In 2024, Americans reportedly set a new record for butter consumption. Butter molds and sculptures have become a popular piece of edible decor for dinner parties and events. Butter yellow has maintained a spot in the color trend landscape in fashion and home decor. People want butter skin. To top it all off, runners are now carrying heavy cream and salt on runs to make butter in a new trend called “churn and burn.” In other words, it’s high time for a book about butter.
And cookbook author Anna Stockwell has answered the sweet-cream call. The Bon Appétit and Epicurious alum’s new book, The Butter Book, is a celebration of the star of the dairy aisle. Part historical deep-dive, part recipe book, part decorative object, the book was designed by Lizzie Vaughn to look like a stick of butter, complete with a cloudy, wax paper book jacket. As someone who once considered donning a metallic gold outfit and dressing up as Kerrygold butter for Halloween, I would say that butter is more of a timeless staple than a trend.
When I ask her what she loves about butter, the question feels utterly ridiculous. Butter makes everything better. What’s not to love?
Photo: Kate Jordan
“Over the past couple of years, my friends and family have been subjected to a lot of butter experiments,” Stockwell tells Vogue with a laugh.
The Butter Book features a rainbow array of inventive compound butters (think: smoky garlic, miso-orange, puttanesca), a guide to buying butter for different culinary uses, Stockwell’s favorite recipes that rely on butter, and more. “I wanted each recipe to be an example of a different thing that butter can do for you in the kitchen,” she says.
