Cookbook Review ~ Gluten Free Baking for the Holidays (J. Sauvage)

Christmas is a mere 2 months away. For those of you who are celebrating your first gluten-free holiday season, this can seem like you are coming upon a dark & dreary time. A time of sitting in the corner munching on rice crackers and carrot sticks while everyone around you is enjoying cookies, cakes, and candies. I am here to tell you that is not the case.

With recipe developers like Jeanne Sauvage, author of the blog “Art of Gluten Free Baking“,  working at recreating gluten-free versions of your favorite wheat-based holiday recipes, there is no need feel left out this holiday season. Jeanne’s new cookbook, “Gluten Free Baking for The Holidays: 60 Recipes for Traditional Festive Treats“, has recipes to help you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwaanza, Christmas, and plenty others.

Recipes like:

Gluten-Free Rugelach from Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays by Jeanne Sauvage

Gluten free Applesauce Spice Muffins from Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays by Jeanne Sauvage

Gluten Free Pfeffernuesse from Gluten Free Baking for the Holidays by Jeanne Sauvage

Gluten free Cheese Straws from Gluten Free Baking for the Holidays by Jeanne Sauvage

Pros:

I had the pleasure of testing recipes for Jeanne last year for this book, and I had great success with the four recipes that I tried. All of the recipes that I tried were full of flavour, easy to follow, and very similar in texture to their wheat-based counterparts. Side-by-side, you would probably never know the difference. It is a beautiful hardcover book with many inspiring colour pictures.

Cons:

The one and only potential downfall I see with this book is that it uses “Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour”. When I began my gluten-free baking journey, I used quite a few ‘all purpose blends’. However, I found that every author has their own blend, and when I wanted to bake something from a different author, I felt I needed to mix up another blend. I have begun changing all my recipes to individual flours and starches so that I would not have to have a drawer full of blends. That being said, when I tested Jeanne’s recipes, I did use the all-purpose blend she recommends, and it did work wonderfully.

Would I recommend you purchase it:

Yes, I would! I think this beautiful book will help many people to begin to enjoy the holidays again instead of dread them. Families can continue their baking traditions, and maybe even begin to create new family memories around the recipes in this book. And right now, the book is selling for under $14 on Amazon, which really is a great deal!

Disclaimers:

1. I received a complimentary review copy of “Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays”, however, the opinions expressed are my own.
2. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.