Gluten-free Cookies

April 18, 2011
Presenting 50 recipes, each with a full-page color photograph, along with a gluten-free primer that explains ingredients such as xanthan gum, and a selection of gluten-free products, Kohnke's first effort is a serious contender in the busy field of gluten-free baking books. Kohnke presents classic cookies (Shortbread Galettes; Chocolate Chip and Pecan), children's favorites (Sweet Cinnamon Snickerdoodles; Decorated Cookie Cutouts), fruit-based cookies (Lemon Drops; Frosted Pumpkin Currant Spice Cookies), bars (Double-Chocolate Brownies with Walnuts; Rocky Road S'Mores Bars), an entire chapter of creative flour-free meringues, and celebration-worthy confections like French Chocolate Macaroons and Pecan Wedding Cakes. The recipes use Kohnke's own gluten-free flour blend, which contains brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, and almond flour, chosen by her taste testers as the closest to wheat flour in taste and appearance. This blend can be mixed in advance, and she provides conversion information for readers wishing to modify wheat-based recipes. Many of the recipes use no flour at all, but this isn't a diet book: butter, eggs, and sugar appear in most recipes, and nutritional data is not included. With clear, concise instructions and beautiful photographs, Gluten-Free Cookies will appeal to novice and experienced bakers alike.