“OHH, you didn’t have to — really, you didn’t have to. I’m used to just bringing my own meal.”

I used to hear this all the time from my friends with food allergies or preferences when they’d come over for dinner. They’d sit with their sad little grocery store takeout containers while the rest of us feasted on homemade meals and desserts every Tuesday at our community group gatherings.

And honestly? I hated it.
What kind of hostess invites someone to dinner and then expects them to just watch everyone else eat because the menu isn’t allergy-friendly? Not the kind of hostess I want to be.

Before what one of my favorite YouTubers calls The Great Unpleasantness (you know the one), I cooked and baked constantly for various get-togethers — Tuesday night dinners with gluten-free friends, Wednesday girls’ nights that needed baked goods without eggs or milk. I loved it, but after a while, I got tired of the same three allergy-friendly cookbooks and the endless substitutions.

I wanted Ina Garten’s brownies.
Gesina Prado’s focaccia.
The “real” recipes — but made so that everyone could enjoy them.

So I did what I always do when something doesn’t sit right:
I went to the kitchen.

🍰 Introducing: The Bakeover

That’s when the idea for Bakeovers was born.

A Bakeover is my take on a recipe makeover — taking beloved, traditional recipes and transforming them into inclusive versions that everyone can enjoy. Gluten-free. Dairy-free. Vegan. Friendly for every seat at the table.

At first, I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing. I just served the food and waited.
To my friends with allergies, I’d say, “This one’s [insert their name here] friendly.”
They’d smile, dig in, and every time someone said, “Wait… this is gluten-free?” I knew I was onto something.

Bakeovers are my way of saying: no one should have to bring their own dinner.

🍪 Our First Bakeover: Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies

Intriguing title? ✔️
Drool-worthy golden ripples and crisp edges? ✔️

Sarah Keiffer’s Vanilla Bean Blog made these cookies famous — so famous that even Ina Garten included her version in a cookbook. They’re huge, dramatic, buttery, and rippled like the edges of a pie crust. But could I make them gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free without losing that chewy-meets-crisp perfection?

Challenge accepted.

🥄 Bakeover Notes

Sugar is the star.

These cookies get their golden color and crisp edges from sugar — mainly white sugar — which caramelizes as it bakes. That caramelization absorbs moisture and makes the cookies both chewy and crunchy. It’s also the secret behind those famous ripples. When you drop the baking pan mid-bake, the melted sugar pushes the dough outward, forming those iconic waves.

Use chopped chocolate, not chips.

Trust me on this one. Chopping a bar of bittersweet chocolate creates beautiful pools that spread better than chips. Plus, bittersweet and semisweet chocolates are naturally dairy-free — cocoa butter (despite the name) comes from the cocoa bean, not milk.

If you’re navigating allergens, check out brands that label their chocolate as gluten-, nut-, and soy-free. It makes a big difference.

Freeze the dough.

After scooping your dough, pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This helps the centers stay gooey instead of flattening out completely while baking.

🌱 Allergy-Friendly Variations

Dairy-Free Butter

The main dairy ingredient here is butter, which is easily replaced.
My favorite brands: Miyoko’s European Style Butter or Earth Balance Vegan Unsalted Butter. I used Earth Balance for the cookies you see here.

Egg-Free Lift

Eggs provide lift and moisture in cookie dough, but this recipe only calls for one — perfect for replacing. My favorite substitute:

1½ tbsp water + 1½ tbsp oil (I use coconut or vegetable) + 1 tsp baking powder
Combine, stir, and add as you would an egg. You’ll see fizzing — that’s lift magic happening.

Gluten-Free Flour

This recipe doesn’t rely on much flour, so it’s a great candidate for a gluten-free swap.
I like to blend my own GF mix for control, but any quality all-purpose gluten-free blend works. Just remember:

• Gluten-free dough spreads a little more

• It may take longer to brown

• And patience is your best friend — let them cool fully before biting in!

✨ The Result

The cookies I photographed here are gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. BELIEVE YOUR EYES, FRIENDS.

They’re crispy on the edges, soft in the middle, and full of rich, bittersweet chocolate ripples. You’d never guess they’re allergen-friendly — and that’s the point.

Bakeovers aren’t about compromise. They’re about inclusion without losing flavor, texture, or joy.

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🖨 Print Recipe

💯 Gluten & Dairy-Free Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies (Bakeover)

Author: Alicia Sturdy | Inspired by: Sarah Keiffer, The Vanilla Bean Blog

Category: Cookies | Dietary: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free

GF Flour Blend

• 84g White Rice Flour
• 84g Brown Rice Flour
• 42g Potato Starch
• 42g Tapioca Starch
• 14g Potato Flour
• 8g Xanthan Gum
• 8g Pectin

Cookie Dough Ingredients

• 12g (1 tsp) baking soda
• 5g (1 tsp) kosher salt
• 225g unsalted vegan butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
• 300g granulated sugar
• 50g light brown sugar
• Equivalent of 1 egg: mix 1.5 tbsp water + 1.5 tbsp oil + 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tablespoons water
• 170g bittersweet chocolate (I prefer Guittard), chopped into ½-inch pieces (about 6 oz)

Materials

• Stand mixer
• Kitchen scale
• Small and medium bowls
• Cutting board & knife
• Spatula
• 2 ¾ oz cookie scoop or ⅓ cup measure
• Foil
• Sheet pan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and position the rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil, dull side facing up.
3. In a small bowl, weigh and combine your dry ingredients: flour(s), baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy.
5. Add both sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle. Add the egg (or replacement), vanilla, and water. Mix on low to combine.
7. Scrape the bowl again, then add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
8. Add chopped chocolate and mix on low to incorporate.
9. Using a cookie scoop or ⅓ cup measure, portion dough (about 100g each). Place four dough balls evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet.
10. Freeze the sheet pan for 15 minutes before baking. Continue scooping remaining dough and freezing while the first batch bakes.
11. Bake for 10 minutes, until centers are slightly puffed. Open the oven and lift the pan about 4 inches, then gently drop it to create ripples. Repeat every 2 minutes until cookies bake 16–18 minutes total.
12. Cookies should be golden brown with lighter centers that appear underbaked—this is perfect!
13. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool completely before removing cookies.
14. Note: For gluten-free cookies, carefully transfer the foil (with cookies still on it) to the rack to cool fully and preserve structure.

These gluten-, dairy-, and egg-free cookies have irresistibly crisp edges, gooey centers, and that signature pan-banged ripple. Proof that everyone deserves dessert night. 🍪

I sat on the cream linoleum floor, curled up next to the cast iron wood stove to warm my frozen toes fresh from my sopping wet boots. I had just come in from an afternoon in the snow, exploring the woods at my grandma's house in northern Michigan. The afternoon of this memory isn't one snowy day in particular. It's an entire season filled with memories of American Girl books, Anne of Avonlea rentals, and this flavor memory I hold so dearly.

Buttered saltine crackers in my grandma's kitchen.

This spring, I enrolled in Christina Tosi's Monthly course on creative baking. I wanted to flex my culinary education muscles and get inspired by someone I admire while creating a collection of baking courses due out over the next year. The goal of the course is to learn Christina’s recipes and then be inspired to write your own. Honestly, the only recipe I’ve ever taken 100% credit for writing from scratch is the Martian Mallow sundae at Scoops, the ice cream shop I worked at in high school. Other than that, my recipes have been minor riffs on other recipes I've known and loved.

While this recipe starts with a riff on a recipe from the class, it digs deep into my own flavor story centered around this memory. Entire sleeves of Saltines, being devoured along with a sidecar of Fleishman's. My cookie goals were as follows. 

1. To mimic the crunchy familiar feeling of the crackers.

2. To fill the flour with the powdery saltiness that is signature to Saltines.

3. Nail the gooeyness of room temperature butter slathered on those perfect little bites.

This recipe, of course, is Everybody approved with variations from traditional to gluten and dairy free. Choose your ingredient list below and get baking!

Please note, I'm going to be writing recipes using grams instead of cups measurements for dry ingredients from now on. I highly recommend you purchase a kitchen scale. I've had this scale for over a decade, bought on a whim from the clearance section at Sur La Table - it has not disappointed!

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🖨 Print Recipe

Buttered Saltine Crunch Cookies

Author: Alicia Sturdy | Category: Cookies | Inclusive Baking: Options for Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free

This cookie recipe is for all bakers — whether you bake traditionally, gluten-free, or dairy-free. Substitutions are clearly noted so everyone can enjoy the same crisp, gooey, brown-butter magic.

Brown Butter Saltine Crunch

• 65 g Schär Gluten-Free Table Crackers (or regular Saltines)
• 15 g soy, coconut, or traditional milk powder (about ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp)
• 2 g kosher salt (¾ tsp)
• 50 g browned butter — for dairy-free, use Miyoko's European-style vegan butter (it’s the only one that will brown properly)

Cookie Dough Ingredients

• 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
• 300 g granulated sugar
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 1 egg — or substitute: 1.5 tbsp water + 1.5 tbsp oil + 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour or Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)
• 65 g mini marshmallows
• 60 g panko bread crumbs (Kikkoman brand recommended)

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

• 40 g White Rice Flour
• 24 g Cornstarch
• 22 g Brown Rice Flour
• 20 g Tapioca Starch
• 18 g Non-Fat Dry Milk
• 4 g Potato Starch
• 3 g Xanthan Gum
• 130 g ground Schär Gluten-Free Table Crackers (or Saltines)
• 3 g baking soda (¼ tsp)
• 5 g kosher salt (1½ tsp)

Materials

• Stand mixer
• Kitchen scale
• Small and medium bowls and containers
• Spatula
• 2¾ oz cookie scoop or ⅓ cup measure
• Parchment paper
• Sheet pan

Instructions

1. Make the Brown Butter Saltine Crunch:
   Preheat oven to 275°F. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, brown the butter until nutty and golden. Set aside.
2. Place crackers in a bowl and crush into half-inch or smaller pieces. Add milk powder and salt; toss to combine.
3. Pour browned butter over crackers and toss to coat. Spread evenly on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake 20 minutes, then cool until golden and crisp.
4. Make the Cookie Dough:
   Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulverize 130 g saltines (or crackers) in a food processor until fine and powdery.
5. Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer on medium-high for 3 minutes.
6. Scrape down sides; add egg (or substitute) and beat on high for 7–8 minutes until pale and fluffy.
7. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, pulverized crackers, baking soda, and salt together.
8. With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients and mix until no dry bits remain.
9. Add cooled Brown Butter Cracker Crunch and mini marshmallows. Mix on low until evenly distributed.
10. Scoop 2¾ oz portions (about 78 g each). Roll each in panko breadcrumbs and flatten slightly into puck shapes.
11. Arrange on parchment-lined sheets with 2 inches between cookies. Chill for 10 minutes.
12. Bake 12 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cool on the pan for 10–15 minutes before transferring — they’ll firm up as they cool.

Tip: These cookies are soft right out of the oven — let them rest fully before moving. The chewy centers and crisp edges make them irresistible for every kind of baker. 🍪

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I started baking at Christmas for gift giving long ago, as an easy way to find something to do over Christmas break in college but also avoid the dreaded "What do I get for so and so at Christmas that’s NOT lotion?"

I tried my hand at icing and piping cookies a few years ago and realized the gear and patience in learning is only a small investment that pays off much from year to year.

I hope you enjoy making these cookies every year as much as I do!

🖨 Print Recipe

Heirloom Cutout Sugar Cookies

Author: Alicia Sturdy | Category: Cookies | Occasion: Christmas & Holiday Baking

A timeless, buttery cookie perfect for decorating, gifting, and holiday traditions. This dough rolls beautifully and keeps its shape when baked — ideal for cutouts and icing fun.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 tbsp shortening
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract

Instructions

1. In a bowl or stand mixer, mix butter and shortening with the egg.
2. Add sugar and extracts; cream until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Slowly add flour and salt, scraping down the sides as needed. Mix until just incorporated. If using a hand mixer, you may need to knead in the last cup of flour by hand.
4. Divide dough into three portions. Roll each between two sheets of parchment paper to ¼-inch thickness.
5. Cut into desired shapes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Reduce to 325°F when baking.
7. Bake 12–17 minutes, depending on cookie size, until edges are lightly golden.
8. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

These cookies bake up tender and hold their shape beautifully — perfect for royal icing, sugar glaze, or sprinkles with family.

Can I be honest that this is one of my most favorite cookie recipes to throw together on a whim? These cookies are vegan. They're gluten-free. They're the perfect opportunity for peanut butter, and M&M's to be at the same party. They do call for a few ingredients that I've now learned to keep stock on hand in my pantry.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup creamy peanut butter

(use a traditional creamy PB like Jif - don’t use a natural peanut butter, they just don’t turn out the same because of the oil ratio)

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 heaping cup of oatmeal

(wanna get crazy? use half traditional oats and half steel cut)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons Egg Replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons warm water

½ cup dairy free mini chocolate chips

2 packages Vegan Chocolate Candies

METHOD

1. Bring oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Make the 'egg replacement' - mix 1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer powder with 2 tablespoons warm water in a measuring cup (or mug!). Set aside to let it thicken.

3. Using a stand mixer, measure out the peanut butter and cream with the brown sugar and honey on a lower speed.

4. Turn down the mixer to 'Stir' (or the lowest speed) and add the egg replacer, vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, and oats. Let everything come together, so there is no dry baking soda or oats floating around.

5. Lastly, with the mixer still on low - add the mini chocolate chips. Let them distribute evenly and then get ready to scoop.

6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough into your palm, and smoosh together to form a cohesive ball. 

   1. Personally, I prefer to form these cookies with a small cookie scoop. For me, I prefer to eat many smaller cookies than one giant cookie. If you make the cookies larger, you'll want to let them bake more towards 20 minutes than 15 for the smaller ones.

   2. After you fill the sheet pan with the dough balls, press anywhere from 1-3 chocolate candies into the top of each cookie.

   3. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies become golden. Just be sure to pull them before the bottom is burned.

   4. Let cool on the sheet pan - seriously - they will fall apart if you try to pick them up off the pan fresh out of the oven.

Not vegan, or don't need to make this allergy-free?

The only a few tweaks required are:

1. Just use a regular egg.

2. Use traditional chocolate chips (still, please, I beg you to use mini chips).

3. Use classic M&M's in all their dairy-filled glory.