Non-Dairy Desserts

Over the course of my career, I have supervised plenty of interns, who were mostly smart and hardworking. 

Way back in my own intern days, Jessica (left) was a good mentor to my fellow intern Dean and me

With my earliest interns, I assumed that smart, hardworking people didn't need to be told things that I thought were obvious, like "please arrive on time," and "when you finish a task, please come to me and I'll assign you another one." But I came to understand that if someone never hears these "obvious" guidelines, then sometimes the guidelines never become obvious, even to a smart, hardworking person. I started being more explicit, and the results were good.

Maybe the same principle applies to everyone, not just interns. Maybe nothing "goes without saying." Maybe everyone needs to hear from me and from you that it's not acceptable to use derogatory names for people to their faces or behind their backs. That saying "please" and "thank you" is a sign of respect that almost all your fellow humans deserve. That it's cruel and counterproductive to be an online troll. That it's dangerous to drive aggressively. And that it is morally reprehensible to try to express yourself or resolve disagreements with violence. 

Please counsel kindness and respect. Please model kindness and respect.

Making food for people is a kindness to them, so that's a good activity. Instead of going to a camp this summer, my backup dancer has been planning a series of special meals for her friends and family. She picks a theme, and chooses recipes for a nutritionally balanced meal (plus a dramatic dessert, which is her specialty). She has a budget and she buys the supplies. She decorates for and prepares the meal, sometimes with the help of a co-chef. You could do the same, and bring some happiness into a world that has a lot of dark things going on.

Appetizers at last week's meal, which had a floral theme

You can take the kindness of food a step further, too. Cooking and baking without meat and dairy is a kindness to the whole planet, since animal agriculture is a significant contributor to global warming.

I've recently attempted removing the dairy from some desserts, but not without trepidation. Would the dessserts still be buttery without butter? Would they still be creamy without cream? WOULD THEY STILL BE DELICIOUS? An added challenge was that the desserts needed to be gluten-free.

I have excellent news for those of us who love chocolate: My favorite brownie recipe was at least as good made with Crisco as with butter, and 1:1 GF flour rather than wheat. The brownies were enjoyed by a Fourth of July crowd that included dairy avoiders, gluten avoiders, and nut avoiders. 

Fireworks on the 4th

The fruit lovers among us will be pleased by further excellent news: NYT Cooking's "Strawberry Pretzel Bars" are wonderful even when made dairy- and gluten-free. I used Kinnikinnick S'moreables graham crackers, Glutino pretzel sticks, Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese, and Califia Farms heavy whip cream. A cup of pretzels is about 4oz, and a cup of graham crackers is about 6oz. If you want to use a 10x10" pan rather than a 9x13" one, make 2/3 of the recipe and it will fit well. The crust would also be good for a cheesecake or any other dessert.

Chocolate chip cookies, it turns out, are also stellar even when made with 1:1 GF flour and butter-flavored Crisco (however, the cookies won't taste as good if use regular Crisco as your fat, and they'll have an odd, cakey texture if you use cashew-based butter). My recipe, passed down from my grandma with my updates in parentheses, is just a variation on the Tollhouse version:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 c packed brown sugar
• 2/3 c white sugar
• 1 c butter (or butter-flavored Crisco)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2.5 c flour (regular or 1:1 GF)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 c chocolate chips (dark chocolate dairy-free chips work fine)

Cream the butter and sugars. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Mix in flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Refrigerate for at least a few hours. Dollop onto ungreased, unlined baking sheets and bake until slightly browned.

Finally, this cake/cupcake recipe from the "Baking Class" cookbook is terrific regardless of whether you make it with 1:1 GF flour or regular flour, and cashew-based butter or regular butter.