Baking Fearlessly with Erin Jeanne McDowell: Bake Anything

What do you get when you combine sparkling photography, step-by-step video tutorials, core recipes designed to mix and match, and the rainbow color palette of my wildest dreams? My newest book, Bake Anything: Essential Recipes and Techniques to Build On for Endless Possibilities! The pages bring together everything I love about teaching people to bake—it’s like my videos and web series brought to life in book form—and I’m thrilled to give you a sneak peek.

Inside the pages, you’ll find a series of foundational recipes, and I’ll teach you how to make them, step by step. Each recipe has photography showing you the process, plus a QR code that will take you to a step-by-step video! This is the first time I’ve done this in a cookbook, and it’s so exciting—it truly feels like I’m there to guide you, holding your hand along the way! In the pages that follow, I’ll show you all the different things you can achieve with these core recipes and just how versatile baking can be once you’ve mastered some of the essentials. Then, my hope is that you’ll feel flexible and free to mix and match the recipes throughout to easily create your own flavor combinations and desserts galore!

I think that was one of my goals with this book: teaching people how to bake when they have time but then enjoy the results for as long as possible after!

There’s so much I love about this book—in particular, the detailed make-ahead and storage instructions. If a recipe can be made ahead at any point in the process, I’ve included that information as well as how to properly store it (and even refresh it!) for best results. This means you can spend a day making croissants, for example, but save some to bake or refresh on another morning, too! I use this make-ahead philosophy a lot as a baker. For example, I love to make macarons (which, by the way, can also be found inside the book). They’re time-consuming, but they freeze and thaw out beautifully. So, every time I make them, I’ll keep 3 to 5 and put them into a special storage container in the freezer. This means, at any given time, I have an assortment of macarons waiting and ready! They don’t take long to thaw, and it’s such fun to bring them out when guests visit or box them up when I need a last-minute gift.

The color scheme is also close to my heart—it’s both beautiful and practical. Each of the core recipes is represented by a specific color, and you work your way through the rainbow as you read through the book. I used it as inspiration for some of the photography, too. The photographs at the beginning of each section include many rainbow-ified versions of recipes that were so fun to make. I even made my own sprinkles (and carefully dyed some others) in assorted hues, which you can see throughout the book! The color scheme is thoughtfully organized to make the book easier to navigate. Each section has colorful “tabs” printed on the sides to guide you as you’re flipping through. I’m incredibly excited to share this book with you!

I also wanted to give readers at Bake from Scratch a sneak peek!

First, the Cardamom Twists, which can be found in the puff pastry section of the book. They’re buttery, crisp, and fragrantly spiced—a perfect fall bake that will make your kitchen smell dreamy. If you’re looking for a bigger project, try the Honey Caramel Layer Cake. It’s made with four layers of my moist sponge cake (yes, a moist sponge!) soaked with honey syrup and filled with whipped cream and gooey honey caramel. It’s a celebration of honey, without being overpowering, and deserves a spot on your “to-make” list!

Cardamom Twists

Honey Caramel Layer Cake

Excerpted from the book Bake Anything: Essential Recipes and Techniques to Build On for Endless Possibilities by Erin Jeanne McDowell. Copyright© 2026 by Erin Jeanne McDowell. To be published on September 29, 2026, by Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Excerpted by permission.