About

Hi, I'm Alanna! Recovering pastry chef-turned gluten-free content creator and award-winning cookbook author.

The Bojon Gourmet is where I’ve shared hundreds of well-tested recipes since 2009. Here you’ll find versions your favorite desserts and sweet treats made (undetectably) gluten-free with whole-food ingredients. You can peruse recipes from the archives, search for specific ingredients and dietary preferences, and join my community of bakers by subscribing to my free newsletter.

With lots of food sensitivities myself and in my family, I know what a drag it can be to find good recipes that fit your dietary requirements. I’ve learned from my (many) gluten-free baking mistakes, testing recipes a dozen or more times so you don’t have to.

I also include allergy-friendly options for dairy-free, eggless, paleo, vegan, and refined sugar-free. Because everyone deserves good food that makes them feel good, too.

A classically trained pastry chef with over 20 years of experience in the food industry, I enjoy crafting patisserie-worthy recipes that are simple enough to make at home with a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. With my foolproof tutorials, you’ll feel like a pro flipping crepes, decorating sponge cake, and baking up madeleines in your own kitchen.

My recipes skip the bland store-bought flour blends with their gums and starches in favor of flavorful individual gluten-free flours such as oat flour, almond flour, coconut flour, and sweet rice flour.

My cookbook Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours, won the IACP Award for Best Cookbook: Health and Special Diet. Get a taste of Alternative Baker in my beginner's guide to gluten-free flours.

My work has also been featured around the web and in print, including Food52, Food & Wine, GFF: Gluten-Free Forever Magazine, and The New York Times.

12 Most-Made Sweet Recipes on TBG

1. Lemon Almond Olive Oil Cake – super-moist and infused with the flavors of tangy lemon and fruity olive oil
2. Mascarpone Whipped Cream – more stable and flavorful than chantilly and tastes like whipped cheesecake
3. Paleo Apple Crisp with Almond Flour – tender baked apples & cronchy topping
4. Creamy Stovetop Pumpkin Pudding – pumpkin pie vibes in pudding form
5. Less-Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting – a balanced, tangy frosting that's ideal for gluten-free carrot cake
6. Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies (with Chocolate or Raisins) – chewy, hearty cookies made with blanched almond flour
7. Gluten-Free Tart Crust with Almond Flour – an easy press-in crust that tastes like shortbread cookies
8. Peanut Butter Frosting with Natural Peanut Butter – balanced peanut buttery goodness ideal for topping teff flour chocolate cake
9. Gluten-Free Biscuits with Almond Flour – buttery feather-light biscuits perfect for topping with honey butter
10. Tender Gluten-Free Scones – foolproof scones made with a blend of gluten-free flours: almond, oat, and sweet rice.
11. Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake – ridiculously moist and tender
12. Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oat Flour – thick, chewy, and infused with vanilla brown butter

12 Most Popular Savory Recipes

1. Sourdough Discard Focaccia – a rare gluteny recipe made with discarded sourdough starter and yeast
2. 10-Minute Homemade Basil Butter – the easiest way to preserve basil
3. Green Goddess Potato Salad – herbaceous dressing + steamed potatoes + crunchy veggies
4. Creamy Grits with Mushrooms – like shrimp and grits, only vegetarian and so delicious
5. Gluten-Free Spinach & Cheese Quiche – creamy and dreamy with a flaky gluten-free crust
6. Roasted Butternut Squash Quiche – studded with goat cheese and fall herbs
7. Crustless Skillet Quiche with Asparagus – my go-to low-lift brunch dish
8. Oven Roasted Potatoes and Parsnips – make your breakfast or brunch pop with these
9. The *Original* Green Goddess Sandwiches – like a green goddess salad in sandwich form
10. Creamy Curried Carrot Soup with Coconut Milk – creamy, cozy, carroty goodness
11. Paleo Crackers with Cassava Flours & Seeds – crispy, crunchy, foolproof crackers perfect for dips
12. Spiced Gluten-Free Zucchini Fritters – made with chickpea flour for a falafel vibe

My Favorite Recipes of All Time

My most-craved recipes that I make over and over!

1. Gluten-Free Buttermilk Cornbread – just sweet enough and ridiculously moist
2. Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread – tall, lofty, and perfectly spiced
3. Magical Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies – thick, chewy, vegan and Paleo-friendly
4. Zucchini Cilantro Soup – adapted from Deborah Madison and just perfect
5. Ginger Molasses Cookies – moist, chewy, and loaded with spice
6. Gluten-Free Brownies – my go-to recipe made with sweet rice flour for extra chew
7. Gluten-Free Sponge Cake – this was my wedding cake, layered with strawberries and whipped mascarpone
8. Maple Bourbon Pecan Ice Cream – creamy, dreamy, and nostalgic
9. Gluten-Free Banana Tart – with a cocoa buckwheat crust and butterscotch filling
10. Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies – with raisins and cinnamon, or loaded with chocolate chunks
11. Homemade Granola – with big clusters, orange zest, and cinnamon
12. Lacy Almond Flour Crepes – these always bring me back to my time in France

TBG Community

I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and/or Pinterest, and I’d be so honored if you shared my recipes with a gluten-free acquaintance too. If you make one of my recipes, please leave a rating, comment, or question on the post. I read and respond to every comment personally. Your support allows me to keep creating free recipes for all to enjoy!

What is Bojon?

I started this site in 2009 during a stint of funemployment and borrowed the term "bojon" (no job, backwards) from a friend. One facet of the tao of Bojon involves immersing oneself in the present moment, and I never feel more zen than when I'm creating, photographing, writing about, and (mostly!) eating something delectable. Read more about the Tao of Bojon here.

On the rare occasions when I'm not baking, I can be found hiking “extreme picnicking” with my husband in the California Bay Area, reading romcom novels in the bath, and attempting to snuggle my cats.  

Bojon appétit, my sweets!

Let's Collaborate!

I'm available for content creation and sponsored posts for delectable foods that I love and use in my own kitchen. My images can be purchased for commercial or private use here. For more on how we can collaborate, see this page or get in touch via email: alanna[at]bojongourmet.com.