This cookbook with a Pacific Northwest twist on some familiar bakes was inspiring and fun to cook from. I reviewed it for The British Columbia Review. This article was originally published there on December 5, 2025.
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As a lifelong resident of south coastal British Columbia, I’ve often been inspired by the bounty of fresh, local ingredients that we enjoy. It’s one reason that I was excited to dive into photographer and recipe developer DL Acken’s new cookbook Thyme for Dessert: Sweets & Treats Inspired by the Flavours of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Salt Spring Island-based Acken has written a cookbook both inspiring and surprisingly practical. It’s an homage to the West Coast and the foods we can incorporate into our baking.
It also tends towards the indulgent, with a focus on desserts, always welcome in my house. Acken pays tribute to several cultural influences. “The recipes in this book are inspired by the abundance of flavours that surrounded me when I was growing up on Canada’s western islands…From the glut of wild indigenous ingredients that flourish on the lands of the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples to the myriad of international influences delivered through layers of both Asian and European culinary traditions…”
Danielle (DL) Acken is a food photographer and writer who divides her time between, Vancouver, London, England, and Salt Spring Island. “While these recipes may sound hyper-local, they’re also readily accessible to the home baker,” she writes in Thyme for Dessert
At first glance I spied some ingredients that were unfamiliar to me. Case in point: spruce tips are a key ingredient in Acken’s Spruce Tip Shortbread and Dark Chocolate Spruce truffles. I couldn’t find them locally, but I’ve bookmarked the recipes to try and I’ll keep a close eye out for them. Haskap berries, too, are not my usual fodder, and they feature in her Stargazer Pie.
However, on second reading, this book is actually quite user-friendly, with most recipes requiring reasonably common ingredients. Acken encourages flexibility: “While these recipes may sound hyper-local, they’re also readily accessible to the home baker. Each dish in this book has an easily replicated traditional base enhanced by the addition of local ingredients and flavours, most of which can be switched out for whatever you have on hand.” I love the idea of a basic recipe that adds local flare.
Acken is not only a recipe creator, she’s also a photographer. The book features her beautiful local photography, pictures that make me want to get out and explore. I’d have loved a bit more information about the locations, and whether they are all Salt Spring Island locales. The food styling by Aurelia Louvet enhances the appetising culinary photography.
To test out Thyme for Dessert, I chose three recipes.
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Trish Bowering gives DL Acken’s recipe for apple & aged cheddar scones a try. “A simple recipe at its essence, it reminded me of a scone/biscuit mash-up.”
Apple & Aged Cheddar Scones
It’s apple season, and I just got back from the Okanagan, where the apple orchards were in full display. I returned with Ambrosia apples and I also had a Granny Smith that I picked off my own tree: Perfect for these scones. Acken notes, “Fluffy, savory and a little bit sweet, these scones make use of the incredible apple harvest we get every year here on the farm…” A simple recipe at its essence, it reminded me of a scone/biscuit mash-up. I chopped the apple and grated the cheese, but when it came time to add them into the dough, I was mildly alarmed. There was A LOT of apple, and as I began to knead it in–apple chunks flying across my countertop–I figured there’d be no chance of incorporating it all. I kept going and in a feat of kneading magic, it all came together, though it seemed to be half apple chunks. I put the scones into the oven and wished for the best. To my surprise they turned out beautifully, fully cooked, though a little moist around the fruit, with a great rise. I’d add just a bit more salt next time, but otherwise perfect.
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‘Thyme’ for cranberry squares. “With just two components, the oat crumble and the berry mixture, whipping up these bars was simple,” writes Trish Bowering
Yellow Point Cranberry Cardamom Bars
This recipe appealed to me because after Thanksgiving all the local cranberries were on sale. What to do? Obviously, make Acken’s oaty, fragrant cranberry bars to highlight the season. Acken used cranberries from Ladysmith’s Yellow Point Cranberries. She advises a spice grinder to maximise the potency of the cardamom. Indeed, I cracked cardamom pods and ground the seeds, then worried the spice would be too potent for the bars; the freshly ground spice was almost overwhelming. With just two components, the oat crumble and the berry mixture, whipping up these bars was simple. They baked and set perfectly. Our verdict? Delicious, and the cardamom was subtle but delightfully present. The spice adds interest to what would otherwise be a dependable but familiar bar.
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And…the icing on the cake: “Does anything announce the arrival of autumn more than the appearance of all things pumpkin spice?”
Pumpkin-Spiced Tea Cake
Cakes are not my strong point, but I keep trying! Fall is the perfect time for a pumpkin bundt cake. “Does anything announce the arrival of autumn more than the appearance of all things pumpkin spice?” Acken muses. This cake calls for self-rising flour but it’s not a common commodity in Canada, so I researched how to make it myself with a simple internet search. While the cake was baking, I made the cinnamon cream cheese icing. I suspect my cake didn’t rise as well as Acken’s if her beautiful photo is indicative, and I have to wonder if it was my homemade self-rising flour. However, this cake tasted amazing, and even though it had a denser texture, I served it to several guests who loved it. The icing, by the way, is delicious, and made way more than I needed. I guess I’ll just have to make another cake.
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Part of DL Acken’s photograph portfolio where she attemps “high- quality professional photography that’s good enough to eat.”
Overall, my baking experience with Thyme for Dessert was straightforward, with the fun twist of adding local, seasonal ingredients to my creations. It was wholly satisfying to use in-season, local apples, cranberries, and pumpkin this fall. I enjoyed everything, as did the many people I shared these bakes with.
The index is comprehensive and useful, and there’s a brief section at the back of the book that addresses preserving the season’s bounty, covering ideas like making jams, syrups, and freeze-drying. Each major section is prefaced by handy tips for baking success, which will be welcomed by newer cooks, though I learned a tip of two myself. Acken chose to give measurements in cups and mL, but I would have liked to see the ingredient measurements in grams. It’s a personal preference, though.
I found Acken’s words prescient, when she says at the end of her Introduction: “Whether your end-of-meal tastes lean toward lemony tartness, salty caramel, deep and delicious chocolate, or a traditional cheese plate, I hope this book holds at least one dish that becomes a firm favourite for years to come.” Indeed, I’ve already made the Apple Cheddar Scones twice and it’s destined to become a favourite for me. And no doubt I’ll be on the hunt for spruce tips and haskap berries next spring so I can try even more recipes from this lovely book.
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