cookbook cover

Friends, today is a really really big day: It is the day my first cookbook is released into the wild!! Comfort Baking: Feel-Good Food to Savor and Share is currently available almost everywhere books are sold (see links below!). I couldn’t be happier or more excited for you to have this book in your home, now and forever.

streusel berry pie on a surface

How We Got Here

A little backstory: Eeeeep! You guys, I cannot believe I get to write this, but I wrote a cookbook. It has been more than a year in the making and let me tell you, it has been a JOURNEY. But I wouldn’t trade a moment for anything. I am so proud of the hard work and dedication put into each and every recipe of this book, and I am so excited and honored to have you bake and share the goodies that are inside. This book has been a true labor of love, and dear reader, it is my gift to you.

To be honest, writing a cookbook hasn’t always been a realistic dream of mine. Since starting this blog in 2009, it’s something that I’ve thought about doing, but largely left it in the background of my mind. It’s not that I wasn’t interested; it’s that the right opportunity hadn’t yet presented itself, or the timing in my life wasn’t right, or I just didn’t think it was worth the immense effort at the time.

Fast-forward to last spring, when my friend and editor Laura from Herald Press reached out to me about writing a cookbook. Suddenly, it felt like the stars aligned: the timing was right (I was recently laid off from my full-time job and my kids were older/in school), the topic was perfect (we agreed that “comfort baking” would make for a great book topic, especially given the state of the world), and the team I’d work with was a great match (I know Laura through a mutual bestie, and Herald Press is an exceptional publisher with values that align with my own). I said yes, signed a contract, and dove deep into cookbook writing land for the very first time.

Months and months later of recipe testing, photographing every single recipe (and having my hero of a husband, Elliott, who edited every. single. photo. on top of his own full-time job), and writing, writing, writing, I sent off a manuscript in February, filled with more than 100 recipes, along with tips, tricks and personal stories on faith and food. Now, the book is REAL. And in your hands and homes. I could cry just thinking about it.

cookie butter brownies on a surface

All About Comfort Baking: Feel-Good Food to Savor and Share

Now that you know a little bit of the backstory, here is an excerpt on what you can find inside the pages of my very first cookbook:

Embrace the joy of baking—for yourself and others.

Baking has become more than a hobby or a means to a delicious end. Now more than ever, it has also become a source of solace, relief, and relaxation. Comfort Baking focuses on easy-to-follow recipes that make people feel good from the inside out. For anyone who is looking for a moment in the kitchen as a time to create, worship, relax, or prepare a recipe for a friend in need, this is your guidebook.

In addition to over 100 recipes that exude comfort from beginning to end, baker Stephanie Wise of Girl vs. Dough includes plenty of helpful tips along the way to make the process as simple and enjoyable as possible. Whether you’re preparing a quiche or whipping up a late-night batch of cookies, the recipes in this book are guaranteed to bring you and the people you share your creations with comfort.

Baked-from-scratch recipes include:

  • Peaches & Cream Streusel Muffins
  • Lox Bagel Breakfast Casserole
  • Strawberry-Pretzel Cheesecake Bars
  • Upside-Down Apricot Cake
  • Pretzel-Crusted Chocolate-Peanut Butter Caramel Tart
  • No-Knead Tomato Focaccia
  • Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie
  • Ultimate Baked Mac & Cheese
tomato focaccia in a baking pan

The book includes all-new, original recipes for every meal of the day, including quick breads, yeast breads, make-ahead meals, freezer-friendly dinners, my best desserts yet (!) and more. Like the blog, every single recipe includes tips and tricks for shortcuts, substitutions, make-ahead options, etc. The thread that carries throughout the book is “comfort baking”: that is to say, to bake something from scratch as a source of comfort, both in the act of baking and the enjoyment of the end result. It can extend beyond oneself as a form of hospitality, in plopping a plate of brownies on a friend’s doorstep or bringing a hearty meal to a neighbor in need. And it is for everyone, from the novice baker to the trained pastry chef.

malted chocolate cake on a cake stand

How to Get Your Copy of Comfort Baking

You can officially get your copy of Comfort Baking right NOW, at any of the links below. There also will be books in stores, though I don’t know for sure yet which ones. As I find out, I will let you know, so be sure to follow me on Instagram or Facebook for up-to-the-minute updates. And if you happen to see it in a store near you, let me know!

P.S. If and when you purchase a copy, it would mean the world to me if you took a few minutes to leave a review!

Friends, I’ll say it so often that I’ll be blue in the face, but I mean it: Thank you. Because of this blog, because of what YOU have made this blog, this cookbook happened. I would not be here without your constant support, encouragement, reviews, ratings, messages, etc. Any time you’ve reached out or shared a recipe from this little website of mine, you’ve renewed hope within me that there is value to this work, and that my mission — which is always to share fun and unfussy recipes that bring loved ones together around the table — is worthwhile and necessary. Comfort Baking is a love letter to each and every one of you, and I hope you enjoy the contents of this book as much as I enjoyed creating them. I am truly very lucky.

veggie gnocchi in a baking dish