The dog days of summer are upon us, so today’s post may be just the thing you need to cool down. I’m sharing my thoughts on a new cookbook by Addie Gundry.
This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. A free review copy of No-Bake Desserts: 103 Easy Recipes for No-Bake Cookies, Bars, and Treats was provided to me by RecipeLion. Although I accept free products for review, I do not accept additional compensation, nor do I guarantee a positive review. My reviews are based entirely on my honest opinions.
When the team at RecipeLion told me they were working with Addie Gundry to develop a series of cookbooks, I asked if they could send along a review copy of one of the books. No-Bake Desserts: 103 Easy Recipes for No-Bake Cookies, Bars, and Treats seemed seasonally appropriate so I’m glad that’s the one I got to see.
The book opens with an Introduction from Addie where she explains how she came to love “semi-homemade, no-bake desserts” and why she choose to include 103, rather than 100, recipes in this book (and the others in the series). It then moves into the recipes, which are organized into Cakes and Pies; Candies and Chocolates; Cookies, Bites, and Bars; Fruit and Frozen Desserts; Gelatin and Pudding Desserts; and Desserts in a Jar. Each recipe includes a full-page, color image of the the dessert. As you can tell from the cover, the photos are styled, beautiful, and appetizing. The recipes include yield, prep time, and chill time; a short introduction; a list of ingredients in order of appearance in the recipe, and numbered directions. The book ends with acknowledgements and a detailed index.
No-Bake Desserts: 103 Easy Recipes for No-Bake Cookies, Bars, and Treats includes no-bake classics like French Silk Pie, Grasshopper Pie, Rice Pudding, and Almond Brittle as well as more unique offerings like Gummy Bears and Apple Pie in a Jar. Most recipes are simply enough for people who don’t consider themselves “home chefs” to make. While some recipes are made entirely “from scratch,” most include at least some packaged/prepared foods like whipped topping, graham cracker crusts, and the like. About a dozen of the recipes are really more like assembly instructions for entirely store-bought, packaged ingredients — I wish these were separated or marked in some way since they would be the ones you’d want to find easily for a last-minute gathering. The pictures are great eye candy and the stylized, food-blog-esque photography gives you great presentation ideas. These recipes don’t care about lactose intolerance, lowering sugar intake, or being low fat, but I don’t think you would be grabbing up a no-bake desserts book if that’s what you’re looking for. If you enjoy entertaining and preparing rich, fun, and chilled desserts, then you’ll find a lot of inspiration in this book.
You can get No-Bake Desserts: 103 Easy Recipes for No-Bake Cookies, Bars, and Treats and buy or pre-order the other books by Addie Gundry in the RecipeLion series on Amazon.