Rachel Conners - Bakerita

Copyright 2020 by Rachel Conners

Food photographs copyright 2020 by Rachel Conners

Lifestyle photographs of the author copyright 2020 by Madeline Broderick

Plant illustrations Kate Macate/Shutterstock.com

All rights reserved.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

hmhbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Conners, Rachel, author. | Goodbody, Mary, author.

Title: Bakerita : 100+ no-fuss gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free recipes for the modern baker / Rachel Conners with Mary Goodbody.

Description: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019033897 (print) | LCCN 2019033898 (ebook) | ISBN 9780358116677 (pap) | ISBN 9780358116660 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Baking. | Desserts. | Gluten-free dietRecipes. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX765 .C63 2020 (print) | LCC TX765 (ebook) | DDC 641.81/5dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019033897

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019033898

Book and cover design by Allison Chi

v1.0220

To Mom, Dad, and Shaina, for your unconditional support, love, and encouragement. You three are my rock, and this book wouldnt be a reality without each of you. Love you to the moon and back.

To my Bakerita community: I am in aweyour support over the past ten years of Bakeritas existence has allowed me to follow my passion and turn it into a career. This is all for you, and I am so happy you are a part of my life and this journey.

Shaina, thank you for being my constant teacher and guide. Bakerita wouldnt exist without you, and I couldnt be more grateful for the inspiration and support you give me in every aspect of my life. You are the best sister, friend, and role model. Im forever thankful for our relationship.

Mom, thank you for being my original baking teacher and constant cheerleader. You have always been there for me on my hardest days, and I know I can turn to you for anything and everything. You have shown me how to be my best self and given me all I couldve dreamt of.

Dad, thank you for always encouraging me to follow this path and instilling in me that whatever it was I chose to do in this world, if I loved it, I would succeed. Thank you for always supporting me with your words and love, and for always allowing me to make your kitchen a mess, even though you hate having a messy kitchen. I am so grateful for you.

Kyle, thank you for being unconditionally supportive, despite coming into my life at such a crazy time. Thank you for tasting nearly everything in this book and giving me honest feedback on all it (and even telling me when certain photos werent my best... and then encouraging me to reshoot them so one could eventually become the cover of the book). I am forever grateful for you as my partner, friend, and guide.

Grammy, Pop Pop, Chini, and Hugo, thank you all for creating a family that loves boundlessly and supports endlessly. I am so grateful for your wisdom, guidance, and love.

Patty, John, Veronica, Tony, Sophia, Maya, and Isabella: You are my favorite travel buddies and my best gluten-eating recipe critics. I cant wait for our next adventure.

Lori, Brian, Sami, Tara, Nir, Zachy, Max, Jordan, Eliana, Steven, Matthew, and Spencer: You all never cease to make me smile and can always lift me up on bad days. Thank you for being my best recipe tasters and for always giving your most honest feedback (especially you little ones).

Paige, my original baking buddy and forever friend: I couldnt be more grateful for your creativity, love, and support. Your texts full of recipe ideas always make me smile, and Ill never forget you holding up bedsheets to serve as my photo backgrounds in the early days. Every cookie dough recipe I ever make is dedicated to you!

Monica of The Movement Menu, thank you for being my first food blogger friend in San Diego! I am so grateful for your friendship, guidance, and kinship in this crazy world.

Lindsay of Weeknight Bite, thank you for always making me laugh and smile with your recipe feedback videos with Mitch. So grateful to have you as a friend, and for testing all my cookie recipes for me!

Meg of Nutmeg & Honeybee, thank you for allowing me to be my full self with you. I am so grateful for the positive impact your friendship has had on my life.

Maddie and Tiffany, I had no idea the day we planned our first photo shoot that those photos would end up throughout my first cookbook. Thank you for capturing me (and Hank!) with your amazing photo skills!

Mary, thank you for your organization, support, recipe-testing skills, and constant feedback as we tested every recipe in this book to make sure it was perfect. You kept me sane!

Leigh Eisenman, I am eternally grateful for your support and guidance during the entire book process. This cookbook wouldnt exist in its current form without you. Thank you for always staying positive when it seemed as if things were going sideways and reminding me that better things are to come. You were right!

Justin Schwartz, my editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, thank you for seeing my vision and helping me turn my dream of a Bakerita cookbook into a reality.

Allison Chi, thank you for designing the Bakerita cookbook to be as beautiful as I ever could have imagined!

To the entire team at HMH, I am so grateful to all of you for cocreating this book with me. Thank you for all of your work and insights.

AS A YOUNG GIRL, my eyes were always fixed on the sweets in whatever room I was in, particularly anything with chocolate or peanut butter, but preferably both. I also loved carbsI would devour all the bread I could get my hands on, slathered in salted butter or dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. At the dinner table, as my parents attempted to get me to eat roasted vegetables and my moms chicken piccata, I would claim to be full after a few bites and then ask for dessert. If youre full, how can you eat dessert? they would ask.

I have three stomach compartments, Id confidently respond. One for bread, one for real food, and one for dessert. That compartment is still empty.

My adoration of sweets and carbs didnt waver as I grew older. I was content to eat my weight in all things carby and sweet: grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese, chocolate cake, peanut butter cups, and