I’ve wanted to write this post for over a year. There were so many times I wanted to tell you what I was doing and how I was up to my eyeballs in 17 jars of peanut butter almost every day.
But I decided that rather than drag out the suspense for a year, and long before my book was even going to be in stores or that you could buy it, that I’d just surprise you when the timing was better.
Well, surprise! My first cookbook, Peanut Butter Comfort: Recipes for Breakfasts, Brownies, Cakes, Cookies, Candies, and Frozen Treats Featuring America’s Favorite Spread
The book features more than 100 recipes and they all use peanut butter. Yes, there’s peanut butter in every single recipe. I cannot even tell you how much peanut butter I went through in 2012. I was literally buying it by the gallon while recipe testing.
In some recipes, peanut butter is bold and in your face like in old-fashioned peanut butter cookies.
And in other recipes, it’s subtle, hardly noticeable, and binds ingredients or lends moisture to biscuit dough.
It’s primarily a dessert cookbook, with a focus on comfort food desserts that stick to your ribs like Marshmallow Fluffternutter Butterscotch Bars.
Or a Caramelized Peanut Butter and Banana Upside-Down Cake that will make your soul sing.
There is one chapter devoted to savory and salty-and-sweet combinations like Cheesy Peanut Butter Crackers, a homemade riff on Peanut Butter-Filled-and-Flavored Cheez-Its.
There’s Fresh Spring Rolls with Thai Peanut Sauce. You can’t have a peanut butter book without peanut sauce.
There are a handful of recipes that have appeared on my blog because I have over 50+ recipes on my site that use peanut butter. 35 Peanut Butter Recipes are here, and all of the Peanut Butter Recipes are here. A few recipes I love too much to not include and so in they went.
The irony is that since writing the book and turning in my manuscript last July, I’ve come up with more peanut butter recipes that I wish I could have included but with books, there’s no Edited To Add function like with blogging, and now they’re posted here.
I did all the photography. 100 recipes, 100 photos. Actually, more than 100 photos because at the beginning of chapters and interspersed throughout the book there are accompanying images. You never notice how many photos are in the margins, corners, and sides of pages in a book until you’re the one responsible for making them happen.
I believe there are only two recipes and some frosting recipes that don’t have accompanying photos. It was important to me to really show you what the food looks like when it’s done. It’s a peeve of mine in cookbooks when every fifth or seventh recipe gets a photo and the rest don’t, and I made sure to avoid that.
They say that writing a book is like being pregnant and birthing a baby. Well, I’ve done both and there are striking parallels. In the beginning, I was so full of anticipation, excitement, and so eager. Ready to get on with it, and for the fun to begin. Midway through, the novelty wears off and that initial energy rush has dwindled and it’s hard work to stay on track and keep the other aspects of life humming along, too. Toward the end, you’re dead tired, fatigued, and wonder how you will go on. And in the last week or two before the due date, life is a blur, awake all hours of the day and night, just trying to finish and stay strong.
And then, after all the edits, revisions, changes, going up and back time and time again, you hold your baby in your arms, or in my case see a PDF of my baby on my computer screen, and it’s suddenly all worth it. And I want to do it again because it was the most rewarding and fulling experience.
And I am. But that’s a whole other post.
Here is the front and back cover with jacket flaps. I didn’t design the cover but had input. The photography is mine, but my publisher has a design team who created it.
Although there are similarities to writing a food blog, it’s definitely different. The recipe development, cooking the food, trialing it, photographing it, writing about it, learning about the publishing process, and experiencing it all has been the hardest work, but the best work. And I’m grateful to the Skyhorse team for their support.
And I’m eternally grateful for my husband’s support. I could not have done it without him. Both from helping me parent our daughter to eating his weight in peanut butter in 2012. I could not have blogged 365 days last year and clocked in 370 posts, written a book, taken care of our house and child without him being Daddy Dearest. That said, it’s amazing how little sleep I got last year and I’m about to do it again.
You’d think I would have gotten sick of peanut butter in this whole process but I haven’t. My recipe yesterday included it and I adore it just as much as ever.
I hope you love peanut butter and Peanut Butter Comfort as much as I do.
Thank you for your support!
Another winner, Averie. I made the Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken the other evening. I made enough for several meals using two large chicken breasts with skin. I didn’t have any green Chile so I used green enchilada sauce. I made burritos with some of the chicken mixture. It was really delicious. I have enough left over to make chicken tacos and perhaps something else.This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for all your efforts.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that this was a winner for you! And that the green enchilada sauce worked just fine and you were able to get several meals out of this which is great!
Where can I purchase a copy so that you will receive the most from it?
Amazon probably is the easiest – thanks so much for your support!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620876213/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1620876213&linkCode=as2&tag=lovvegyogruna-20
I just saw this because of a peanut chocolate no flour cookies I Pinned to my board. They looked fabulous. I just by chance read about your book and I hope B&N has it tomorrow!
Oh how nice of you! Well if they don’t have it in the store, there’s always Amazon! Thank you for your support!!! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620876213/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1620876213&linkCode=as2&tag=lovvegyogruna-20
Hi Averie – I wanted to let you know that my 6 year old sat down with your cookbook last night for over 30 minutes flipping through it to decide what she wanted for her 7th birthday treat. I loved watching her flip through each page and evaluate the ingredients to see what she wanted!
My daughter’s 7th bday is coming up in about 2 weeks! Sounds like our girls are exactly the same age – fun! And that’s so sweet you let her flip thru and decide what she wanted! My daughter taste-tested every recipe in there many times :) LMK what you guys decide & thanks for your support!
Emmy’s birthday is 2/5/07, she is very excited for her birthday this year! She chose the Peanut Butter Pudding Vanilla Rice Krsipie Bars :) It isn’t what I would have picked for her birthday so I absolutely love that she did this herself!
Well have fun! I think RK Bars are such a kid dessert and perfect for her :)
I recently purchased your cookbook and I fell in love with it. A self-proclaimed peanut butter lover and addict, I can’t wait to make every recipe. I love the picture with every recipe and your use of everyday ingredients.
Thank you so much for your support and kind words! I really appreciate it and I am so glad you’re enjoying it!
Love your blog found it from another food blog “Iowa Girl Eats” she featured your Reese’s Pieces Soft Peanut Butter cookies on her Friday Favorites.
I would love to get your blog via email, is there any way that I can sign up to receive your great recipes?
YUMO!
Ann :)
Thanks for finding me from Kristin’s site! And yes to get my updates in your inbox every day, just go to my site, top right hand corner there’s a little mailbox looking icon. Click on that and fill it out and you’ll get them directly that way! Thanks for being a new follower!
Oh my gosh! How did I miss this announcement?!! I knew it would happen for you, Averie. So exciting!!! Congratulations my friend :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is SOOOO exciting!!!!
Thank you! :)
Congratulations Averie!!! Those Cheesy Peanut Butter Bites are calling my name :)
And thank you for your headshot photography! Your copy will be on its way just as soon as it’s off the presses! :)
Thank you :)!!
How exciting, congratulations!! It’ll be on the top of my to-buy list!
OMG, how did I miss this post?! Congratulations Averie! This is so so SO exciting!
I have no idea how you managed to cook/photograph/write/edit the book AND keep up with blogging AND be a mom AND…. geez, hat’s off to you lady! And I can’t wait to see the book in person! :-D
Thanks for your support, Melissa!
cook/photograph/write/edit the book AND keep up with blogging AND be a mom <-- that is why I sleep 4 hours a night, max. As a mom and a photographer and blogger, you can truly understand this all I'm sure!
Congratulations! That is so exciting!
I read this the other day on my phone bit had trouble commenting (not you, just my phone!). But I wanted to be sure to tell you congratulations! And ummmmm seriously girl- do you ever ever sleep? :)
Sleep? Not too much :)
And thanks for the support!
Congratulations! That is such exciting news!!! We go through a lot of peanut butter here but I am sure nothing compared to your last year :-) I can’t wait to see it on the shelves of our store!!!
Thank you Jocelyn!
Wow!! A really big congratulations!!!
Congratulations!!! Very excited to get my copy. :-)
Thanks – and thanks for the pin earlier today!
YAY congratulations, can’t wait to get a copy. I love that you waited, although i’m not sure how you did it without bursting!
I wanted to burst many times and just spill the beans!
Oh my goodness – CONGRATS!!! I am so happy for you! I hope you do a book signing because I’ll be the first in line to get your autograph :)
So many congrats on this book Averie! I am beyond thrilled for you!! Everything sounds delectable!
You went into my spam but you’re out now :) AND thanks, Megan!!
amazing! I was just sharing your site with my husband, and I mentioned that I thought you would be the next blogger turned cookbook author – I have always drooled over your photos and recipes. SO excited to order
Well you were psychic! And thanks for your support and kind words, Heather!
OMG Averie this is so friggin awesome! Congratulations!!!! I can’t wait to get your book–I love peanut butter!
Thank you! :)
Congrats on your cookbook! Love From The Oven posted about it on her Facebook page, and I’m glad she did because I am a lover of peanut butter, and can’t wait to check it out! I’m now a new follower of your blog, and look forward to checking out your other recipes as well!
Thanks for saying hi and for clicking over from Christi’s site. She is such a sweetheart and thanks for reading along and being a new reader!
I don’t even have words to tell you how excited I am for this, for you and how very proud I am of you. You are so incredibly talented and wow, what the world has in store for them. Way to go mama, well done, and I’m putting in my pre-order right now! XOXO
Thanks for all your love and support over the years, Christi. It means the world! And of course, thank you for the preorder :)
Wow – congratulations Averie!!! How exciting!!!! I had no idea – but man am I impressed :-) You rock girl! I’ll definitely be buying your book!
We knew each other way back in like 2009 and thank you for being such a loyal friend over the years, Jolene! :) xo
Oh my heck lady!!!! I’m so incredibly happy for you!!!! Shouting this one off the rooftops!
Thanks for the support my friend!
Wow I can’t WAIT to get my hands on this book. I literally just gave up peanut butter because I was eating about a jar a week. Yeah it won’t last long though. I’m so proud of you! :) BUYING IT IMMEDIATELY. k bye!
Thanks, Monique, for your support, always! :)
Oh and giving up PB…yeah, that wouldn’t work for me at all! I have read about people doing that for Lent this year. Not me :)
I just pre-ordered it and I cant wait! Peanut butter is my life, I eat it all the time. Congrats on such a huge achievement!
Averie, I am so-so glad you have written this book! I knew something was “cooking” in publishing department, I had that gut feeling that usually is proven to be precise. Great job, dear friend! Your recipes and techniques are well measured and work each time I use it. Thank you for all your work, here on the blog and in print! :)
Congrats Averie…can’t wait to buy the book.
Congratulations. I love how you compared the process to being pregnant. It totally makes sense- although I have never been pregnant! The pb banana upside down cake looks gorgeous and I could totally go for a slice right now! You are such an inspiration blogging 370 posts last year, raising a kid, and writing a cookbook. WOW girl you were busy! Can’t wait to get the book in person.. heading over to Amazon now! :)
Thanks, Elizabeth, for all your support! And didn’t know you were in OC! Just went to your site and read that! My hubs was up there last night on a biz dinner!
OMG how did I not know you are in San Diego! I love San Diego- don’t go as often as I would like. My boyfriends best friend lives there and my best friend went to college there. We used to always go to Extraordinary Desserts! I would absolutely love to meet up with you one day. If that’s not too creepy! :) I have never meet up with a blogging friend and would love to meet such an amazing blogger like yourself!
CONGRATS!!! A few weeks ago I commented that I could not understand why you did not have a cookbook with all of your amazing photos and recipes! Such an incredible accomplishment. You are an inspiration Averie!
Yes you did! I remember that comment VERY well because I knew this post was coming. And for the last year, every time someone would say that to me, I would just smile inside :) Thanks for your sweet words and loyal readership!
Congratulations on the cookbook! It looks amazing and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy!
Averie, THIS is the best news ever. First of all I LOVE peanut butter. Secondly ~ your recipes ROCK so I can only imagine how GREAT your cookbook will be. Please put me on your publicity list. I am soooooo proud of you. CONGRATS :) XOXOXOXO
Congratulations! How exciting for you. I imagine your book will be gorgeously mothwatering just like your blog!
This is great! Congratulations! You really went for your dreams and you really inspired me to go after mine :)
Everything looks delicious!
Averie, I’m SO happy for you! This is wonderful news!
This is gorgeous Averie! Adding to my wish list now:) I cannot imagine how hard you’ve been working this past year. I can’t wait to get my hands on this. Knowing you, I’ll be drooling over each and every picture!
Congratulations!
Thank you so much for your support, Loretta!
Congrats, Averie! That is such a huge and momentous milestone and accomplishment! I hope I can get there some day too :-)
Thanks and I hope all your wishes come true!
Averie, that is just the best news! You totally deserve it with all the stellar treats you make. It is awesome that you took the pics. I love that almost all the recipes have pics. When reading a cookbook I rarely make recipes without an accompanying pic. As for having created more delightful pb recipes, well I guess you’ll just have to write another book :)
OMG AVERIE!! CONGRATULATIONS!! THIS IS SUCH A HUGE HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT AND YOU DD IT!! I REMEMBER FOLLOWING YOUR BLOG YEARS AGO AFTER COMING ACROSS IT BY CHANCE AND WITNESSING HOW MUCH IT HAS EVOLVED IT AMAZING!! NOT ONLY ARE YOUR PHOTOS PHENOMENAL, BUT RECIPES AND CONTENT IS AMAZING! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU AND KNOW YOU ARE DESTINED FOR GREAT THINGS! I WILL SURELY BE GETTING MY COPY!!
MUCH LOVE,
NEIKO :)
I remember your name and email address extremely well, Neiko! Thanks for sticking around all these years and for your support!
So proud of you! I can say, “Oh, I have emails from her when she was just an almost unknown blogger, you know, before she was a famous author!”
That’s so fantastic!! I was wondering if you were ever going to make one! Can’t wait to buy it :)
Amazing. Congratulations. Much success.
Congrats Averie! Such an exciting time for you. Must admit I don’t stop by here really anymore due to the obvious, however I saw on Facebook that you had brought out a cookbook and wanted to share my glee with you.
Also I don’t know how you do it! Being a mum, wife, blogger and cook book writer is more than 24 hours a day work I reckon! Well done you xxxx
Love from Saudi xx
Averie, that’s so exciting! Congratulations, I bet you’re so excited. :) I cant’ wait to find it in stores, yay for peanut butter! :)
Congratulations Ms. Averie. I’ll have to pick this up. Is it wrong to say my FAVORITE peanut butter recipe is a good ole fashion peanut butter and jelly sandwich on soft wheat bread. Grape jelly at that and a nice glass of cold milk :O)
Congratulations!! I am so excited for you…and for me–I am can’t wait to read and bake from your cookbook! I absolutely love your blog–your recipes are absolutely delicious, you explain everything in such a clear way, and your writing “voice” is so friendly. Your passion for cooking and baking is inspiring! The only hard part is going to be waiting until May when amazon finally mails me my copy of your cookbook!
Oh Kelly, what a sweet comment and nice things to say – I appreciate it! And thanks for the preorder :)
Congratulations, Averie!! I’m so excited for you (and for those of us who will soon have some new peanut butter recipes to play with!). How on earth were you able to keep this a secret for so long? And, more importantly, how did you have time for Everything? I hope you included some of time management tips in your book too. ;)
Thank you for sharing your new adventure (and recipes)! And *Thank You* for including photos for each recipe- it’s always good to have an idea about what to expect at the end of the rainbow. :D
Can’t wait to get my hands on this! xo
Thanks for the kind words, Valerie! I am glad you’re surprised and excited! :)
Congratulations Averie! I have been reading your blog religiously for years! Even since your high raw yoga lovin days!! Not sure I’ve ever come out and said hi or commented but I was too busy in the kitchen! I’ve probably made 100 of your recipes and look forward to your posts every morning! I always wondered when you would put out a cookbook since your recipes are so unique and delicious and your photography is impeccable! So proud of your success and you are definitely someone I look up to in creating a living out of their passion! Your my idol!!! Wish you all the success in the world!
Theresa hi and thank you for your support over the years! I don’t think you’ve ever actually said hi b/c I’d remember someone who told me they made 100 of my recipes. WOW and thank you! Thanks for the high praise and compliments and your loyalty over the years; watching my blog change and evolve to where it’s at today. Thank you and I appreciate it!
Congrats!! The cookbook looks wonderful! I love peanut butter, I really do! I can’t wait to check out all of these delicious recipes.
WOWZERS!!! What an awesome surprise! Congratulations Averie!
OMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! I am so ridiculously over-the-top excited for you! Writing a cookbook is something I have only dreamed about in the back of my mind, and I’ve seen a handful of bloggers get there, and I am SO GLAD you have too! I can’t wait to buy your book and eat my weight in peanut butter! What an amazing accomplishment, Averie!!
Well thank you so much, Ari!
Though I’m one of your newer fans my heartfelt congrats to you, Averie! I think you definitely hit a home run on this one!
Congrats Averie!!! Peanut Butter is an amazing book topic. Totally buying it!
YAY and thank you!
what a wonderful surprise and how lovely a book it looks!
cant wait to get a hold of a copy
:)
Averie — congratulations! This is such an exciting, momentous occasion and I am SO proud of you. You do love your peanut butter, thus this book is perfect. Can’t wait to have my hands on it!!!
omg. OMG!!!!
I remember asking you if you’d write a cookbook, and now you HAVE! It’s going on the amazon list today. Perfect timing. EEEEE!
Congrats! I can’t wait until may 1st!
Omg, CONGRATS!!! :) I LOVE LOVE peanut butter too! So, I`m definitely looking forward to this! :D I hope all the work will pay off!
You rock! Definitely just pre-ordered it right away! I actually have issues reading your posts everyday because even if I’m not hungry I instantly feel like I NEED an ooey gooey cookie of some kind. And I mean that in the best way possible. Keep it up (but get some sleep!) and congrats!
YES!!! I’ve known for awhile that a post like this was coming, I just didn’t know when or what exactly the book would be about. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this pop up in my Reader. Averie, I am so proud of you, and I can’t wait to see how successful this book will be (let alone get my hands on a copy, myself!). HELL YEAH peanut butter! :)
Thanks, Amber, for your friendship and support and I know I don’t have to tell you anything since you’ve written your own, but it’s a nice feeling to be sitting at this place with the work behind me rather than in front of me :) xoxo
Awesome news :-) Congrats!!!!
Averie, you are truly superwoman. I don’t know how you do it all! I am so thrilled for you and I can’t wait to buy my own copy. You know I’m such a huge fan of your blog – all of your recipes and photography are AMAZING. A huge congratulations on this accomplishment, lady!
Averie!! Congrats!!! Wow, how exciting! I am totally buying the cookbook when it comes out! I love all of your recipes + I am a HUGE peanut butter lover. . Congrats again! What an accomplishment! Woot Woot!!!
Thanks Alice for your support!
OMG Averie!!!!!! I am SO excited for you!!!!!!! YAY! Congrats! You so deserve it and I am totally preordering my copy RIGHT NOW.
Well thanks for the support and the preorder, Dorothy!
I started reading blogs a couple of years ago and your blog was one of the first I stumbled across and one of my favorites. I’m so happy that you wrote this cookbook. You have earned it! Congrats!
Thanks for being a loyal reader – I know you comment on my giveaways and thanks for reading along and your support over the years!
HI!! I just wanted to say I’m so excited for you! VERY VERY EXCITED! I can’t wait til the book comes out!! A whole cookbook dedicated to PEANUT BUTTER?!?!?!
Yay! I am thrilled for you! It looks absolutely beautiful! Way to go!
Oh my gosh! That is so exciting!!!!
Who doesn’t love PB?! I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!
This is so exciting, and I’m excited for you! Big accomplishment; pat yourself on the back. Or better yet, eat one of those delectible peanut butter yummies you probably have hanging around your kitchen, or in the freezer. Good thing I don’t live by you; on days I don’t have time to bake, which is most the time, I’d probably be nonchalantly strollin’ by hoping to glean some crumbs from you. Best of luck!
Congratulations, Averie! This is so exciting, I can’t wait to get the book!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is friggen awesome! I am so buying your book! I know I will love it! I am soooooooooooooooo proud of you!!!!!!!!!!!! So proud!! Congratulations!!!!
I knew you’d love the book, given your love of PB & thanks for the support, always!
AVERIE!!! I am so soooo excited for you! The cookbook looks incredible and I cannot wait to own it and make all the amazing goodies you’ve dreamed up! I am in awe of you, this is so amazing.
Well thanks for being in awe and for your support :)
WOW!!! Congrats, Averie! What an accomplishment (and a secret!!).
Oh my goodness congrats!! I read your blog almost every day and always drool at your peanut butter recipes:) I will definitely have to find this:)
Thanks for reading and saying hi!
oh averie congratulations….I am so happy you shared the news and i think i’ve posted numerous times saying “you should make a cookbook” SO I am so excited to have your peanut butter cookbook stocked in my kitchen in May. And I have to say I am super duper incredibly impressed that you made a cookbook, created your own i know going to be awesome recipes, took all your own photos(which yeah since your photos are always amazing) AND blogged 365 days a year and stayed such a sweet attentive blogger at that. WOW yeah for averie really congrats and I can’t wait to page through this book!!!
You have always said that! And I wanted to tell people all along but then…just decided to make my big announcement now :) But thank you for your support and yes, blogging 365 days a year and trying to be a mommy and wife and supportive member of our blogging community can be a juggling act, for sure :) But I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way!
Such wonderful news. I have mine reserved and can’t wait to see it ♥
Thanks, Angela!
Oh Averie, congratulations! This is so huge, and I’m incredibly proud and thrilled that your dream is becoming a reality! There really is nothing that peanut butter can’t do, so it’s the perfect subject to launch your cookbook career with. I seriously can’t wait to check it out. :)
Thanks Hannah! Between ice cream and vegan desserts in general, I know I’m not telling you anything new about what a great feeling it is to be at this point. Thanks for your support way back when :)
How exciting! That’s so awesome for you :)
Oh! And I forgot to say that I can’t stand cookbooks without pictures. Huge pet peeve of mine. I love that you’re including so many!
Mine too – so took care of that peeve :)
Congratulations!! What a wonderful accomplishment, and kudos to you for pursuing this project! =)
What an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations on your upcoming book, I can’t wait to purchase it!
You are such an inspiration–and publishing a first cookbook featuring *peanut butter* was nothing short of genius. I’ve been making PB at home ever since I came across your post for doing it, and I’d love nothing more than to cook my way through your cookbook with it. Congrats, Averie!!
Thanks for all your support, Ala!
CONGRATS!! That’s awesome! Time to party??! :) You deserve it!
Thanks, Anna! And hopefully that email I sent you helped. LMK what you end up doing.
Congratulations, Averie! What a lot of hard work. Enjoy!
Thanks, Sarah – but I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know! You’ve done this…twice! :)
Congratulations, Averie! You should be so proud!
:) thanks Julie! And I saw your giveaway for Lindsay’s book but I already have it – love it!
Congratulations! How exciting. This cookbook is a peanut butter lovers dream.
No way, Averie! This is amazing, congratulations! Wishing you tons of success with your new book… it looks absolutely wonderful and full of scrumptious peanut butter treats. Great job!
oh averie–
i’m so happy for you!
please send me a copy, i’d be happy as ever to promote it for you.
i hope i’m next!
fingers crossed.
xoxo
so proud of YOU!!!!!
Thanks, Dawn! I hope you’re next, too! Thanks for your support, always!
xoxo :)
Congratulations!!! What a fantastic subject for a cookbook. I already added to my Amazon wishlist.
Thanks for adding it!
Congratulations!!! I’ll have to add Peanut Butter Comfort to my wishlist! As a PB-addict, I’m pretty excited for it!
I love your site. I, like a few others, had no idea that you were working on a cookbook. The best part is that it is about Peanut Butter. My 12 year old will worship you. She thinks that there is only one food group worth mentioning–peanut butter. Thanks for all the great recipes you share with us and I wish you great success on the cookbook.
Thanks for the kind words and reading (and hope your 12 yr old will enjoy the recipes!)
Congratulations, Averie! That’s so exciting. Being that a day rarely goes by that I don’t indulge in peanut butter, I’m sure your cookbook will be just right for me!
I’ve been reading your blog for three years and have loved watching the evolution of it! Thinking back to the raw veggies and peanut sauce dip recipes, you’ve come a long way. Congrats! I’ll definitely be purchasing the book :)
Hooray! Congratulations on your new book! What a great accomplishment. :) You must feel so proud–and so happy to have the project done and the secret finally out!
Yes it’s kind of a weight off my shoulders! I just wanted to do it before I started blabbing about it :)
Oh Averie! I am so excited I can hardly stand it—this is so incredible! I can’t believe you were able to keep the secret for so long, but you’re right, the surprise announcement is a pretty powerful way to go. I’m thrilled for you, and can’t wait to get it!
Thanks, Sue! And if you lived 100 miles closer, I would have dumped so much PB food off at your doorstep. I literally was up to my eyeballs in PB for most of the year :) And yes, I figured, why bother talking about it until there was something that could be done, like $$ buy it.
Congratulations, Averie!!!
Congrats! You must be thrilled. BTW I totally want to steal your ladle ;)
YAY! Congratulations! I’m so so excited for you and your achievement in writing a cookbook. With as much as you post (370 posts in 2012?!), I would have no idea that you were also working on a book. You are truly a wonderwoman!
Also, I have always meant to tell you how cool I think your last name is. You truly live up to your name, and it shows in every single post.
So sweet, thank you :)
Wow Averie this is awesome!!! I’m so happy for you…
Congratulations Averie! This is so exciting! As a major peanut butter lover, I can’t wait to check out your cookbook!
Oh my gosh, Averie! I am so excited for you! Congratulations!!
Wow…I can’t believe you never mentioned you were writing a cookbook! Sneaky girl!
Yeah remember all our emails where I was always saying how busy I was…yeah. :)
Yay, Averie! So thrilled and happy for you – this is the perfect first cookbook for you! :) Congrats and wishing you much success! Now take the weekend off and relax – you deserve it :).
Thank you for every comment, pin, and good vibe of support you’ve ever sent my way, Laura :) All so appreciated. You are the pinning queen and I am so grateful…seriously!
This is AMAZING news! I’m so happy for you. I LOVE the idea of a book dedicated completely to peanut butter and I have no doubt that every recipe in there will be completely drool-worthy and incredible. You dedicate so much time to all things baking and cooking and knowing how fantastic a job you do on the blog, I can’t wait to see the book! Congrats :D
Congrats Averie! I cannot wait to order a copy! Peanut Butter Comfort is the perfect name!!! Love it!
Thanks your your support!
Well this day is finally here and I am so, so happy for you, friend! You deserve all of the good that is surely going to come your way as a result of this amazing, enormous project on which I know you have been TIRELESSLY working. The book itself looks GORGEOUS (not that I am surprised at all) and I just can’t wait to read about all of the magic that you make with peanut butter: my next click is to preorder my very own copy and copies for all of the peanut butter lovers in my life.
Congrats, congrats, CONGRATS, Averie! No go take a nap – YOU DESERVE IT! Hugs!!
Nothing like a little suspense, eh? Well, figured I wouldn’t jump the gun and for me, the right call to just work on it behind the scenes rather than make a spectacle about it before anyone could even do anything about it, i.e. order it. And thank you for your support & friendship in every way and love all our emails.xoxo
You amaze me! How did you keep this secret. I would be talking about it 24/7! I can not wait to get my hands on a copy. So proud of you and so freaking excited! Congrats.
Thanks, Carrie. Figured I’d just announce it when people could do something about it…i.e. buy it :)
Wow, what a big secret to keep! Congratulations! You must be so excited :)
Congrats Averie!! I’m sure that was a lot of hard work but like you said, well worth it in the end. I am looking forward to reading this book and trying out some new, delicious recipes!
That’s awesome! Congratulations!
congrats, Averie!
last year you alluded to “finishing a big project” right before you went on a vacation…? I kinda thought this was it :D you picked a good topic, for sure!
Oh wow you have a stellar memory. I did say that. Anyone who read between the lines, I did drop a few clues in 2012 about it; not many though. You are Sherlock Holmes :)
wow!!! congrats! that is terrific :)
Yaaaaaaay!! I’m so excited for you!! And I love peanut butter, this book looks fantastic, great job :)
We’ll have to do a book trade :)
Oh my gosh. If I were ever to do a cookbook it would be about peanut butter, but I don’t think I would have to do that now with this! I love that it comes out May 1st, just in time for my bday on the 4th ;-)
Happy early Bday!
Congrats on your cookbook! How very exciting!
Averie that’s so exciting!! Congratulations!!! And a peanut-butter centred cookbook at that! I’m so looking forward to it- I’m all up for new ways to consume my favourite substance (aside from chocolate). Good for you :)
That’s so awesome! Congratulations! I was wondering when you would get your own cookbook :) You definitely deserve it, it’s easy to see how hard you work to perfect your recipes and give the readers lots of tips and tricks. Congratulations again!
OMG! That’s so exciting! Congrats! I can’t wait to buy it :)
BBOOOOOOOOOOM! That’s SOME news Averie!!! Congratulations!!! I have NO IDEA how you where able to do it all.. The book, the frequent posting, the always so perfect photography, and having a life!! I am impressed.. And happy!!!
I don’t have a life outside of cooking, blogging, and my family :) but that’s what makes me happy right now so it all works!
Congratulations! Your hard work and determination are inspiring! I can’t wait to see the physical copy! Pretty impressive that you kept it a secret all that time.
Amazing! Going on my wishlist right away!
So freaking excited for you Averie!!! Lots of love xoxo
Oh, Averie! Congratulations to you, my friend!!! I am so incredibly happy for you and for what I KNOW is going to be an outstanding cookbook. I know this so surely that I already have pre-ordered my own copy!! I always knew you should be writing cookbooks and if I have it my way, “The Ultimate Bar” Cookbook is on the way! ;-) Whatever your next theme is, you can count on the Sparrow clan supporting you through it all.
How awesome that you chose peanut butter! And not a surprise, either! ;-) I know how much you love it. Your photography, your sweet and friendly, not to mention easy and fun-loving style will make your book an instant success. Again, congrats!! You are amazing! :-D
Thanks for the preorder and for your undying support, Michele! You have always said that about bar cookies. I would love to write that book one day…I just dont think it’s novel enough to convince publishers to publish. But trust me, I want to write that book!
Congratulations!!! So so so exciting! Dang you’re good at keeping a secret : ) I have no patience when I have exciting news that I want to share haha.
No sense jumping the gun til people could do $$ something about it :)
Averiiiiiiiieeeee! This is amazing! Congratulations! You deserve it!
I was wondering per our old emails if you sensed I was writing it or not, but I was :)
Congratulations!. That’s awesome. Those pictures look gorgeous as always. I love pb!
Congratulations! The recipes look great. I love peanut butter
Congratulations!! What a neat concept for a cookbook! I bet you were close to getting stock in peanut butter after all of that ;) How fun!
Congrats! This is so awesome! I am so excited for this to arrive!
Congratulations! I can’t wait to get a copy. And I have to tell you, it was really weird reading this post because I was just thinking about your blog yesterday and wondering if you were ever going to write a cookbook. Now that you’ve gotten peanutbutter out of the way, I think you should do a comprehensive dessert book, you know, in all your spare time…Keep the great recipes coming!
Holy S&*T!! THAT IS FREAKIN’ AWESOME!!!! SO Happy for you, Averie!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I’m literally jumping for joy! That is incredible! I wish you all the success in the world! You deserve it!
I love your excitement and thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxo
Hi Averie! I’m SO PROUD OF YOU! Seriously, I am so proud and excited for you. I think I’m more excited about you getting a cookbook deal than any other blogger, because I feel like I know you personally and know how much work and effort you put into your blog and all your recipes while staying on top of keeping in touch with your readers. You’re a workhorse, but we can all see that you truly love what you do, that’s why you’re so successful at it.
I think this is such an original idea, I mean there are not to many peanut butter cookbooks out there. You know I’m totally going to buy one. I also love that you posted pictures for each recipe. I need photos and that is my one pet peeve as well when I browse through a cookbook and there are pictures for some of the recipes and not pictures of the rest. I often wonder what’s wrong with that recipe, why isn’t there a photo? I’m also not a fan of recipes that are so doctored up that they don’t even look like the real thing. Of course, we might throw a bit of green on a dish to liven it up for the photograph, but it’s real food and should look like what the reader’s finished product is going to look like.
I really love the way the cookbook looks; it’s so colorful and happy just like you! Congrats again girl and you so deserve this. Can’t wait to hold one of these puppies in person!
xoxo, Jackie
You’ve said it many, many times to me over the year(s) about how you thought I should be writing a book, well, I was :) I just wanted to surprise everyone and now you know. And yes, no way to do this without being a workhorse of the highest order, but it’s all worth it. And yes to having photos for most/all of the recipes in cookbooks. It’s expensive to print them for the publishers and for the photographers to be hired to take them, but it’s such a fundamental and uncompromising issue for me as well!
Congratulations Averie!!! How amazing. If anyone was going to write the book on peanut butter, it had to be you! Your peanut butter recipes make an appearance at least once a week in our house! You have never steered us wrong! I can not wait to receive your book and start baking! Off to Amazon :)
Thanks for your support, recipe making, and preordering :) Was just thinking about you yesterday – you popped into my head b/c I made peanut sauce for dinner :)
In my mind, peanut butter is its own food group, which makes this cookbook my new Bible. Congratulations, and thank you so much for sharing all of your amazing recipes! Can’t wait to dive into everything PB on May 1st!!
Thanks, Jen for your support. I am with you on it’s own food group!
WOW, Averie, CONGRATS!! I’m so, so happy for you and can’t wait to see what you have come up with. I’m sure it will be totally and completely fantastic!!
I thought maybe you knew. Right around the height of Milkbar Monday’s I was in the THICK of this. And those 16 hour Milkbar posts just weren’t able to continue :)
Congratulations, Averie! Looks like a terrific book and I can’t wait to get my hands on it (though peanut butter cheese crackers! Yes!). I’m so impressed that you’ve managed to consistently blog nearly every day while also writing this book. You deserve a vacation!
Every day, yes. Daily posting while writing a book was crazy but that’s okay :)
So excited for you! And the timing is perfect as my birthday’s at the end of April so I already know one thing that’s going on my wishlist. :) We are a peanut butter-lovin’ household so I am thrilled that you devoted a book to that delicious, versatile, healthy (in moderation) spread.
There are a few ‘healthy’ recipes in the book; relative term there but granola bars and muffins and things like that that aren’t too over the top :)
congrats averie, so excited for you :)
Oh my goodness – so exciting, Averie!!! That is perfect for you! Can’t wait to read it! :)
Congrats Averie!
WOW!!! Congratulations :) I have only found your blog recently but I LOVE it and I love your style of writing and cooking…from the heart! What a great accomplishment and I can’t wait to get the book!
Thanks for being a newer reader & for your support!
Congratulations! That’s really exciting. Everything looks delicious!
Oh my goodness! So happy for you! My family adores your recipes and you have inspired us to get a Vitamix :) Will be preordering the book today. Congratulations!
Thanks for preordering and about getting a Vita – wow, how awesome. I bet you LOVE it! That first year or so with that Beast :) is such a fun time. It’s amazing what you can make, isn’t it!
Wow congrats!! So happy for you, but why would you post a picture of something like Caramelized Peanut Butter and Banana Upside-Down Cake for me to see this early in the morning? Just torture! Need in my mouth, now.
LOL :)
Congrats! That’s awesome. Those PB cookies look like the PERFECT consistency and on that alone, I’m off to pre-order!
And if I do say so myself, they are THE perfect old-fashioned cookie w/ perfect consistency. And thanks for the preorder! :)
Oh Averie! I am so excited for you and proud of you too. This is just so awesome! Just one of many cookbooks to come I’m sure!!!
Something like that :)
And thank you for your support and friendship, always! xoxo
so excited. and i already preordered it! CONGRATS on your cookbook! i’m very excited to get mine!
Thanks for your support and the lighting fast preorder!!
CONGRATS AVERIE! How exciting. I’m so happy for you. Bring on the PB!
Congratulations Averie! The book looks so beautiful and I’m thrilled for you! I can’t wait to get this book!
Lady, you are a machine! CONGRATULATIONS! I was already astounded by your daily posting with such high-quality photographs and seeing how nice a blogger you are, appearing lots in the comments of other sites – you’re a real community gal! AND YOU’VE BEEN SNEAKILY WORKING ON A BOOK?! Have you slept in a year?! This is insane. Y’know what’s more insane? The idea of caramelised banana peanut butter upside down cake.
Is May 1st the date it comes out everywhere or just US? I need it here in the UK!
It comes out everywhere on May 1 but I am unsure of European distribution so ordering from Amazon is likely your best bet.
And thanks for noticing I am a team player and community gal. There is no other way I could be. Supporting each other is the only way for me!
I am so excited for you!!! Yaaaaay! I know your book will be lovely and detailed and amazing AND I want you to know that you are absolutely, without a doubt, one of my favorites. To turn out so many detailed recipes and well-written posts PLUS write a book PLUS juggle your home & family, NOT TO MENTION the time you take out to visit other blogs, read and comment- You, Miss, are pretty great!! Seriously- there are so many amazing food blogs with so many awesome things to read and see, but you, You totally hold your own with reader interaction and I appreciate it so so so much. I will SO happily buy your book and add it to my collection. Thanks for always being so helpful & happy & encouraging!!
Heather thanks for your super kind words and support and I try to be a team player and spread the love because I just couldn’t be any other way! It’s about community and to do it all in a vacuum without interacting with others just would feel so…odd! Thanks for being fabulous & all your sweet comments & sentiment!
Wow! Congratulations, Averie! I am so very proud of you, girlfriend! To wake up this morning and visit your blog to read the phenomenal good news is just ah-mazing…because, it was just yesterday (Valentine’s Day, while making dessert for The Big Lug), that I thought, “This awesome baker, Averie, HAS to write a cookbook!” I totally relate to your drive and passion with baking and our palates are so similar. Cannot wait to dive into your cookbook in May! (I definitely will be pre-ordering.) As for your next cookbook, I bet you’re already “on it”. And, dollars to gluten free donuts, I bet the subject is CHOCOLATE (or Nutella)! If I’m wrong here (and it’s TJ’s Cookie Butter), well then chocolate can be the subject of your third cookbook. LOL! Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve had the time to write a cookbook and keep up the pace you have set for yourself with your blog. I am “to the moon and back” proud of you and grinning from ear to ear. So (so!) happy to have just met you online in time to share in your immense joy. PB Comfort is going to be a global SMASH HIT! BRAVO! xoxo
Thanks for being so happy & enthusiastic, Stacy! The pace has been insane the past year – but it’s been so rewarding that it makes it all worth it!
I have often thought you would probably come out with a cookbook at some point…and I’m thrilled you have finally come out about your cookbook!!!!! I really love the PB theme and can see that I have only scratched the surface for its culinary uses. 100 recipes using PB is impressive. I am also a picture person when it comes to food. I often look at the photos and then decide whether to check out the recipe. So…as for photos, that banana upside down cake jumped right out at me and my husband and stepdaughter love cheez-its. I am anxious to see them all! Hugs and congrats on completing an incredible project. I am looking forward to adding this to my collection!
Thanks for your (daily dose) of support, Paula! Knowing that people like you are out there reading daily, and that you actually MAKE my recipes, is what I think of when I write my blog and when I was writing the book. I truly appreciate your loyalty and support! And that cake was sooo good. And so were the Cheeze Its. It’s funny now b/c some of that food I made/ate almost a YEAR ago and it’s surreal looking back at it now!
Congrats!!! I’m so happy for you!! Enjoy the success. You deserve it!! Looks beautiful. You’re so talented!!
Congratulations!
Claire
I love you and you’re going to love the book. Plenty of stories and little memories about childhood, Grandma, the family, growing up…it’s going to truly hit home for you :)
xoxo
Wow! Congratualtions x100! I love hearing stories like this, about bloggers who have a cookbook coming out. It’s so inspiring and makes me realize that it could happen to me too! The photography looks beautiful and a book about only Peanut Butter sounds like one of the best things ever. I hope this book leads to much more for you!
Thanks, Ruta! And where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Congratulations! I am SO excited to get my hads on this book!
Wow congrats Averie! So happy for you! You deserve a cookbook because you take THE most beautiful pictures of food that I have ever seen. And, of course, it’s all delicious.
That is such extremely high praise, Taylor, and thank you!!!
Congratulations Averie!! So excited for you and for the cookbook!! Every one of your recipes I have tried has been awesome, so I know your cookbook is going to ROCK! I already can’t wait to try those little peanut butter filled cheese crackers… :)
Thanks my friend for your support and for actually making my recipes :)
Congratulations to the hardworking woman who deserves the most praise in the entire world for doing everything that you do. Sometimes I’m in awe of our email conversations at 7am my time. MY TIME. You are infused with energy, determination, and a passion I have never, ever seen before in the blogging world. I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am for you and to finally read about your cookbook. I would have never guessed it was peanut butter based…. just kidding. But honestly, I had no idea what the focus was and I am SO glad to see a peanut butter book out there now Averie!!!!!! Please forgive me in advance for obsessing over this cookbook maybe as much as you have in the past year. SO happy for my good friend Averie!! :)
PS: are you serious with that caramelized peanut butter and banana upside-down cake???????? drooling. want, need, totally making as soon as I get it in my hands!!!!
When I posted the cake pic, I thought of you. It sort of has your name written all over it! When I made that cake, your blog was like 3-6 mos old maybe…I probably made it in like April or May of last year and didn’t know your tastes as well but yeah it is so you!
And thank you for your total support and for being the most amazing friend I could for…I mean, who else shares my love of almost the exact same foods/recipes/desserts and totally gets it, on all levels. Thank you, Sally! :)
And it’s 720am your time…I should get some sleep..
xoxo
oh hiiii it’s me again. I forgot to tell you how much I freaking LOVE the cover!!!! Is that some sort of granola snack mix I see in the top middle? Amazing. I need this cookbook like… yesterday. :) PS: old fashioned peanut butter cookies photo is stunning. xoxox
Thanks for the reappearance :) That is Monster peanut butter cookie dough dip, with the M & Ms in it. One of those recipes that I made about…14 months ago and it was one of my afterthought-ish recipes but the photos worked out perfectly for this purpose. And girl, the photography. First of all, some of them are 12-14 mos old and you know how much you grow in a month or two as a photographer so some of them I look back and am like, well, I did the best I could at the time with the skills I was capable of putting forth then, but have grown since. The sad part of that old-fash PB cookie pic is that in the actual recipe, only a tiny, tiny little bit of that ‘scene’ is show, i.e they zoomed in right on top of the cookies so you miss that whole ‘broad brushstrokes scene’…which is the hardest part of the photography process. You don’t know what they are going to take and what will be cropped. And it’s the ones I didnt want cropped that were, and vice versa. Just behind the scenes tidbits for you!
Congratulations, Averie! Peanut Butter Comfort is sure to be a Mother’s Day gift bestseller =)
Love that your book will be chock full of photos to accompany your scrumptious recipes.
I cannot believe that you kept something so huge under wraps for so long, Averie, but you’re right – it’s so amazingly exciting now that it’s out. I can’t wait to see the book and know the recipes will be fantastic since they are all yours! Warmest congratulations!
Congrats! Such exciting news. I can only imagine how hard you’ve been working! Time to curl up with a cuppa and a blanket for a well deserved break…
Congratulations Averie, how very exciting! The book looks beautiful.
Congrats!!!! Sounds amazing. Pb is the best
YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!
Congrats and a million congrats and I can’t believe it is out so soon!! Consider it mine!! I can’t even begin to tell you how I am for you! You are awesome and so deserving of this success!
Wwoooooowwww! Congatulations. As a fellow lover of the peanut butter I look forward to seeing this!
Congratulations on you cookbook! I’m so excited to see it when it comes out, what could be better than a cookbook filled with peanut butter recipes? Seriously impressed that you managed to keep it a secret for so long and thrilled that you don’t have to any more. :)
Thanks, Emilia! I figured why jump the gun and get people all excited months and months in advance. But now…it’s almost here!
omg!!! congratulations. I had absolutely no idea you were working on a cookbook. And the fact that it’s a PB cookbook full of comfort food makes it even better. The pictures all look amazing!! I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands. Do you know when it will be available in Europe? I’m so happy for you :)
I would just order from Amazon like you would on other books or Amazon items and it will make it’s way to you. Not sure about European distribution but Amazon is always a sure thing :) Thanks for your support!