Notifying customers about the items they should avoid seems simple enough when the item in question is an entrée. But when it comes to desserts—and baked goods in particular—serving up gluten-free alternatives becomes particularly challenging. Cakes and cupcakes, cookies, breads, brownies, pies, and confections such as chocolates can all fall into the danger zone for someone who’s sensitive to gluten. Since no responsible restaurant wants to be associated with food that makes someone ill, owners might be tempted to shy away from trying to appeal to this particular customer altogether, thinking it’s too big of a risk.

Still, there are a few large chain restaurants, such as UNO Chicago Grill, that include desserts on their gluten-free menus. UNOs promotes its Strawberry and Mango Smoothies (made with berries and frozen yogurt), Chocolate Monkey (chocolate, bananas, and frozen yogurt), Tropical Fruit Freezer, and Raspberry Lime Ricky to those looking for gluten-free sweet options. PF Chang’s has a Flourless Chocolate Dome served with fresh berries and raspberry sauce. And Carraba’s Italian Grill features the John Cole, a dessert with vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce and roasted cinnamon rum pecans on its gluten-free menu. But are smoothies, ice cream, and flourless cakes the only answer?

A number of chefs and restaurateurs who specialize in gluten-free desserts beg to differ. They’ve written cookbooks on the subject; own bakeries that specialize in gluten-free; have built entire businesses on creating delicious gluten-free dessert products sold in stores. Who better, then, to advise those who’d like to tap into the trend? Following is their advice on how to supply desserts that will satisfy the most discerning gluten-free customer.

Beware Cross Contamination

Restaurants need to have a clean area to prepare their gluten-free products, and they should pre-mix their flours and label them, says Sue Baldassano, director of education at The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City. Baldassano, who teaches a number of classes in gluten-free baking at the school, adds that owners must educate staff about the importance of keeping gluten-free items separate from items containing gluten. They should also prepare baked goods in small quantities as the shelf life of many gluten-free baked goods is short. And, she adds, “They might also benefit from having a chef who is knowledgeable about gluten-free cooking do a workshop with their staff.”

Swirlz Cupcakes in Chicago has a rigid protocol that it follows to keep the integrity of its gluten-free items. Team members bake the gluten-free cupcakes first, so that the risk of cross contamination is minimized, and they only use specially-dedicated equipment. They also test the air for ambient allergens such as wheat flour that might be floating around, with the goal of keeping that percentage as low as possible.

Nana’s Cookie Co., which makes a line of gluten-free cookies available at selected Ralphs stores and other food stores nationwide, is mindful of cross contamination at all times, says Miriam Diamond, the company’s founder. “We use all stainless steel equipment, and separate equipment is used to make the gluten-free foods,” Diamond says. “There are dedicated times and days when we’ll work only on the gluten-free line.” The company offers 10 gluten-free products, including lemon dreams cookie bites, chocolate crunch cookies, and berry vanilla cookie bars. Diamond prides herself on the quality of her products. “We only use top ingredients,” she says. “They’re costly, but you’ll taste the difference.

Consider Outsourcing …

Rather than creating desserts in-house, it might make more sense to consider buying from a local gluten-free bakery, says Carol Fenster, a gluten-free cooking expert and author of 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes (Wiley, 2008). That way, she says, you can be sure that the desserts are made in a facility that is totally dedicated to gluten-free. Even so, “the restaurant still must have a dedicated storage area for gluten-free items,” Fenster says.

… But Stay on Top of Traceability

“It’s important to know the supplier and their manufacturing process,” says Tracey Downey, director of research and development for Xan Confections, a Southern California–based gourmet chocolate company, whose line features gluten-free confections. “You have to make sure the person you are purchasing from has been diligent about their practices,” she says.