2018 was a year full of epic #girlboss cookbooks making their debut. In Delish’s article, “The 21 Absolute Best Cookbooks Of 2018” alone, 17 out of 21 cookbooks are authored or co-authored by women. Female chefs covered timely topics like eliminating food waste in Melissa Hemsley's Eat Happy and reinventing leftovers in Julia Turshen's Now & Again. Many also wrote about global cuisine.
Buying these five cookbooks written by fierce women in 2018 should be at the top of your list of new years resolutions. But don’t say I didn’t warn you: once you start working your way through them, it’s hard to stop.
1. Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow
The sequel to Elyse Kopecky and Shalane Flanagan’s first cookbook, Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow emphasizes how delicious nourishing food can be. It also provides readers with recipes that are quick to prepare or can be made ahead of time, driving your Sunday night meal prep. Dishes like cauliflower tabbouleh and miso butter salmon are appealing to all, proving that Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow is not just a cookbook for athletes.
Chef and nutrition coach Elyse Kopecky and 4-time Olympian, silver medalist, and 2017 New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan are role models for young women and female athletes especially. Kopecky has been open about her struggles with amenorrhea and she acts as an advocate for focusing on what one eats, not how much. Flanagan also rejects restrictive diets. She advises professional athletes, as well as those who like to take an exercise class here and there, that enjoying real, wholesome food is more effective for promoting health than limiting their intake. Both women encourage girls of all ages to believe in themselves and to empower one another.
Recipe Highlight: Chocolate Coconut Cashew Energy Bars
These bars are filled with nutrient-rich ingredients like coconut oil and dates, yet they taste like brownies. They're perfect to thrown into your bag for a post-SoulCycle snack.
2. Magnolia Table
Just months after the Gaines family opened their first restaurant, Magnolia Table, in Waco, Joanna Gaines released her first cookbook of the same name. She expressed her love for cooking on her show, Fixer Upper, which comes through in her book. Each recipe has a story behind it, is borrowed from a cherished family member or friend, or is a staple in the Gaines house. Recipes include Southern classics like fried chicken and sweet treats like lemon bundt cake, as well as simple salads and sauces.
From starting her own home improvement company to writing several books, Joanna Gaines is quite the businesswoman. On top of each of her endeavors--a bakery, a marketplace and a home decor line at Target, to name a few--Gaines is a mother to five children. She strives to bring people together through her work, which is one of many reasons why America has fallen in love with her.
Recipe Highlight: Autumn Butternut Squash Soup
Not only will this soup warm you up on a cold winter day, but its also so easy that you can make it in your dorm's kitchen or a tiny apartment kitchen. Making a double or triple batch to enjoy for days and days to come is highly recommended.
3. Sister Pie
Whether you aren't familiar with Lisa Ludoski's epic bakery in Detroit, Michigan, or you salivate every time a picture is posted to Sister Pie's instagram page, you NEED this cookbook. It features Sister Pie's signature crust recipe and dozens of unique recipes for seasonal pies like the cardamom tahini squash pie and hand pies, too. For those of us who are not completely confident in our pie-baking abilities, the cookbook also provides recipes for cookies, breakfast goodies, and salads, which are equally delectable. Not to mention the photography alone is gorgeous.
Lisa Ludwinski is the definition of a self-starter. She began selling pies out of her parent's home kitchen in 2012 and from there, enrolled herself in business classes, picked up wholesale accounts at various markets, won grants and fundraised her way to opening Sister Pie in 2015. She puts her employees and the planet first, and even created a "sister pie-it-forward" program where customers can pre-pay for a slice of pie for someone else to enjoy later. Sister Pie is a vibrant part of the Detroit community, and getting your hands on Ludwinski's cookbook gives you the chance to be a part of it.
Recipe Highlight: Double-And-By-Double-I-Mean-Triple-Chocolate Cookies
After baking these cookies for the first time, I realized I had been missing the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I will be forever grateful to Lisa Ludwinski for opening my eyes (and my stomach). They're super easy to throw together and a warm plate of them pair perfectly with your pajamas and a Chef's Table marathon.
4. Heritage Baking
Written by Evanston, IL's, Ellen King, owner of Hewn Bread, this cookbook is centered around bakes made with artisanal flour. King writes in the introduction to her book that she is committed to the practice of heritage baking at Hewn. This means she only uses sustainably grown, freshly stone-milled wheat and a natural, sourdough-style starter rather than commercial instant yeast. Through Heritage Baking's recipes, at-home cooks are invited to create King's seeded whole wheat bread or cinnamon roll brioche. They are also encouraged to use ingredients that support local farmers and revitalize ancient techniques.
King opened Hewn with Julie Matthei, who was a customer of the bakery before becoming King's business partner. The two met when King formed her Underground Bread Club. King delivered loaves of bread to families in Evanston while raising her young son, and Matthei, as well as many moms from her son's preschool, purchased her bakes. Fast forward to 2013 and King and Matthei had Hewn up and running. Since then, Hewn has become a household name in Evanston and has received attention from major publications like the Chicago Tribune. King's once small-scale hobby grew to become her full-time profession. Her journey to opening Hewn is proof that determination and passion make dreams come true.
Recipe Highlight: Carrot Ginger Bread
If you're like me and don't always have endless hours--or endless patience--to let dough rise, sink your teach into Heritage Baking's third, fourth and fifth chapters. They're filled with recipes for cookies, muffins, scones and enriched breads galore, including this intensely flavorful Carrot Ginger Bread. I love to slice myself a piece and warm it up in the microwave for breakfast
5. All About Cake
A list of #girlboss cookbooks written in 2018 would not be complete without Christina Tosi's latest publication, All About Cake. After all, her brain-child, Momofuku Milk Bar, is notorious for its sky-high, sprinkle-heavy, scrumptious cakes. With this book, fans can create Tosi's best-sellers at home as well as new, easy-to-bake recipes. Beyond the classic cakes Milk Bar fanatics know and love, Tosi blesses us with recipes like Raspberry Bundt Cake and Inside-Out Chocolate-Yellow Sheet Cake. Sweets like these are the perfect treats to tackle before embarking on a full "Birthday Cake" with elements like cereal milk and cake crumbs.
After watching Christina Tosi's Chef's Table episode, it's clear why she is one of the most admired #girlboss chefs of this generation. Beyond the multi-million dollar bakery and brand she created by age 37, she uses her platform to raise awareness about causes close to her heart. Tosi is on the Board of Directors for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and spoke out about #MeToo and restaurant sexism. From her signature red Converse to her head scarves, Tosi is undeniably herself and encourages all women to be, too.
Recipe Highlight: Mint Chocolate Chip Molten Microwave Mug Cake
During a late night studying for finals or while watching movies with friends, I love adding a homemade treat to the mix. Tosi's mug cake takes no time to bake, and since the only tools needed are a mug, mixing spoon, measuring cups and a microwave, you can even make it in your dorm.
Already dying to get your hands on a copy of each of these #girlboss cookbooks written in 2018? Check out your local bookstore or an online retailer like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. If you're in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by one of these seven best culinary bookstores in America. They're sure to sell these masterpieces.