About Julie

Hi, and welcome to Peanut Butter and Julie! I’m so glad you’re here.

As you might have guessed, I’m Julie. I love baking and entertaining, and I also love to share recipes that are flavorful, seasonal, and most importantly, achievable. I believe that anyone (yes, anyone!) can be a successful cook or baker and create delicious, impressive dishes. They just need a good recipe, detailed instructions, and a little encouragement.

That’s where I come in!

I started Peanut Butter and Julie back in 2007, simply as a place to publish my recipes so that my mom and maybe a few friends could read them. Since then, I have posted hundreds of original recipes and published three cookbooks: 175 Best Mini Pies, 100 Best Decorated Cookies, and Beautiful Bundts. I’m constantly updating older content and creating new, exciting dishes, so make sure to check back often and look around!

I recently moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming after living in Las Vegas for most of my life. My husband, daughter, two dogs (Emma and Scout) and I are embracing all that this small mountain town has to offer….including the occasional moose in our backyard and lots of snow!


Here are 10 Quick Facts About Me as well as some more information about what you can expect to find on Peanut Butter and Julie:

  1. I love Bundts: So much so that I wrote a cookbook focused only on recipes that can be prepared in a Bundt pan, both sweet and savory. My personal Bundt pan collection boasts over 25 shapes (and counting!) You will find many of my favorite Bundt-themed recipes here, along with my tried and true tips for baking in a Bundt pan.
  2. I’ve decorated thousands of cookies: Maybe tens-of-thousands. I started decorating cookies as a hobby over 20 years ago. Since then, my skills have significantly improved, and I even wrote my second cookbook on the topic. Friends and family often ask be to create cookies for special occasions (my record is 450 Alice in Wonderland cookies for an event.) While cookie decorating might seem intimidating, I post achievable tutorials with a goal of helping you create beautiful (and scrumptious) themed decorated cookies.
  3. I have a sourdough starter named Julia: Like many people, I got into bread baking during the lockdown, as I thought it was the ideal time to up my sourdough game. I created a sourdough starter, who I named Julia (Julia Child and I share a birthday, so I thought it was only fitting.) Julia has traveled with me in the car on 10 hour road trips and moved into three different houses. Look for her featured in some of my recipes, along with my top bread-baking tips.
  4. I like to create recipes that are seasonal and from scratch: With the exception of an ingredient like a store-bought phyllo dough, almost all recipes here are made from scratch. Now, don’t confuse “from scratch” with “complicated”! I simply believe that using whole ingredients in recipes yields better results from a flavor perspective. You’ll also find that my recipes tend to be inspired by seasonal ingredients, like this summery Rustic Blueberry Galette or my fall-inspired Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup.
  5. I’ve won dozens of cooking contests!: A few years after I started Peanut Butter and Julie, I took up the hobby of competitive cooking.  To date, I’ve won over 25 local and national cooking and baking contests, even one called “Ultimate Recipe Showdown,” which appeared on the Food Network, hosted by Guy Fieri.  Occasionally, I’ll share one of my award-winning recipes for my readers, such as my Best Juicy Burger Recipe, which won me a cool $25,000!
  6. In addition to baking, I love to entertain: For me, a perfect evening with friends means hosting a big dinner party with lots of food.  Our annual Thanksgiving feast has been nicknamed “Julie’s Superbowl” by my husband.  And I have so much fun creating themed cakes and treats every year for my daughter’s birthday party.  I believe that entertaining should be fun and not overly fancy or complicated to be successful.  I share many of my favorite party go-to recipes here, such as my Favorite Spinach Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing (called “the Julie salad” by most of my good friends!)
  7. I’m a self-taught cook and baker:  I’ve never taken a cooking or baking class (unless you count that one touristy croissant class I took with my mom in Paris!)  I went to graduate school and got my MBA from Duke University, thinking I would have a career in finance or marketing. Little did I know that I would unlock a passion for all things culinary in between classes, when I started baking as a stress relief.  After a short post-graduate career in the corporate world, I focused solely on food, writing my cookbooks, creating and selling a national line of granola called Julie Anne’s, and doing custom cakes and decorated cookie orders.
  8. I collect cookbooks:  Big surprise, huh? In addition to the three that I’ve written, I own over 300 cookbooks (and counting…)  While I obviously don’t refer to all of them on a regular basis, they are all categorically organized on a bookshelf where I can see them.  My favorite cookbooks are those written by either Sara Foster or Ina Garten, and I consider both to be huge inspirations for my recipes.
  9. We are in the middle of a huge home renovation:  We recently moved into a 35-year-old log cabin style house, in need of some serious updating.  Our renovation recently started, including a completely new kitchen and pantry.  I’m excited about this not only because my kitchen is essentially my office, but I’m happiest at home surrounded by my family, dogs….and baking equipment. Look for occasional updates on the renovation via my social media along with my favorite kitchen and pantry finds.
  10. Speaking of social media… I’d love to connect with you on Instagram or Pinterest, the two platforms that I use the most. I mainly post my newest recipes along with Reels showing the process from start to finish. Send me a message to say “hi”, ask a question or request a recipe. I’m @pbandjulie on both Pinterest and Instagram.

My goal for Peanut Butter and Julie is to share recipes that you can’t wait to make and enjoy with family and friends. I aim to provide clear instructions, helpful photos and videos and all of the information that you need to confidently create in your kitchen. And of course, if you have any questions along the way, please reach out to me and ask. I’m here to help!

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