to get into the kitchen. The moment I started flipping through, I was hooked by the approachable, crave-worthy recipes and John’s warm, encouraging voice.

The book is organized into practical chapters covering everything from breakfast bakes and muffins to cookies, cakes, pies, and even air-fryer sweets. Standouts include Easy Almond Croissants, Strawberry Lofthouse Cookies, Salted Caramel Cheesecake, Orange Marmalade Scones, Rum Raisin Cinnamon Rolls, German Chocolate Brownies (I am swooning here!) and Margarita Bars. Margarita! Every recipe includes a gorgeous full-color photo, clear instructions, dual measurements (grams and cups), and helpful tips for storage, swaps, and make-ahead options.

What makes this book special is its “everyday baking” promise: one-bowl wonders, quick breads, impressive-yet-easy cakes, and treats you can whip up on a weeknight or whim using basic pantry staples. No fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients required, just a mixer and a desire for something homemade and delicious.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned baker, John (former math teacher and beloved Preppy Kitchen creator with a YouTube channel — who knew?) brings clarity, consistency, and joy to every page. These recipes feel personal, doable, and destined to become family favorites. I’ve already planned to bake my way through the entire book, starting at page one.

If you’ve been looking for a baking book that makes you want to bake, this is it.

[Karalee Shotola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking includes over 100 recipes for breakfast, muffins, breads, cookies, brownies, cakes, air-fryer sweets, pies, and make-ahead desserts. Each recipe has an introduction, serving size, ingredient list, numbered directions, and a photo. I appreciate that every recipe has a photo, as you can easily see what the dessert looks like and if you would like to make it. However, none of the recipes include prep or baking times. A recipe can take less than 30 minutes or more than an hour, but you would not know unless you read through all the directions and calculate the total time. That said, the recipes are approachable and easy to follow. Some use readymade ingredients to save time, while others are made entirely from scratch. There are also numerous classic dessert recipes with interesting twists, and some of the recipes I would like to try are the Grapefruit Poppy Seed Muffins, Key Lime Cream Cheese Cookies, Brown Butter Financiers, Triple Chocolate Lava Cakes, and Lemon Tiramisu. Overall, Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking is a good cookbook that I would recommend to anyone interested in baking.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preppy Kitchen Everyday Baking is an excellent baking cookbook. The chapters are broken down into various baking categories like pies, cookies, yeast breads, breakfast dishes, etc. They include such things as Pistachio Coffee Cake, Apple Oatmeal Muffins, Strawberry Lofthouse Cookies, Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake, Salted Caramel Cheesecake, Black Forest Sticky Pudding and so many more. The ingredients are easy to find and the measurements are in both weight (grams) and volume (cups). Each recipe has a beautiful color photo of the delicious finished dish and a personal note at the beginning. Along with the recipes, there are handy tips and tricks boxes with suggestions for storage, alternative cooking methods or other ways to make the recipe easier to make and enjoy. This is a great cookbook for any skill level. The recipes are homey and from personal experience with Mr. Kanell's other recipes, they are sure to become favorites.

I received a free advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful dessert cookbook. The author is likable, the instructions are well written, and everything looks delicious. I appreciate that there is a photo for every recipe, though additional photos could have helped for some of the trickier recipes. There are tons of recipes. I wouldn’t really call many of these every day bakes, as some of them are pretty elaborate. They probably are for him since this is what he does for a living. Most of them are very high in sugar, unhealthy fats and processed carbs, so I wouldn’t really recommend baking these every day anyway. For special occasions though, these seem like wonderful treats.

This is not a cookbook that accommodates special diets like gluten free or vegan. No substitutions are given and they pretty much all use wheat, butter, sour cream, etc. No nutritional information is provided.

This book doesn’t work well for my family, but it seems like a fantastic resource for those who eat a Standard American Diet.

I read a temporary online copy of this book via netgalley.

[SD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. It has a lot of classic recipes, twists on recipes, and recipes I haven't come across in baking books before. The pictures are gorgeous. The instructions are nice, and the tips and tricks are extremely helpful. I found that I wanted to make several things out of this book (more like nearly everything), which is a good sign that it’s one that should be in my collection.

I look forward to the day that this is published, and I can purchase a hard copy (I received an ebook) to add to my baking arsenal. I have not made it yet, but it is on the list: the Black Forest Sticky Pudding.  How have I not seen this before? I have a few Air Fryer recipes, handy for satisfying my tooth during the heatwave, but none of them were doughnuts, cheesecake, and lava cakes - until now! The chocoholic in me would be very upset if I didn't mention the French Silk Pie - yum!  

To me, the book lived up to its title, everyday baking. 

Thank you to @NetGalley and @S&S/Simon Element for the opportunity to preview this book and provide my opinion.

Happy Baking!

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent cookbook for anyone from beginners to experienced bakers. The beginning section on ingredients, pans, how to measure correctly, etc. is so helpful in setting you up for success. Likewise, the recipes are clear and easy to follow, and I love that the tips and tricks include how to store everything. The photos are gorgeous and everything looks delicious. There are several recipes I can't wait to try.
John clearly loves what he does and he has such a gift for making baking approachable. I've followed him for years and that's what keeps me coming back time and time again. I love the cookbook and I'm excited to get a physical copy for myself.

Thank you to Simon Element and NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Manda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have followed John (is it ok if I call you John?) for years on YouTube. I haven’t bought one of his cookbooks but I want to. I was so excited to receive a copy for review from Netgalley and the publisher.

One of the things I love about John is his calm demeanor. He comes across as a good guy and someone you can trust in the kitchen.

This cookbooks focuses on desserts. I did not test them all but hand picked a few that sounded amazing. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. I started with the Churro Bundt Cake and I and my coworkers loved it. The S’mores bars were phenomenal. They would be great in the winter, or on camping trips.

I highly recommend this one for your collection.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netgalley ARC- A nice baking cookbook. It's full of well written thoughtful recipes for a variety of baked goods. Some of the recipes look daunting but upon reading are simple enough for even a novice to tackle. Photos of the recipes complete the package. Also I really liked his visual guide to ingredients and the differences in some like oom.temp va cold butter and dutch vs natural processed cocoa. I definitely will be making a few of these recipes (Chewy Molasses Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Dulce de Leche Tres Leche Cake and Neapolitan Pound Cake). I haven't read his other work, but now I'm adding them to the list.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I love a good cookbook and this one is a good cookbook. For me there always should be pictures and this cookbook has great pictures. But also has tips and tricks that I appreciate. This dessert book has recipes specifically for your AIR FRYER!!! I made the monster cookies on page 232,granddaughter approved. I don’t have a basket airfryer as described in the recipe but I used my regular air fryer and they were perfect. I do think I’ll be making quite a few of these recipes.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Simon Element, S&S/Simon Element, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a great baking book to fit a busy schedule for any skill level. The recipes are clear, the ingredients are easy to find, there is a beautiful color photo accompanying each recipe, and the included variety of baked goods can satisfy most of the carb cravings. Looking forward to trying some of the recipes.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This baking guide was so great. I’ve been an avid baker since I was a kid, learning everything I knew till adulthood from my mom. I’m always looking for new recipes to try and techniques to learn in the kitchen. The organization was great. The recipes easy to follow, whether you’re a beginner or more seasoned at baking. Recipes I was most excited for included the Conchas, (something I’ve always wanted to give a go! ) and the Espresso Martini Granita.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

Whether you're a beginning baker or old pro, this book has something for everyone. I loved that the beginning is all about pans and ingredients and the right way to measure ingredients. The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes included sound oh so good. Thank you to @netgalley for my eARC. I cannot wait to try some of these recipes!

[Stacey Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved watching this YouTuber make cooking videos for family and for us to enjoy as well. I Willa emit mine does not look as good as John but still tastes wonderful. This is full of his quirky sense of humor seen online but just has knowledgeable. I loved trying this recipes and adjusted to my own taste. Great job! I highly recommend!