Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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The best baking starts with joy! Beloved celebrity cookbook author Danielle Kartes of the hit food blog Rustic Joyful Food tackles the baking world with Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy, the ultimate baking book for everyone. A lot of people will tell you that baking is science―it requires precision and expertise and fancy kitchen gadgets.

But in this book, you will find easy-to-follow one-bowl wonders that set the stage for joy! At the heart of baking is the sweet sense of connection, of sharing a treat with someone you love. And that's something anyone can master. Every chapter of Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy features simple, delicious dessert recipes―including Danielle's perfect dump-and-stir cake method, which allows you to create showstopper confections without all the fuss. Welcome to the world of Butter, Flour, Sugar, and Joy ―where messes are encouraged, and the comfort of casual home baking is the main course.

I do love all of Miss Kartes’ books, especially the RUSTIC part of it as I am not a perfect, pretty cook or baker… my dishes have personalities and odd shapes at times. The dump-and-stir cake method rules in this household. And now I have Sara Bareilles stuck in my head…
Sugar, sugar, sugar, butter
Sugar, butter, flour
Sugar, butter, flour
Sugar, butter, flour
My hands pluck the things I know that I'll need
I'll take the sugar and butter from the pantry
I add the flour to begin what I am hoping to start
And then it's down with the recipe and bake from the heart
Sugar, sugar, sugar, butter
Sugar, butter, flour
Sugar, butter, flour
Sugar, butter, flour
..but I digress

Sweets? Excellent. One bowl? AMAZING. Recipes you can easily make with the kids???? EVEN BETTER!!!!! This book does not hit the stores for 5 months so I will be at least 50 pounds heavier when it comes out ... lol. It does come out right in time for the holiday baking season (the one on the telly will have started by then, too....) so you can bring out your equipment and make people happy, happy, joy, joy with baked treats at the office, dinner parties, your home and (as I do) gifting my service providers with treats. (Funnily enough, the dentist's office likes the sweet treats more than anyone else!
Highly recommended, along with her other books.
#shortbutsweetreviews

Danielle Kartes has written a baking cookbook with a focus on simplifying and demystifying the process. When a recipe developer suggests skipping a double boiler then I am intrigued! Kartes mixes memoir with her recipes, and she comes across as a warm, delightful person with a passion for cooking and baking. I especially appreciate her honesty about how much failure is involved in baking. Her writing is engaging and even new bakers will be able to use these well-crafted recipes. The photographs are stunning and there are a lot of them to enjoy. The recipes are traditional but many have a new spin on them, or new ingredients that make me want to try them.

However, I have one HUGE caveat. “Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy” is marketed as the “ultimate baking book for everyone.” It is not. Kartes is a born-again Christian and she uses this book to proselytize. That is her right, but it makes the audience for this book much, much smaller than it needs to be. This book was not tagged as Christian and the description has no mention of religion, so I was surprised.

If you are not a certain type of Christian, then this book is not for you. Anyone else from any other religion, as well as agnostics and atheists, could very well find it offensive. I implore Kartes and the editor to reconsider the religious content. If this could be scaled back, re-written to be more inclusive, or just eliminated, there would be a much bigger chance that people will want to buy this book.

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for letting me review this book.

A fabulous baking cookbook! From classic chocolate brownies and apple tart, to brioche cinnamon rolls, this book has it all. What a fantastic range of delicious, yet simple to make recipes. It has very clear, simple and easy to follow instructions to help guide you through each bake. I really like that there’s a photo to accompany every bake in the book. Not only do they look delicious, but it helps you know what you’re aiming for. There’s also a lovely introduction to each recipe.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for an eARC of this book to read and review.

I have found my people. In Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy, Danielle shares with us many of her favorite recipes made simple. She went through all the trial and error so we don't have to. No one wants to dirty every pot in their kitchen to make cookies or a cake and she proves you don't have to. Bakers have been told for years that baking is a science and you have to measure very carefully and you have to follow the recipe to the letter or your recipe will not turn out right. Well, with her shortcuts most of the time they will turn out great. Just like with anything nothing is 100%. So yes you can whip up some chocolate chips cookies for the kids and let them help in the afternoons after school. There are plenty of recipes to try. I love her attitude about baking. She answers some questions for us so we can all be on a level playing field. Don't be afraid to try that cake or cupcake. She has taken the fear and massive dirty dishes out of her recipes.

Books like this always inspire my inner baker. Each recipe sounds better than the last. The accompanying photographs really make this book sing. Ready! Set! Bake!