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.
When I ask Stockwell what she loves about butter, the question feels utterly ridiculous. Butter makes everything better. What’s not to love?
“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.
Below, Stockwell shares a recipe from the book for cultured butter oat shortbread. Happy buttering!
Cultured Butter Oat Shortbread
Ingredients:
- 1 cup [130 g] rolled oats
- 10 Tbsp [145 g] cultured, unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- ⅓ cup [65 g] granulated sugar, plus more for topping
- ¾ cup [90 g] all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Makes one 8-inch (20 cm) shortbread.
The “short” of shortbread cookies refers not to height but to texture, as in tender and crumbly. This melt-in-your-mouth experience is thanks to the high butterfat content in the dough, which coats the flour and inhibits gluten formation by keeping the gluten strands short instead of long.
With so few ingredients, the flavor of butter really shines through in shortbread. Now is the moment to bake with the expensive butter—the slight tang and pleasant funk of cultured butter adds complexity to shortbread. Also adding intrigue here are ground oats, in a nod to an ingredient commonly used in Scottish-style shortbread. I grind my own oats instead of using oat flour because it gives the shortbread a more toothsome and nubbly texture that I prefer. If you don’t have a food processor or blender, use an equal weight of store-bought oat flour.
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F [165°C] and butter an 8 in [20 cm] fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (a springform pan will also work here, though it’s not as cute).
- In a food processor or a blender, pulse the oats until they’re the consistency of a grainy flour, then set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the ground oats, flour, and salt, and beat on low just until the dough comes together. Tip the dough out into the prepared tart pan and press into an even layer with your hands. Poke the dough randomly across the surface with a fork, sprinkle the top with a bit of sugar, then let it chill in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating once halfway through, until the edges are golden brown. It will still be a bit soft in the center, but don’t worry. It will set and crisp as it cools.
- Let the shortbread cool for 15 to 20 minutes in the pan before removing the ring. Slice it into 8 (or 16) wedges while the shortbread is still warm, which prevents it from cracking and shattering. Let the shortbread cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
To make the shortbread gluten-free: Substitute the all-purpose flour with an equal amount (¾ cup [90g]) of an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend containing xanthan gum.
From The Butter Book by Anna Stockwell, © 2026. Published by Chronicle Books. Photography © 2026 by Kate Jordan.
