Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts by Bobbie Lloyd.
The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts is a beautiful collection of photographs and recipes that are the essence of the bakery's personality. The cookbook includes the backstory of icebox desserts, baking tips and techniques, and important tools needed to replicate the recipes. Simple ingredients that yield stunning results. This is a cookbook I would love to own!

I was very excited to dive into this book, as someone who follows the magnolia bakery online but has never had a chance to visit a brick and mortar location. This book has all of my favorites- cheesecakes, banana pudding, and icebox pies/cakes. I think these these types of desserts are not brought to gatherings as often as cakes or cookies, and would be a big hit. Also, as someone who regularly forgets things in the oven, these refridgerate and forget style recipes are right up my alley. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for this eARC.

🍰 Bobbie Lloyd’s second volume in The Magnolia Bakery Handbook series is more than a recipe collection—it’s a love letter to the art of patience, layering, and the quiet magic of the refrigerator. Icebox desserts, often overlooked in favor of flashier confections, are given center stage here, and Lloyd treats them with reverence, creativity, and a touch of Southern charm.

This isn’t just a handbook—it’s a philosophy of dessert-making that celebrates simplicity without sacrificing sophistication.

Each recipe is framed with warmth and intention. Lloyd doesn’t just list ingredients—she tells you why they matter, how they interact, and what memories they evoke. There’s a narrative arc to the book: from classic puddings and trifles to inventive twists like matcha tiramisu and bourbon-infused cookie stacks. The structure invites exploration while maintaining a comforting rhythm, like a well-paced novel.

The headnotes are particularly rich—offering glimpses into Magnolia Bakery’s ethos, Lloyd’s personal baking journey, and the cultural roots of each dessert. It’s culinary storytelling at its most inviting.

What makes this volume stand out is its quiet intelligence. Lloyd understands that baking is both science and sentiment. She explains the chemistry behind chilling times and texture layering without overwhelming the reader. But she also taps into the emotional core of icebox desserts—their role in family gatherings, summer picnics, and late-night indulgences.

There’s a subtle theme of restoration here: how something as simple as whipped cream and graham crackers can become a balm for the soul when assembled with care.

Visually, the book is stunning. The photography is lush but not overly styled—each dessert looks achievable, not intimidating. Instructions are clear, ingredients are accessible, and variations are encouraged. Lloyd empowers the home baker to experiment, to adapt, and most importantly, to enjoy the process.

The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts: Volume 2 is a celebration of stillness in a fast-paced culinary world. It invites readers to slow down, layer thoughtfully, and let time do its quiet work. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a curious newcomer, this book offers more than recipes—it offers a ritual.

It’s a reminder that sometimes, the sweetest things in life are the ones we don’t rush.

Baking always intimidated me and I would not say I am a particularly good baker. That is why I loved this cookbook since most items were no-bake recipes! Most recipes are very beginner friendly!

My favorite sections are the Puddings since they are all non-bake. I also love the Pies section but I am going to be honest and say I used a pre-made crust for the Banana Cream Pie recipe before attempting to actually make a crust for the Triple-Chocolate Pudding Pie (which was delicious!). That is why I think this cookbook is perfect for beginners since you can buy some stuff pre-made before you build up your confidence to make some of the more complicated recipes.

Other than the pies, I think the Cheesecake section is the only other section where there is baking involved. I absolutely loved how every main recipe had a photo and they were gorgeous! There are some recipes at the end for cookies, cakes, brownies, crusts, fillings, and toppings at the end which did not all have pictures but some did! I think that it was a good idea to keep this section succinct and clean since this end section acts more as a reference section for the main recipes.

Let me wrap up this review with my favorite recipes so far:

Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding
Triple-Chocolate Pudding Pie
Chocolate Pretzel Banana Cream Pie
Apple Crisp Pudding

Overall, I highly recommend this cookbook!

Thank you to Harvest Publishing Group for providing this book for review via NetGalley!

This is my kind of dessert cookbook. Dessert is daunting for me. The recipes in this book- even I can do. The banana pudding ice box cake was FANTASTIC. 10/10 stars. The frozen key lime pie was easy to make and delicious. I didn't try any of the cheesecakes. I had never heard of icebox bars but that was a huge excitement. The peach crisp icebox bars were lovely on a hot summer day.

The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts was such a treat (pun intended!). I loved how the recipes were accompanied by beautiful photos of the desserts. I really appreciated the reminder how a dessert that is so simple in concept can really become a beautiful centerpiece that is delicious too! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is 100 recipes of no bake delicious deserts from the NYC Magnolia Bakery. I like that this had pie, cake, puddings and cheesecake. We all know they are famous for that banana pudding and there is many mentions of the banana pudding recipe with some options to do it in a few ways. This is a perfect book when you get invited to a meal in the heart of summer. I will say my brain kept saying "if you don't have homemade store bought is fine" from Ina Garten because every recipe has a homemade AND a store bought option.

I will say most beginnings of cookbooks are easily skipped and so dry but this one has so many tips and tricks .

It's really not as tempting to be in the kitchen all day with a hot oven during the summer. Especially this year with all heat waves... cue this icebox dessert collection. Elements of baking and various cooking techniques for low/no bake, colder desserts to enjoy!

I liked the variety of options (certainly way more than I would think of!), flavors, ingredients, and the simple photography that makes you want to get started! I'm also a fan of any book that gives different units of measure for those of us that finding weighing ingredients optimal!

Thank you to Netgalley and to William Marrow/Harvest for an ARC.

Since every summer is the hottest summer now (good job, capitalism), I'm avoiding my oven for about 5 months of the year now. Thankfully, Bobbie Lloyd, Chief Baking Officer of NYC’s iconic Magnolia Bakery, offers a delicious collection of 100 no-bake (or low-bake) treats in "The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts." From their legendary banana pudding to inventive twists like Cold Brew Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and Peach Crisp No-Bake Bars, this book is a summer savior for anyone who craves sweets without sweating over a hot oven.

It has gorgeous photography for every recipe (a rarity in cookbooks!), and great instructions. The intro alone is worth the price.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC! 🍌🍰✨

I do like an icebox cake. I forgot about that until I saw this book. I don't make a lot of desserts but just the cover and title made me want to whip up a quick snack out of cookies and whipped cream.

This is a weird little book though. It starts out well. It starts with icebox cakes. These are cakes that are generally made with cookies layered with whipped cream that soften to a cake-like consistency in the refrigerator. The book shows their formula for making the cakes including diagrams for the best arrangement of cookies in a round cake pan. The photography is excellent and makes you want to try everything. Instructions are given for making your own cookies or suggestions are given for store bought cookies that work with each recipe to make this truly a quick dessert to throw together.


Once you see the first recipe, every other cake is a variation on the theme. They vary only in flavor. The cookies are different or they flavor the whipped cream. Sometimes they add a layer of filling or a topping. But once you get the general idea you can run with whatever flavor you want.

The next section is pies. It is the same formula here. Get the basic recipe down and then see all the flavor variations. I'm planning on making the Key Lime pie for a July 4th picnic next week. It's still all good.

But then. I don't know what happened. I think the author forgot how words work? They move into cheesecakes. Ok, no-bake cheesecakes are a thing. But these aren't no-bakes. These are full on, bake in the oven cheesecakes. They look good but why are they in an ICEBOX BOOK? Nothing in those recipes ever go in a refrigerator during the process.

From there we move back to pudding. At least that goes in the fridge. The last section covers making all the cookies they use and some of the sauces.

I did keep the basic formulas for the cake and pies along with some flavor variations for ideas. These are full on dairy recipes with a million calories a slice but they are pretty easily veganized if you have any non-dairy cooking experience.

A lovely cookbook with easy-to-follow recipes that are such a delight. I would flip through this just to eat with my eyes through the amazing photos. I would love to provide this for a cookbook club or as a gift for a few friends.

Most people are familiar with The Magnolia Bakery, an iconic bakery opened in 1996 in New York City that originally became famous for its cupcakes and banana pudding, and has expanded to several locations. The bakery has also expanded its bakery items and there are several cookbooks showing how to make their yummy baked goods at home. Once such cookbook is called The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts: Classic and Creative Icebox Desserts with a Magnolia Bakery Twist, Share with Friends and Family, by Bobbie Lloyd, chief baking officer at Magnolia Bakery. This beautiful cookbook includes mouthwatering treats to make at home that will entice everyone with taste buds.

As with any good baking cookbook, the first chapters cover equipment, ingredients, and basic information. Those chapters are followed by Icebox Cakes, Icebox Pies, Cheesecakes, Icebox Bars, then Puddings (including their famous banana pudding). Following those, the book includes basic recipes used in the preceding recipes. The author has added comments at the beginning of each recipe, followed by a list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions. The recipes are easy to follow for both advanced and beginning cooks and bakers. One of the best parts of the cookbook is that most of the recipes are accompanied by beautiful, professional photographs that will tempt even the most disciplined dieters. It will be difficult to decide what to make next, and the recipes will keep everyone busy for months.

All told, this is an excellent cookbook full of tempting and beautiful desserts. It will be used often and the finished dishes will draw raves.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Oh my! Love this book so much. SO many recipes that I haven't seen before and an excellent lemon curd recipe. How did you know my love language? Combining a variety of recipes using some of the same ingredients (like lemon curd) just make it so easy to create terrific desserts for the summer. I also found flavors I had never thought to use for a cheesecake (biscoff swirl) that I cannot wait to try. This will go in my summer rotation for family gatherings. Thanks to #William Morrow and #NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #MagnoliaBakeryHandbookofIceboxDesserts

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts.

I love all desserts and am a fan of icebox desserts since it requires no baking.

I love bananas but not a fan of banana pudding, perhaps because I prefer the fruit.

The recipes are divided by puddings, cakes, and pies so there's an icebox dessert for everyone here from the classic banana pudding to icebox cakes, pies, cheesecakes, and twists on sweets like Cold Brew Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and Pumpkin Spice Pudding with Cookie Butter Swirl.

I'm a chocoholic so naturally those recipes drew my eye though I have to say I was intrigued by the Peach Crisp No Bake Bars.

I enjoyed the base recipes at the back such as pie crust, whipped cream and basic cake recipes.

If you just want to make a chocolate or carrot cake, these recipes are your go-to!

This cookbook was a delight to read; some of the recipes are labor intensive but most of them are straight forward instructions and there is a photo for every recipe. YES!

I love a good cookbook. Online recipes and recipe apps are incredibly user friendly, but nothing compares to holding a stunning, color photograph cookbook in your hands. This one is beautiful, with vivid pictures and easy to follow recipes. I often forget about how easy and delicious icebox desserts can be, but this cookbook has me motivated and excited to continue trying out these recipes. It's a collection of so many classic, tried and true, recipes, with a few new (to me) recipes thrown in for fun. This is going to be an often used cookbook for me!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I live for desserts, especially easy and tasty ones. This recipe book had so many options to try. Great book to pickup for the warm summer months, a

The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts is a dreamy collection of nostalgic, no-bake treats that are as fun to make as they are to eat. Every recipe feels like a little celebration and the directions are clear and approachable…even for a casual home baker like me. My daughter loved reading through it with me and she immediately requested the lemon curd icebox cake for her birthday this year. It turned out to be as pretty as it was delicious! I’ve already purchased a hard copy and it’s a new family favorite!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harvest for an advance copy of this book!

I love cookbooks as a genre, and I love GOOD cookbooks - so I fell in love with this one instantly! Icebox recipes are a staple in my family, so I really loved seeing the variety of cakes and desserts represented in the recipes. I'm excited to try out the Roasted Strawberry and Chocolate Cookie Icebox Cake in particular.

The directions were clear, the pictures were lovely, and I liked the writing as well. I do wish there were more instructional pictures along the way in the recipes, but that is my only minor complaint.

Highly recommend this cookbook!

The recipes I made in this book were super easy to follow. There are plenty of recipes that are no-bake (a few of the crusts require an oven) which makes it the perfect cookbook for the summer! These cakes do require a lot of time to set, so they are great to make the night before or in the morning for that night.

When I think about my travels to New York City, there are places that are part of my core memory. These are the places that I tell people they need to visit. When it comes to bakeries, The Magnolia Bakery is one of those places. Their Banana Pudding is legendary! And now, you can recreate 100 of their recipes for Icebox desserts with The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts, Volume 2 by Bobbie Lloyd. You’ll get tips for baking and on ingredients and the tools you’ll need to create icebox cakes, pies, bars, cheesecakes and puddings, including an entire chapter dedicated to variations of their banana pudding! It’ll be so hard to pick which one to make first! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for this beautiful, full-color, digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.