PURCHASE MY GLUTEN-FREE COOKBOOK HERE: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indie Bound | Books-a-Million | Powell’s | GFF (signed copy!)
IACP Cookbook Award Winner, and featured in GOOP’s Gift Guide!
14 flours. 140 recipes. 0 glutens. ALL DESSERT.
Watch the trailer:
Alternative Baker isn’t just another gluten-free cookbook.
While most gluten-free recipes try to replicate all-purpose flour with refined starches and sketchy gums, Alternative Baker celebrates the unique tastes and textures of 14 gluten-free flours, from buckwheat flour to almond flour to sorghum and coconut.
Have you indulged in a golden corn flour biscuit that tastes like sunshine, or experienced the earthy sweetness of chestnut flour? Did you know teff flour smells of malted chocolate milk, and mesquite flour of freshly-baked gingerbread? Set aside your bland all-purpose flour to celebrate the compelling flavors of a wide array of nut- and grain-based alternative flours that are packed with flavor and are good for you, too; from peak-of-season fruit pies nestled in an irresistibly crunchy crust, to cookies that positively melt in your mouth.
Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours – 100+ recipes featuring corn, oat, chestnut, almond, buckwheat, sorghum, and other gluten-free flours will fill your kitchen with sweet treats that burst with flavor every month of the year.
Get it here:
- Amazon U.S., UK, Canada , and Australia
- Barnes and Noble
- Indie Bound
- Books-a-Million
- Powell’s
- GFF: Gluten-Free Forever Magazine (signed copy!)
- anywhere books are sold
What you’ll find in Alternative Baker:
- Recipes for every baking level, from “flour child” to “grainiac”
- 92 beautifully photographed base recipes, many with seasonal variations, for a total of 140 recipes
- 95% brand-new recipes, with a few favorites adapted and reshot from The Bojon Gourmet
- All-natural, from-scratch gluten-free recipes for a wide variety of diets, including vegan, nut-free, and dairy-free; no gums ever
- US (cups, teaspoons) and Metric (grams, milliliters) measurements
- Everything you want to know about gluten-free whole-grain and nut-based flours including shopping and storage tips, nutritional information, and flavor profiles
- Tips and tricks on how to bake like a boss
Chapters include:
- Breakfast Desserts
- Cakes
- Tarts
- Pie
- Rustic Fruit Desserts
- Cookies and Bars
- Custards, Puddings and Spoon Desserts
Foodies are loving Alternative Baker:
“Alanna has rescued gluten-free baking from the pasty, gritty clutches of white rice flour! Her recipes have a pastry chef ’s sensibility, but they overflow with the generosity and warmth of home baking. This book will make you run to the pantry to see what you can bake first, whether you happen to be gluten free or not.”
―Megan Scott and John Becker, bestselling authors of Joy of Cooking and JoyOfCooking.com
“Alanna is such a gifted baker, recipe writer and food photographer. For gluten-free eaters who love to bake, this cookbook is a must.”
―Dana Shultz, author of Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking and MinimalistBaker.com
“I want to eat everything in Alanna Taylor-Tobin’s beautiful book, Alternative Baker. And the best news? With these gorgeous gluten-free recipes created by a former pastry chef, I can! I’ll be baking these treats with delight.”
―Shauna James Ahern, author of Gluten-Free Girl Every Day and GlutenFreeGirl.com
“Like alternative baking pioneers Kim Boyce and Alice Medrich, Alanna Taylor-Tobin shows that treats baked with off-the-beaten-path flours aren’t just a boon for the gluten free, but taste richer, more distinctive and often just plain better, too.”
―Kristen Miglore, author of Food52 Genius Recipes and Creative Director of Food52.com
Press:
- No-Bake Cookie Bars with Chocolate, Cherries and Chia Seeds| FoodieCrush
- Can Gluten-Free Mean More, Not Less? | Edible East Bay
- Cookbook Review: Discover Alternative Flours and Grains | Tampa Bay Times
- 19 Cookbooks We Can’t Wait to Cook From This Fall | Mind Body Green
- Buckwheat Orange Double Chocolate Cookies | fix feast flair
- These Cherry + Chocolate Oat Bars Are The Perfect Dessert/Breakfast Hybrid | mindbodygreen
- Triple Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Honey-Vanilla Summer Fruit | The Pig and Quill
- Ginger Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Honey Roasted Figs & Hazelnuts + Alternative Baker Cookbook | Snixy Kitchen
- Coconut Vanilla Chiffon Cake – Alternative Baker
- Triple Coconut “Tres Leches” Cake with Mango & Lime | Vegetarian ‘Ventures
- Teff Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies | Salted Plains
- Strawberry Raspberry Rhubarb Cutout Pie | Good on Paper
- No-Bake Oat Bars with Sour Cherries, Hemp & Chocolate | The First Mess
- Tart Cherry, Chocolate & Hempseed No-Bake Oat Bars | Kale and Caramel
- Lemon Ricotta Shortcakes with Peaches and Mascarpone Cream | HonestlyYum
- Salted Grapefruit Double Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies | The Briny
- Buckwheat Double Chocolate Cookies | Cookie + Kate
- Buckwheat Double Chocolate Cookies | Apt. 2B Baking
- Gluten-Free Buckwheat Chocolate Cookies | Healthy Seasonal Recipes
- Sorghum Pear Oven Pancake | Naturally Ella
- Pistachio, Lime & Matcha Snowballs | Emma K. Morris
- Cherry Chestnut Chocolate Chip Cookies | Tending the Table
- Chestnut Brownies | Chocolate + Marrow
- Pumpkin Cranberry Nut + Seed Loaf | Dishing Up the Dirt
- Vanilla Bourbon Cake | The Vanilla Bean Blog
- Strawberry Swirl Biscuits | The Pancake Princess
- Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Loaf | Foolproof Living
- Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Tart | Floating Kitchen
- Teff Oatmeal Cookies with Whiskey Currants | Vanilla and Bean
- Baked Grits with Sweet Corn and Fall Fruit | Brooklyn Supper
- Apple + Marionberry Marzipan Crumble | Hungry Girl Por Vida
- Alanna’s Scrumptious Chestnut Brownies | The Clever Carrot
- Heartbeet Kitchen | Life-Changing GF Biscuits
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Matcha Frosting | Foodness Gracious
- Maple Orange Amaranth Granola | Hummingbird High
- Matcha Lime Snowballs | Dessert for Two
- Fig and Olive Oil Cake {vegan} | Harmony Kitchen
See all posts about Alternative Baker on Pinterest.
Make a recipe from the book? I want to see! Take a photo and tag it #AlternativeBakerBook on Instagram.
Have a question about the book? Shoot me an email: agoodie@gmail.com!
Happy alternative baking, from my kitchen to yours!
Me and all my friends that have my creation love your recipe “maple bourbon pecan pie”. I add 6 oz Scharffen Berger 62% Cacao Semi-Sweet Baking Chunks and bake only to an internal temp of low 150s degrees F so it remains somewhat liquidy.
I’m looking to try the “nibby chocolate chip oatmeal cookies”, and wondered about the baking sheets. Should I purchase something like these?
https://www.nordicware.com/catalog/product/view/id/2242/s/baker-s-half-sheet/category/48/
https://smile.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B0049C2S32/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1545840461&sr=1-1&keywords=baking+sheet&refinements=p_89%3ANordic+Ware#customerReviews
I’m thinking about adding more nuts (a toasted mix of almonds, pecans and walnuts) and doubling the dark chocolate and nibs. What do you think?
Again, I love your recipes!
Kris
So glad you’re liking my recipes! For cookies, it’s nice to have rimless cookie sheets, but those half sheet pans will work too – they’re very versatile! Feel free to play around with the cookie recipe and let me know what you try. :)
I would love to recreate them all! I’m really excited to make the desserts. It’s so kind of you to post this.
I love to buy cookbooks because I love cooking for my family so much. My niece loves to bake so I will share this to her too.
Alanna, thank you so much for this cookbook. I’ve probably bought twenty gluten free baking books, and yours is the first that helps me produce baked goods I’m proud to serve. I finally feel like I’ve regained my baking life. You are the best!
Aw I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book! Thanks very much for the sweet words. If you felt like popping that review onto Amazon it would be so helpful to other bakers looking for a GF cookbook. Either way, thanks very much for taking the time to write!
Your pie crust is the first gluten-free recipe that doesn’t feel and taste like I make a cookie instead of a pie crust! It is utterly delicious and easier to make than actual pie dough!
I did substitute butter with vegan butter because of dietary needs (used Miyoko’s vegan butter) and vinegar instead of buttermilk. It turned out spectacular!
I love Miyoko’s butter! So glad it worked well here and that you loved the crust. Thanks a bunch for the note!
Made the blackberry crisp frozen yogurt today but used Jeni Britton Bauer’s vanilla ice cream recipe instead. I purchased blackberries yesterday at farmers market that were almost the size of my thumb so I put them to good use in this recipe ;-) It was so good my husband says it needs to be in the regular recipe rotation! We enjoyed the lemon in the recipe – it added a brightness to it. Maybe peaches would work well too? Am thoroughly enjoying your cookbook!
That sounds delicious! Love the idea of peach crisp fro yo / ice cream. DO IT!
I’m excited to try your dessert recipes. I thought I saw somewhere on your site that we could grind rolled oats to make oat flour. Would this change the final product since rolled oats are steamed prior to rolling while oat groats for oat flour are kiln toasted but not steamed? My co-op sometimes doesn’t carry oat flour in the bulk section and I’d like to reduce my plastic (I re-use containers for bulk purchases) and not buy a package of oat flour and was hoping to grind rolled oats for oat flour. Thanks!
Kudos to you for trying to reduce plastic waste! That is so admirable. Grinding your own flour might change the recipes a bit for the reason you noted, or due to differences in the fineness of the grind compared with the flour I used to develop the recipe. But I think it should work well enough for most recipes. Cookies would be the hardest since they’re so sensitive to slight changes. Please let me know if you experiment!
Hello from the Caribbean just brought your ALTERNATIVVE BAKER what a book can’t wait to bake thank you
I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know which recipes you try. :)
So loving your recipes! Two more tries – the blackberry crisp ice cream I made again but substituted peaches, and it’s really good too. Tonight I made the brown butter apricot buckle but did the buckwheat version and used peaches and Dunkelberg plums instead and sprinkled coconut sugar on the top. Wowza! Not too sweet and will be perfect for tomorrow’s breakfast. We made a decent dent in it tonight already :-) I don’t think you could write a bad recipe. This cookbook is So. Much. Fun!!
Ahhh those variations sound DIVINE! How I wish I had a slice of that buckle waiting for me in the morning. I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the recipes! Thanks so much for the sweet note – completely made my day. <333
This cookbook is one of my favorites on the shelf. And to those who are uncertain, here is a peek at how I used chestnut flour to bake some incredible, loaded chocolate chip cookies (https://kelseyv.com/2019/11/15/chestnut-flour-who-knew/). I have the most fun with these recipes and simply cannot get enough. Thank you, Alanna!
Awww thank you so much for the sweet comment and blog post! Those cookies look PERFECT. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book – nothing makes me happier than hearing that. Please let me know what else you try!
Great book nothing to say thank you 😊
Aw thanks! So glad you’re enjoying it. :)
Hi Alanna! Thank you for giving us alternatives to white rice flour. I’m a bit stumped with the flaky Pie Dough recipe. I made the dough for both a pumpkin and pecan pie. I did everything, fraisage, both turns…but wasn’t sure if I should parbake or not. So, I took a chance and did parbake, then added the fillings and baked until the fillings were done. The crust tasted fantastic…just like you said…like wheat. But, it was so hard I couldn’t cut it with a knife. My question is: when do you parbake and when do you not? I baked for 40 years until I was given my celiac diagnosis. It’s been a challenge to bake GF but I’m not giving up! Thank you for putting me on a path with flavor! My map is your Alternative Baker Cookbook.
Hi Anne! Aw thank you for the sweet words! I’m so sorry this recipe is giving you trouble. I do parbake the crusts for those two recipes. While I would say that the crusts end up firmer than wheat pie crust, they should definitely be sliceable with a sharp knife. It sounds like you did all the right things so I’m as mystified as you are! Were there any changes that you made to the recipe? I’m more than happy to help troubleshoot and welcome any feedback on how I can clarify the recipe!
I recently purchased your Alternative Baking cookbook for my IPad. The recipes look delicious but the book is virtually UNUSABLE because of the absence of page numbers in the index (or links) or listings of individual recipes in the table of contents!!!
Yikes, thanks for letting me know – that’s no good! I’ll email you and we’ll figure something out. :)
I absolutely love your recipe book. I just hopped online to see if you have another one. Pleeeease bring out another one soon!!! I use the Alternative Baker all the time, and the recipes have never failed. I feel this is the most thorough and well thought out recipe book I have ever used. I am so thankful for your explanations of the flours and for not just calling for a gf all purpose flour. You can tell you put so much work into it. I recommend the book to all my friends and have made the chocolate pecan tart every Thanksgiving for 3 years, which makes it an expected staple. Thank you for the book and your work! I’m so pleased to find this online recipes too.
Awwww your sweet note absolutely made my day! I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the book. I poured so much love into the recipes and writing so it really means a lot to me to know that bakers out in the world are using it. That chocolate pecan tart was one of the first recipes I developed for the book and one that I often make for Thanksgiving too!
I hope to write another book one day too! Currently I’m focusing on sharing recipes here on TBG (for free – yay!) Please let me know if you have any recipe requests. Happy baking!!
We are a mostly vegan ( barring the occasional pasture raised chicken’s egg) and Gluten Free home, who love to cook and bake. It feels like such a coup stumbling upon your site. Beautiful photos, engagingly written, and such clever use of ingredients.
For several months, I’ve been testing various GF/Vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes. I think every family needs their own foolproof, go-to recipe, that their kids can fondly look back on as adults and say, “Oh, I miss those home-made cookies.” I thought I found THE ONE, but the family is not as into molasses as I am-so time to move on. I can’t wait to try your recipe-large chocolate chunks and flaked salt seem promising. Hopefully its a winner!
Awww thank you for the sweet words, that means the world to me. I’m glad you’re enjoying this space!
I’m into molasses and I’d love to try your recipe if you feel like sharing it! But do let me know if you try mine how you and the family like it. Which recipe are you planning to make?