Tahini-Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies

I recently received a copy of Sweet Utopia, by Sharon Valencik. These are my thoughts.

First impressions – lots of colour, glossy paper, and tons of photos – and I mean tons. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many colour photos in a cookbook, budgets generally being what they are. And photos are always helpful – people like to see a representation of something they might want to make – so kudos on that front. A lot of effort has clearly gone into putting this book together – the author has put her heart into this. It’s a fairly large book,  as vegan cookbooks go, and it’s filled with as much information as the author could fit in – with tips and tricks throughout, pairing recommendations, and even inspirational quotes.

The book is 184 pages, with over 130 recipes, and is divided into sections that include: stocking the kitchen; how to succeed in vegan baking (tips, techniques, substitutions, etc); decadent cakes; scrumptious cookies; creamy cheesecakes and pies; velvety mousses, puddings, and crèmes; and luscious treats.

Best bits: I love the European flavour that runs through the book. Treats like Hamantaschen, Rugalach, Rum Balls, Poppy Seed Roll, and Apple Strudel beckon to me. There is a bonanza of classic desserts and treats on offer here – and all dairy-free and egg-free. Many will appreciate the fact that the required ingredients are pretty basic and can likely be found at any supermarket, generally nothing fancy. The recipes are well laid out and easy to follow, almost all with accompanying photographs. The three items I chose to make (Coconut Heaven Cake, Chocolate Chippers, and Tahini-Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies) all baked up fine and turned out as expected – sweeter than I personally like, but well received by my taste testers. I also appreciated the substitution section at the beginning of the book, and the implied flexibility of the recipes – see more on that in the next paragraph. The familiarity of the ingredients and the straightforwardness of the recipes make this a nice introductory book to the world of vegan baking.

Caveats: Mostly, those aforementioned easy to find ingredients – a lot of sugar, white flour, and cornstarch throughout (and you can also say that about 99% of the baking books out there). There is also a fair amount of processed vegan stuff: vegan cream cheese, vegan margarine, etc. Whether you think this is bad or not is a personal decision that may or may not factor into your personal thinking when it comes to baking. There are two schools of thought when it comes to vegan baking – making healthier choices, or throwing caution to the wind. A few years ago I sat happily in the latter group – I was strictly interested in making a great tasting vegan equivalent of whatever dessert I was tackling. Today I care, and try my best to live in the first group: I’ve striven to eliminate processed food from my family’s diet and have also made a concerted effort to greatly reduce, if not eliminate, my use of highly refined items like sugar, margarine, and white flour. That said, I see no problem baking from this book and making ingredient substitutions that I’m more comfortable with (whole grain flour, alternate fats and sweeteners). To that end, I was happy to see a prominent section on substitutions in the book. Both the author and the recipes seem flexible in this regard – I feel encouraged to make the recipes my own. Note that this time around I did not make any substitutions for the purpose of testing recipes for this review.

To sum up – I love the enthusiasm for vegan baking and all things sweet. This book is another testament to the fact that you don’t need eggs or dairy to make any sweet treat your heart desires, and it certainly offers a chance to make all of your favourites and more. Those who eschew refined and processed ingredients will want to make appropriate substitutions, as needed. Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing a spread of treats from this book at the next Holiday party I find myself at.

Book Publishing Company is doing an online promotion called “Luscious Vegan Desserts” from now until the end of October. Clicking on their logo will take you to the Luscious Vegan Dessert Page, where you can click to register for a chance at winning one of the following vegan dessert cookbooks – very cool:

• Raw For Dessert, by Jennifer Cornbleet
• Sweet Utopia by Sharon Valencik
• More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally, by Fran Costigan
• Simple Treats, by Ellen Abraham
• Lick It! by Cathe Olson
• Living in the Raw Desserts, by Rose Lee Calabro

Did you know that Book Publishing Co. is a member of Green Press Initiative? They also have loads of awesome books on vegan cookery, baking, and more that promote a healthful and sustainable lifestyle. I like them.