There's something that causes the recipe book to "reset".
I haven't yet figured out what triggers this.
Here's the situation:
I've already unlocked certain things, like a chest.
I already have dozens of chests so I know I've crafted them. I know I clicked on the chest in the recipe book and had it load up the 8 planks.
Then, after something happens, I don't know what, selected the recipe from the book won't put the recipe on the crafting bench.
I craft one by hand and I get a message that the recipe is unlocked.
After that clicking on the chest in the book works as expected.
I think it used to be that when clicking on a recipe that you haven't unlocked or can't craft, the actual recipe would be placed on the crafting table. Of course you can't craft it but at least you can see what you need. That feature can be used to answer: Is it a dropper or dispenser that needs a bow?