cover image Bakerita: 100+ No-Fuss Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free Recipes for The Modern Baker

Bakerita: 100+ No-Fuss Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free Recipes for The Modern Baker

Rachel Conners. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-358-11667-7

“I wrote this book because I want you to know that eating dessert is a delicious—and healthy—part of life,” writes Bakerita blogger Conners in her accessible debut cookbook, a collection of dozens of gluten- and dairy-free desserts. Conners instructs how to make popular dessert staples—such as strawberry shortcake, chocolate chip cookies, and apple crumble pie—vegan and gluten-free by replacing traditional ingredients such as all-purpose flour, milk, and white sugar with alternatives including coconut flour, cashew milk, and pure maple syrup. Some of the more inventive recipes include raspberry-lavender scones, peanut butter and fig blondies, and butternut squash pie with oat crust. Beyond desserts are some breakfast options, including blueberry cornmeal muffins and coconut-peanut butter granola bars, as well as DIY nut butters such as strawberry cashew butter and white-chocolate-pretzel peanut butter. Conners shares indispensable tips throughout, such as how to make an easy vegan egg substitute (“Mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 2½ tablespoons of water”) or how to prepare cookie doughs for make-ahead purposes (“They will keep in the freezer for about 6 months”). Whether readers have food sensitivities or simply want to make healthier decisions, they will find plenty of satisfying options here. (Mar.)