The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets

The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets | Colleen Patrick-Goudreau | One of my favorite vegan cookbooks!

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The Joy of Vegan B...

	The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Fair Winds Press, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 118 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Two thumbs up!

I'd give this book five stars. Is it all healthy recipes? No. But it doesn't set out to be a healthy vegan baking book. The mission is to show that you can make tasty vegan baked goods without the use of animal products. It fits the bill.

So while I tend to opt for more healthier versions (not using white flour, etc.), I still think it's a great book to have in my cookbook collection.

There was one part though, where she referenced that there was no difference between white sugar and using something like pure maple syrup. This is wrong as there are minerals in pure maple syrup (zinc, maganese), making it a healthier sweetener.

I really like all the full color photos in the book and all the extra tidbits of information offered throughout. There are some great recipes included, something for everyone and I can substitute the white flour for spelt flour where desired. I also enjoy listening to Colleen's podcast. This is a good book to add to any cookbook collection.

Update: I've now made some of the recipes. Yum! They have been very good. I especially love the lemon bars! They were a big hit at a dinner I recently attended at a friend's house.

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One of my favorite vegan cookbooks!

I really like this cookbook. I agree with other posters that it doesn't focus on super-healthy recipes, but she clearly states that most of the items in the book are treats in which one should indulge only occasionally. The ingredients are pretty easy to find and you can always substitute whole wheat or alternative flours and other ingredients if you so desire. I, for one, really enjoy having a traditional kind of baking book in vegan form. It makes it much easier to make things that I know all of my omnivorous friends will like, and it's not always easy converting recipes myself. The photos are lovely, and almost every recipe I've made from this book has turned out very well. I even bought a copy for my non-vegan mother, and I know that she's used it a few times when baking for her friends.

Another thing I really like about the book is that it includes short educational sections about the negative aspects of dairy and egg production, and on good baking techniques.

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Wonderful addition to any cookbook library

I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone who enjoys baking and eating scrumptious baked goodies. The author covers everything from breads to cookies to candies to beverages. The layout is fabulous, the instructions easy to follow, and the recipes are delectable. Lots of suggestions included about how to convert (easily) traditional recipes into vegan recipes, how to stock your pantry, and how to change up the recipes according to your tastes. The last thing I'll comment on is how much I enjoyed reading the author's words about choosing a vegan lifestyle and all the tips & food lore generously scattered throughout the book. Oh, and I do not follow a vegan diet although I am moving in that direction. This cookbook definitely will make the transition joyful and seamless.

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Mixed Feelings

To the author: It's billed as a cookbook. I don't think the author has anywhere near enough first hand knowledge of ALL farms to say that everyone who eats chicken or goes deer hunting is going to burn in hell for it. What are we saying? Some chicken screams to the others, "My God, they've just murdered Gertrude. Don't let the chicks see her like that." I sense a PETA member. There's a huge difference in having a few chickens or pigs or 20 cows in a backyard and a factory farm operation of 100s or 1000s. That's MY speech.

Other than trainwreck of an intro, the book is masterfully organized and presented. She definitely insists on having everything a certain way, and worked very hard at having information needed to bake with maximum ease. I like it when a list of pantry items is given, units of measure, and common utensils/kitchen tools. It's interesting to see what each author keeps on hand and it's a fast way to get a beginner up and running. The core truth of the intro is that Americans have gotten into the habit of eating a very limited variety, mostly the same thing over and over. Much of that comes from the increased popularity of prepared foods and the convenience of eating out. I like the suggestions and specif brand names, so you can go into a store and ask for it. The nut milks, almond milk sounds like it must be good. The cashew cream sounds good.

Most of the palates are out of order. I know mine was. That's my main reason for cutting out factory ingredients, including dairy, meat and eggs. It the only way to really know what you are eating.

I don't bake enough yet to know, but I wouldn't think it'd be too hard to substitute honey, organic cane sugar, or suganat for refined sugar. All you're after is the sweetness. I do not know if that would affect the baking process. Precise measure and heat are the key, for me, maybe humidity too. I can think of worse ways to spend time to testing cookies and sweets for sweetness or proper baking.

The flour issue can be resolved with organic flour. So, I don't get the complaints that this is just a cookbook with substitutes for animal products, what else is vegan baking? Heidi Swanson might have some more thoughts in the way of alternative sweetners.

The Pine Nut Anise cookies are probably really good. I'm not sure if some reviewers even have the book.

It's a good book, after the 7+ page lecture. If you want to learn ways to get around animal products and control what goes into your body, it's good. She did a good job setting it all up for beginners and giving the more experienced a gander at how she sets up, suggested specific brands and giving the ones she liked the best. As hard of a time as I gave her about the sermon, if she says something is really good, I trust her. She's probably an ESFJ Myers Brigg personality. The presentation is almost perfect. She certainly writes well. I'll probably buy her cookbook when it comes out.

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Fat Americans eating more cookies...??

This cookbook is useful to me in several ways, but the constant drum beat of egg replacer and vegan butter just drowns out everything for me. I must admit I was sorely disappointed. And what's up with all that "all purpose flour"?? Looks more like a capitalistic venture than a truly vegan cookbook. Why cannot we have a cookbook that uses wholewheat pastry flour for cookies (for instance), for heaven's sake? I guess this was written for people just jumping onto the health bandwagon via the cookie department, but it was not that great for me. I have to re-create any recipe by figuring out how to avoid all those "1/2 cups of vegan butter" and using whole grains--what a drag. I do use Earth Balance, but not by the cupful! Puh-leeze!!

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