Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy: Simple Sweet Desserts for Everyone is the latest release from cookbook author Danielle Kartes. Kartes is also a hit food blogger over at Rustic Joyful Food.
I want to thank Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy. All opinions presented here are solely mine.
Synopsis from Goodreads
The best baking starts with joy! Beloved celebrity cookbook author Danielle Kartes of the hit food blog Rustic Joyful Food tackles the baking world with Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy, the ultimate baking book for everyone. A lot of people will tell you that baking is science―it requires precision and, expertise, and fancy kitchen gadgets. But in this book, you will find easy-to-follow one-bowl wonders that set the stage for joy! At the heart of baking is the sweet sense of connection, of sharing a treat with someone you love. And that’s something anyone can master. Every chapter of Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy features simple, delicious dessert recipes―including Danielle’s perfect dump-and-stir cake method, which allows you to create showstopper confections without all the fuss. Welcome to the world of Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy ―where messes are encouraged, and the comfort of casual home baking is the main course.
Positives
- Recipes are full of accessible ingredients.
- There are lovely stories to go with many of the recipes.
Negatives
- There are too many recipes with nuts, and no substitutions are offered.
My Opinions
Overall, I enjoyed reading Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy. There are lovely stories and mouth-watering pictures throughout. Most recipes are easy to make and don’t make a lot of mess. And who doesn’t love that when it comes to baking? I know, for me, washing up after baking is the worst possible task!
The book has five wonderful chapters, all of which you would expect to find in any cookbook focusing on baking.
- Cookies
- Puddings, Possets, and Panna Cotta
- Bars and Bakes
- Pies and Galettes
- Cakes
While I enjoyed reading the book, I struggled to find recipes to try. Why? There are so many that contain nuts, and as I’ve mentioned before, someone in my household has a nut allergy. The one recipe I managed to make was the Chocolate Chip and Pretzel cookies. In the cookbook, they are designed to be ice cream sandwiches, but they didn’t last long enough for that to happen! They were so successful that my daughter asked me when I was making them again.
Other recipes that piqued my interest were Lemon and Vanilla Bean Posset, Snickerdoodle Bars, and the Chocolate Orange Flourless Cake.
If you are looking for an easy-to-follow cookbook that doesn’t dirty every dish in your kitchen, then you should give Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy a read. There are recipes here for beginners and seasoned bakers alike.
Are you looking for more food-related content? Check out my other Foodie Fridays posts.
Shame… what would happen if you just left the nuts out of any of these recipes? I mean, you shouldn’t have to try to figure that out yourself, they should give substitutions or let you know if the nuts are optional.
Some of the recipes would be ok to leave the nuts out of, but others rely on nut flour or nut butter.