Dorie Greenspan is a James Beard Award-winning author of more than a dozen cookbooks whose latest production, 2025’s “Dorie’s Anytime Cakes,” is a homage to simple but show-stopping baked treats.

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Greenspan’s recipe for a citrus loaf cake – which is lovingly illustrated by Nancy Pappas, like other recipes in the book – relies on winter’s bounty of fresh lemons, grapefruits, clementines and other fruits. In other words, it’s timed perfectly for the holiday season. A feature is that it can be made completely dairy-free, thanks to the use of olive oil, which bakes it to a deep golden-brown color.

What citrus should you use? Greenspan adds these notes: “The most play-aroundable ingredient in this recipe is the citrus, of course. See what you like most — maybe it’ll be the sharpness of lemons and limes or the sweetness of oranges, or a mix of both. I like a mild olive oil in this cake, but you might want to play up the olive flavor by using a stronger oil. And you might want to add a little vanilla or maybe a shot of dark rum or an aromatic orange liqueur.”

Mix-It-Up Citrus Loaf Cake

Makes 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup sugar

About 3 citrus fruits (see above note on what to use)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil OR – to make a version with dairy – 1/2 cup olive oil plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Citrus marmalade for glazing, such as Korean honey-citron marmalade (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan or coat the interior with baker’s spray and place it on a baking sheet.

Put the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend.

Put the sugar in another bowl. Finely grate the zest from the citrus over the sugar – you want about 3 tablespoons of zest – and then reach in and use your fingers to smush and press the ingredients together until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Halve the fruits and squeeze to get 1/3 cup juice.

Add the eggs and honey to the sugar and whisk until smooth, then blend in the juice. Add the egg-sugar mixture to the dry ingredients in three additions, using a flexible spatula to gently mix the batter. Then slowly incorporate the olive oil (or the blend of oil and melted butter). You’ll have a thick, smooth batter with a light sheen. Pour it into the pan and gently jiggle the pan to even the batter.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the cake is tall, dark and handsome and a tester inserted deep into the center comes out clean; check the cake after 30 minutes, and if it’s getting too dark too quickly, tent it lightly with foil or parchment. Transfer the cake to a rack and let sit for 5 minutes, then unmold it and turn it right side up onto the rack. If you want to glaze the cake, do it now; otherwise, just allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

To make the (optional) glaze: Bring a few spoonfuls of marmalade with a splash of water just to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to melt the jam, or do this in a microwave. Brush the glaze over the warm cake.

Storing: Wrapped well, the cake will keep for about three days at room temperature. If you have the patience, wrap it and wait a day before slicing and serving. You can freeze it for up to 1 month, but if it’s been glazed, the jam might get a bit watery – not fatal. Thaw the cake in the wrapper.

— Courtesy of Dorie Greenspan, “Dorie’s Anytime Cakes” (HarperCollins Harvest, $28)

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Dessert is often the most anticipated course of the holidays. But with all that caloric excess – a cup of sugar here, a pint of whipped cream there – where does that leave people with diabetes?

In this recipe, the American Diabetes Association gives a healthy spin to a Thanksgiving classic, pumpkin pie. It relies on sugar substitute and has a unique crust, thanks to mix-ins of crystallized ginger and maple syrup.

“Pumpkin pie is typically lower in sugar and fat than the other holiday favorite, pecan pie. Plus, it gets a nutritional boost from pumpkin puree which is rich in vitamin A,” writes the association, which is using a recipe from licensed nurse Robyn Webb. “For this diabetes-friendly version, we reduce the sugar by using a Splenda sugar blend in the filling. The low-fat crust is seasoned with a hint of crystallized ginger and maple syrup for an extra-special flavor boost.”

Holiday Pumpkin Pie With Maple-Ginger Crust

Makes one pie (eight servings)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup graham-cracker crumbs (about 24 cracker squares)

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 egg white (lightly beaten)

1 teaspoon finely minced crystallized ginger

1 teaspoon ground ginger (divided use)

1/2 cup low-calorie sugar substitute (such as Splenda)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin-pie filling)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk

1/2 cup light whipped topping

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Make the crust: In a bowl, combine the graham-cracker crumbs, maple syrup, oil, egg white, crystallized ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of the ground ginger. Press into a 9-inch, nonstick pie pan to form an even crust. Set aside.

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Make the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the Splenda, cinnamon, the other 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, cloves and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla together. Add in the Splenda mixture and stir to combine. Add in the pumpkin and stir until the mixture is well blended. Dissolve the corn starch in about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the evaporated milk. Add the corn-starch mixture and the remaining evaporated milk to the pumpkin mixture, and mix until smooth. The mixture will be thin.

Make the pie: Pour the pumpkin-pie filling into the prepared crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 40 minutes, or until the filling is set when a knife inserted comes out clean.

Remove the pie from the oven, and let cool for two hours before serving. Cut into eight wedges. Top each slice with 1 tablespoon of whipped topping right before serving.

— Courtesy of the American Diabetes Association and Robyn Webb, diabetesfoodhub.org

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It sounds obvious, but the key to making gluten-free, pull-apart dinner rolls that can appease everybody at Thanksgiving dinner is to create a roll that actually, you know, pulls apart.

After trying and trying, Jules Shepard figured out how to do it.

The secret ingredient? Potato flakes.

“There’s something telltale about those dinner rolls,” said Shepard, who has celiac disease and has been creating her own gluten-free flour and sharing her recipes since 1999. “There’s a chew to it, a hallmark flavor and texture to it, and you pull them and there’s a little bit of resistance. So it took a while until I was able to happen upon something that worked.”

She found that potato flakes from instant mashed potato boxes could re-create the classic, chewy texture.

After sharing her recipe on her website, she found that other gluten-free eaters were similarly impressed with the power of the potato flake.

“It’s so yummy,” she said. “You can use them the next day for sandwiches with leftover turkey and everyone loves them. It’s just one of those recipes that’s really classic for Thanksgiving.”

Shepard included the recipe, along with nearly 50 others, in her new book, “Easy Gluten-Free Bread Baking for the Busy, the Untrained, and the Skeptical,” which just went on sale.

“This book proves proves that gluten-free bread is really delicious when it’s done right,” she said.

Just be sure to follow the recipe exactly as written. No exceptions!

These gluten-free pull-apart dinner rolls by Jules Shepard are perfect for Thanksgiving. (Courtesy of Jules Shepard)

Gluten-Free Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls, by gfJules

Makes nine rolls

INGREDIENTS

2 ¾ cups gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour

2 packs (4½ teaspoons) quick rise instant yeast (e.g. Red Star® Quick Rise)**

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

¼ cup instant plain gluten-free mashed potato flakes (Idahoan® Original Mashed Potatoes; or Edward & Sons Organic)***

1½ cups seltzer water, club soda, 7 Up or ginger ale OR 3/4 cup bubbly liquid + 3/4 cup milk of choice, dairy or nondairy*

1 egg room temperature OR favorite substitute (I like using 3 tablespoons aquafaba)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or other mild cooking oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter or non-dairy alternative, melted, for brushing on rolls

Brush these gluten-free pull apart dinner rolls with melted butted to make them extra delicious. (Courtesy of R.Mora Photography)

DIRECTIONS

Spray one 8- or 9-inch round cake pan or pie plate lightly with cooking spray then line with parchment (makes it easier to remove the rolls).

Bring all ingredients to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: gfJules Flour; yeast granules**; sugar; potato flakes; and salt.

In a separate bowl, stir egg to mix. Add to it liquid ingredient, olive oil and apple cider vinegar, then pour into the dry mixture while stirring or using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer at low speed.

Increase mixing speed to medium and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes. The dough will become fluffier but will still be thick.

Using a 2-inch scoop, place 8-9 dough balls into the prepared pan: one or two in the middle of the pan and the others evenly spaced around it. I find it is easier to remove the dough smoothly if you first wet the scoop with water or oil well before filling with dough. OR roll each ball gently in more gfJules Gluten Free Flour first.

If needed, dip your fingertips or a rubber spatula into warm water and smooth the tops of the rolls, continuing to re-wet as needed so the dough doesn’t stick to the spatula or your fingers.

Cover lightly with parchment paper and allow to rise for 20 minutes. If your kitchen is cool, a good place to rise these is to turn your oven on to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and then turn it off when it has come to temperature. Place the rolls in the oven after it is turned off.

Remove the rolls after rising in order to preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush rolls with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Once the oven has come to temperature, place the rolls (uncovered) into the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees convection. If your oven doesn’t have convection, use 350 degrees — the rolls will not be as browned.

Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes. The tops of the rolls should be golden, a toothpick inserted into a roll should come out with only dry crumbs, and the internal temperature of the dough should be 195°F or higher.

Once fully cooked, remove rolls to cool in the pan on a wire rack, and gently brush on remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter just before serving. Serve warm.

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NOTES

** Regular active dry yeast may be used here, but should be proved first and added with the liquids rather than with the dry ingredients.

*** Substitutes for mashed potato flakes: arrowroot powder, potato starch or cornstarch can be subbed 1:1 for similar results, but mashed potato flakes are still preferred. You can also just bake a potato or a sweet potato (nightshade-free) and mash it instead. Add about 1/2 cup mashed potato instead of 1/4 cup potato flakes, but reduce the liquids by about 1/8 cup.

To freeze these rolls for serving later, allow time for the rolls to fully cool first. Wrap in two layers of aluminum foil then in two layers of plastic wrap. Place the wrapped rolls in a freezer bag in the freezer.

To reheat, remove plastic wrap and loosen foil enough to spritz or dampen the top of the rolls with water (this will create steam when heated). Re-close the foil around the rolls. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place wrapped rolls in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until they are fully warmed to a temperature of 190 degrees and heated through.

— Courtesy of “Easy Gluten-Free Bread Baking for the Busy, the Untrained, and the Skeptical,” by Jules E. Dowler Shepard (Ewings Publishing LLC, $32).

You can use these gluten-free dinner rolls the day after Thanksgiving for turkey sandwiches. (Courtesy of R.Mora Photography)

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Pioneer Press staffers who cover the Vikings take a stab at predicting Sunday’s outcome against the Chicago Bears at the Bank:

DANE MIZUTANI

Vikings 24, Bears 23: J.J. McCarthy beat the Bears in his NFL debut on the road. As bad as it has looked at times over the past month, McCarthy will limit the mistakes enough to lead the Vikings to a win.

JACE FREDERICK

Vikings 27, Bears 24: Chicago’s defense allows the sixth most yards and fifth most points per game. Alarms will officially be sounded if J.J. McCarthy struggles again.

JOHN SHIPLEY

Bears 24, Vikings 17: The Bears are learning how to win, and Caleb Williams can beat the Vikings with his arm and his feet. If the Vikings can’t make the quarterback uncomfortable, he’ll pick them apart.

CHARLEY WALTERS

Bears 21, Vikings 17: Hard to predict a victory for a team that, even while playing at home last week, committed eight false-start penalties.

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