Showing posts with label brownies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brownies. Show all posts

The Complete Book of Baking Review

The Complete Book of Baking
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Complete Book of Baking? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Complete Book of Baking. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Complete Book of Baking ReviewLike the other reviewers, I bought this book when it came out in 1993. Back then, I needed some different recipes for my Christmas cookie party. The Complete Book of Baking offers everything from the classic recipes such as Peanut Blossoms to the newer Cranberry and Orange Pinwheels. I've baked many different kinds of cookies as well as breads, using this cookbook, and all of them are easy to follow. It's a shame that this book is now out of stock because my husband has used it so much that the pages are starting to come loose. His favorite recipe is the praline pecan cheesecake, which he makes every year. Our families have bragged about his cheesecakes to every one of their friends. Yet not one of them has asked where he got the recipe.The Complete Book of Baking Overview

Want to learn more information about The Complete Book of Baking?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Mom's Big Book of Baking: 200 Simple, Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Family Treats to Get You Through Every Birthday Party, Class Picnic, Potluck, Bake Sale, Holiday, and No-School Day Review

Mom's Big Book of Baking: 200 Simple, Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Family Treats to Get You Through Every Birthday Party, Class Picnic, Potluck, Bake Sale, Holiday, and No-School Day
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Mom's Big Book of Baking: 200 Simple, Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Family Treats to Get You Through Every Birthday Party, Class Picnic, Potluck, Bake Sale, Holiday, and No-School Day? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Mom's Big Book of Baking: 200 Simple, Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Family Treats to Get You Through Every Birthday Party, Class Picnic, Potluck, Bake Sale, Holiday, and No-School Day. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Mom's Big Book of Baking: 200 Simple, Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Family Treats to Get You Through Every Birthday Party, Class Picnic, Potluck, Bake Sale, Holiday, and No-School Day ReviewI bought this book for a gift but after looking through it I had to keep it for myself. I would say that I am a medium level cook but I think the recipes are so easy and fool proof that even beginers will have success with them. I usually do the bulk of my baking during the holidays. So far I have made mainly the cookies from this book. I was tired of having Christmas cookies that looked good but were lacking in taste. This book has solved that problem for me. For the last two years I have made all of my holiday baking from this book. The almond thumbprints with the milk chocolate ganache is out of this world. Also excellent is the cherry and white chocolate rugelach. I had never tried such a complex cookie before, you have to make a dough, roll it out and shape the cookie, but the results were outstanding. The recipe for apple pie has become my standard Thanksgiving one. Best of all are the notes Lauren writes throughout the book. You feel like you get to know her and her family. Each chapter has an introduction to it so you know what equipment or special techniques you will need. There are also confidence boosts as Lauren explains how easy it really is to make waffles, breads, cookies, etc. I have always wanted to try making homemade pizza dough and Lauren's recipe is so straightfoward that I'm finally going to give it a try. There are no pictures of finished products in this book but I didn't miss them in the least. The recipes are all simple and straightfoward. There is an emphasis on not needing to have special equipment or hard to find ingredients. You probably own all of the equipment you need and all ingredients can be found in your local grocery store. If you should ever want to go a more exoctic route, Lauren also provides an online resource guide so you can find real chocolate sprinkles or the perfect shape cookie cutter. Whenever I want to make a treat this is the first book I reach for. I recommend it to everyone.Mom's Big Book of Baking: 200 Simple, Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Family Treats to Get You Through Every Birthday Party, Class Picnic, Potluck, Bake Sale, Holiday, and No-School Day Overview

Want to learn more information about Mom's Big Book of Baking: 200 Simple, Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Family Treats to Get You Through Every Birthday Party, Class Picnic, Potluck, Bake Sale, Holiday, and No-School Day?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful Review

Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful ReviewWe have always enjoyed the dessert recipes in Bon Appetit magazine so a purchase and review of the cookbook was not a question of if, but when. The Desserts cookbook is big, with quality printing and good color photos. The layout is easy to follow and we thought the use of whisks instead of stars to indicate the complexity of the recipe was creative.
The books begins with pantry and equipment suggestions and then techniques which might be helpful to many. The techniques sections uses illustrations where I believe pictures would have been better. For example, showing dough textures on page 37 is meaningless to the reader. We would suggest that the editor change this in the next version. From here we move to the recipes that starts with cakes.
There does not seem to be any order to how the recipes are organized in each section. There are subsections (example 5 in cakes), but if this was targeted for a large audience then perhaps sections should have started with the one whisk recipes and then moved to the four whisk recipes in each section. The pictures are well done but limited in scope. We have all seen magazines begin to have a light table grid of recipe pictures that could have played well here. At the beginning of each section they could have a 9 photo grid of each recipe and then cut back on the full page pictures. I enjoy pictures and cookbooks can always be lacking in too few of them. Pictures make me want to make the recipe.
The tips and layout of the recipes are good. The recipes selections would keep one entertained in desserts for quite a while with many visits to the treadmill. Our first recipe was a Cranberry Lime tart that did not disappoint. The holiday season will bring some other trials. Lime Snowball cookies looks interesting but it does require lime oil. We actually expected to find more recipes with uncommon ingredients but were pleased that they minimized their inclusion.
Overall we are pleased with the cookbook. You can find some of the recipes already on the Bon Appetit website and if you want a picture that may be the place to look. Amazon and Costco have very good pricing in the U.S.Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful Overview

Want to learn more information about Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets Review

The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets ReviewThe Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets features 75 recipes for desserts and another 25 for cocktail recipes with a lot of high-spirited commentary in between.
The author provides a description of baking ingredients followed by an introduction to 43 spirits (from amaretto to wine, alphabetically). Many of the liquor descriptions include the prevalent flavor which would be helpful to anyone not familiar with it. For example, amaretto is flavored with almonds and frangelico with hazelnuts. This could help cooks avoid flavors they don't like (and spending money for liqueurs they won't like).
I found it very helpful that the author provides a brief commentary for each recipe, and offers an alternate flavor or two for many of them. For example, you can substitute dark rum or brandy for the bourbon in the Bourbon Apple Crisp or berry-flavored vodka for the tequila in the Pink Elephant Milkshakes.
Most of the desserts require just a tablespoon or two of alcohol, so you could use a mini-bottle to try the dessert before committing to buying a larger bottle. The main exceptions are recipes using beer or wine which tend to call for a larger quantity (since the flavors aren't usually as intense as liqueurs). For instance, the champagne cake calls for 2/3 cup of Champagne plus an additional three tablespoons for the buttercream frosting.
Recipes in the Have Your Cake and Drink It Too chapter include:
* Fig and Orange Cake with Ouzo Glaze
* Green Tea and Banana Cake with Sake Syrup
* Molten Chocolate Orange Cake
* Plum Biercake
* Coffee Maple Walnut Cake
* Devilish Angel Food Cake
* Individual Raspberry-Almond Cheesecakes
* "Bottoms Up" Pineapple-Tequila Cake
* Brandied Pear Cake with White Chocolate Chunks
* Pumpkin Pomegranate Layer Cake
* Jagermeister and Honey Bundt Cake
* Champagne Layer Cake
* Lemon Layer Cake with Campari Frosting
* Southern Comfort Red Velvet Cake
* Sachertorte
* "Can't Say Nocello" Carrot Cake Cupcakes
* Lavender Honey-Nut Cupcakes
Recipes in the next chapter, Pies and Tarts A La Booze, include:
* Hard Cider Apple Pie
* Cherry Pie with Scotch and Walnut Crumble
* Preppy Pink and Green Pie
* Blueberry Rum Pie
* Coconut-Sweet Potato Pie
* Margarita Meringue Pie
* Cranberry, Chocolate, and Pecan Pie
* Irish Cream Pie
* Strawberry-Port Linzertorte
* Nightcap Tart
* Grasshopper Tart with Chocolate Chips
* Red Wine Caramel Tart
* Plum and Hazelnut Tart
* Rustic Fig Galette
The next chapter, Raiding the Bar and the Cookie Jar, includes the following recipes:
* Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nuts and a Nip
* "Old-Fashioned" Snickerdoodles
* Double Limoncello Poppy Seed Cookies
* Peanut Butter and Port Thumbprints
* Dirty Girl Scout Cookies
* Banana-Chocolate Chip Biscotti
* Black and White Russian Cookies
* Pistachio-Coconut Madeleines
* Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Orange Liqueur Cream
* Dark and Stormy Hermits with Raisins and Rum
* Apricot Brandy Bars
* Sherried Date Crumble Bars with Almonds and Orange
* Oak Bars
* Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
* Cuba Libre Brownies
The next chapter, Sticky, Saucy, and Spiked: Spoon Desserts, features recipes for:
* Banana-Rum-Raisin Rice Pudding
* Chocolate Pots de Booze
* Schnappy Butterscotch Pudding with Pretzel Brittle
* Vin Santo-Vanilla Panna Cotta with Apricot Compote
* Muscat and Melon Mousse
* Sidecar Souffle
* Berry Chocolate Mousse
* Hazelnut Tiramisu
* Donut Bread Pudding with Tennessee Whiskey Sauce
* Pink Elephant Milkshakes
* Bourbon-Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies
* Lemon-Cherry Semifreddo with Pistachios
* Port Ice Cream Sundaes
* Beer Profiteroles with Chocolate-Beer Sauce
The following chapter, Lush and Fruity Desserts, includes recipes for:
* Pisco-Roasted Pineapple
* Boozy Baked Apples
* Blackberry Chocolate Romanoff
* Tropical Fruit Foster
* Saucy Prunes with Cinnamon and Honey
* Pear and Red Grape Turnovers
* Nectarine-Raspberry Dutch Baby
* Drunken Pear Crisps
* Bourbon Apple Crisp
* Rhubarb-Rose Crisp
* Winter Berry Gratin
* Blueberry-Port Slump with Almond Dumplings
* Gingery Peach Cobbler
* Strawberry and Honey Shortcake
* Chocolate Pavlova with Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Drink recipes are featured throughout the book with the desserts they would compliment. For example, the recipe for "Orange Up" is featured with Molten Chocolate Orange Cake. Drink recipes include:
* Orange Up
* Brandied Pear Belinis
* Honey Bear Cocktail
* Southern Peach
* Lemon Campari Fizz
* Almond Iced Tea
* Cherry Swizzle
* Spiced Blueberry Mojito
* Beer Margaritas
* Nightcap
* Double Mint Fizz
* Cinnamon Old Fashioned
* Ruby Flip
* Dirty Girl Scout
* Clearly Cosmo
* Dark and Stormy Punch
* Butterscotch Hot Chocolate
* Orange Sidecar
* Brown Velvet
* Pisco Punch
* Pete's Hot Buttered Rum
* Tropical Hurricanes
* White Wine Sangria
* Maple Leaf
* Ginger Highball
The index includes the liqueurs and other booze so if you have leftover rum and want to use it in a dessert, you can quickly determine your options (there are 11, including beverages). You can also look up the type of dessert (such as pies or puddings).
The author includes the formulas for metric conversions (ounces to grams, pounds to grams, cups to liters, and Farenheit to Centigrade). She also provides quick reference charts of metric equivalents for volume (from 1/8 teaspoon to 1 gallon), oven temperatures, length (1/4 inch to 15 inches), and weight (1 ounce to 1 pound) as well as for butter (2 teaspoons to ½ pound).
My only suggestion for improvement would have been to include more photos of the finished desserts. Only 28 of the 75 dessert recipes (and 5 of the 25 drink recipes) included photos (which were full page, color and well-styled).
This was a fun read and I am looking forward to baking several of the treats to liven up my next office potluck.
If you like this book, you might want to check out Booze Cakes: Confections Spiked With Spirits, Wine, and Beer which has a similar fun tone and concentrates on cakes infused with liquor.The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets Overview

Want to learn more information about The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun Review

A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun ReviewI have Marcy Goldman's two previous books and I can only say she gets better with each effort. This one is truly magnificent- filled to the rooftops with glorious photos that you want to devour themselves! But the recipes? This is a totally awesome, instant classic baking book. Each recipe features that trademark Goldman creative baking style she showcases at her site (www.BetterBaking.com) and yet each one as easy as pie. This is NOT your average baking book (it also lies flat on the counter- Yea!) but it certainly is for all levels of bakers. Where else could you find grainy/healthy/decadent/holiday (she has one definitive recipe for each holiday) and even a quick baking chapter. This book is worth its weight in gold for the biscotti and cheesecake chapters alone. I know- I have already mailed out by-request biscotti from coast to coast and made her Chocolate Eruption Cheesecake, not once, but twice. Wherever I go- I am, thanks to this book, the most-requested guest. Recipes are worth every extra mile around the running track! Marcy- you've outdone yourself this time!A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun Overview

Want to learn more information about A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion Review

The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion ReviewI purchased this book after seeing the author on Martha Stewart. This will be the third book I've purchased in a 6 month time frame after seeing the author on her show.
Let me start out by saying the photos for this book were very well done. They are so enticing they make you want to bake something.
Whenever I purchase a new book I start out with something simple. In this case I tried the Irish Soda Bread. The recipe required 4 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of instant dry yeast for 6 cups of bread flour. I thought the ratio of yeast for this amount of flour was a lot but followed the recipe instructions.
The result was not good, the bread had a strong yeast taste and was dry. The recipe also called for raisins which offered not very much to the taste, as the yeast was overwhelming. Also, the instructions indicated to bake at 400 degrees F for about 1 hour, mine was done in 40 minutes.
I'm willing to try another recipe from this book and hoping that the measurements for the yeast was an error.
There are a lot of recipes in this book that you will typically find in a good baking book, that also covers ingredients, equipment and storage.
The recipe contents are quick breads (muffins, scones, pastries), cookies, brownies and bars, pies and tarts, cobblers, crisps and buckles, trifles, mousses, and pudding, cakes breads and foccias and savories.The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion Overview

Want to learn more information about The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Occasion?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southhampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads Review

Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southhampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southhampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southhampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southhampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads ReviewI am an avid baker. I have a collection of close to 200 cookbooks and this is absolutely the best of all of them ! Every recipe I have tried has been nothing short of delicious.Anyone who enjoys baking needs to own a copy of this book !Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southhampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads Overview

Want to learn more information about Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southhampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Gottlieb's Bakery: Savannah's Sweetest Tradition (GA) (The History Press) Review

Gottlieb's Bakery: Savannah's Sweetest Tradition (GA) (The History Press)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Gottlieb's Bakery: Savannah's Sweetest Tradition (GA) (The History Press)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Gottlieb's Bakery: Savannah's Sweetest Tradition (GA) (The History Press). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Gottlieb's Bakery: Savannah's Sweetest Tradition (GA) (The History Press) ReviewI just received a copy of this book- "Gottlieb's Bakery- Savannah's Sweetest Tradition" in the mail. I have spent about 20 minutes looking at it and comparing it to the original cookbook, that was spiral bound and called "Gottlieb's Bakery- 100 years of recipes". They are almost the same book. The second book, that I am officially reviewing here, seems to have all the recipes that were in the original book-but I did not notice any new ones. So unless I missed something, the recipe content seems to be identical in the two books. The new book has 4 two sided sheets of paper, with color pictures of some of the baked goods featured in the recipes. The two books are almost identical in length-but the older, out of print edition did not have color photos and the new book does has a few more "memories" at the beginning of the book. So, to sum it up, the second book is, in my opinion, a polished up, reissue of the first book that is now out of print . So, if you have the first book, you do not need this book unless you'd just like a new copy!
Why the 5 stars? Because it is an excellent baking book. I have tried the candy sprinkle cookies ( which I changed slightly), the hamantashen, and the danish pastry method and fillings. All were delicious. Even when the first book was selling for over $100 used, I would not sell mine- because I loved it too much ( and it was too marked up with my own notes!). Now, anyone who would like a copy of this cookbook can buy the new edition for a very reasonable price.Gottlieb's Bakery: Savannah's Sweetest Tradition (GA) (The History Press) Overview

Want to learn more information about Gottlieb's Bakery: Savannah's Sweetest Tradition (GA) (The History Press)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery Review

Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery ReviewLet me start out by saying that being a New Yorker, I've visited the Fat Witch Bakery more times than I can count or remember. If I haven't strolled into the store to buy their treats, or sent my husband there on a 911 dessert emergency, I've had them delivered to my apartment by messenger. I could pick out a Fat Witch brownie from a lineup, blindfolded. So, to say I know them well is an understatement :) This is a beautifully produced, photographed, and written book - one that I've been anxiously awaiting so that I can replicate the Fat Witch brownie magic at home. However, much like a previous reviewer said, all of the recipes I have tried (and I'm a very experienced home baker) produce cake-like brownies and are very much UNlike the actual dense and rich Fat Witch brownies/blondies from the bakery. It's evident that Patricia Helding guards her recipes and ingredients well - you'll never find an ingredient list for any of her bars on the bakery's website... they are only printed on a tiny label that is affixed to each treat, almost as if they don't want anyone to actually read them. After having tried numerous recipes from the book, and two of the recipes twice over using different methods each time, it makes me think that none of the recipes will replicate the Fat Witch bakery's products, nor are they the same recipes that the bakery uses. This is a great dessert bar cookbook if you have no interest in mimicking Fat Witch brownies. In my mind, the reason professional bakeries and restaurants release cookbooks is so that home cooks can recreate their favorite dishes and desserts for their own family and friends. I've never come across another restaurant/bakery cookbook that comes as far away from the original dishes/desserts as this one... it makes me absolutely irate that Patricia Helding acts like she's opening up the vault, and all she's doing is publishing a set of bar recipes that bear little to no resemblance to what has made her bakery so famous.Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery Overview

Want to learn more information about Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe Review

The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe ReviewThis book is incredible. Since it has arrived, I have made three recipes and they all have been awesome. The recipes are easy to read and understand, and are organized so that no steps are omitted. I especially appreciate notations indicating that mistakes can be made in this step and what to do if it occurs. The Triple Threat Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best I've ever made or tasted. And the Omelette Kolache recipe is worth the price of the book if you ever have to make breakfast for a buffet. Overall if you are new to pastry and want a word class book with fairly simple and uncomplicated recipes - this is it. What Rather's recipes miss from traditional pastry books that resemble art work, she makes up in wholesome goodness and taste that will make this a kitchen page turner. Great job!The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe Overview

Want to learn more information about The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe Review

Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe ReviewThe book begins with a baking overview of sorts. It gives an explanation of techniques that will be used throughout the book. Then, it goes over baking equipment. Next, the book has a short discussion of ingredients. The section on ingredients offers quite a bit of information on things like the right temperature for the ingredients and reasons why unsalted butter is better than salter butter in the recipes. After that, the book has Joanne's Top 12 Baking Tips with explanations for each tip. The author also has quite a few explanations on the science behind the tip or technique throughout the book.
The book covers breakfast treats, cookies, cakes, pies & tarts, other sweets, and breads. Each chapter has popular treats (i.e. red velvet cake, sticky buns, and chocolate chunk cookies, which are wonderful) and also has more unique recipes, too (i.e. hazelnut-almond dacquoise, lemon marshmallow meringue pie, and rosemary shortbread). There are also recipes to make homemade versions of popular, American treats, such as oreos, pop tarts, and fig newtons.
One downside to this book is that there are few pictures. For example, only about four of the twenty-five recipes in the cookie section have a picture, which is a shame because the pictures in the book are beautiful. One note - the carrot cake recipe calls for baking the cupcakes for 50 minutes, but mine were done after 25 minutes. I'm not sure whether that was a typo or whether I just have a hot oven.
*Update 11/7/10* The chocolate chunk cookies were some of the best chocolate chip cookies that I've ever made. I also really liked the Chunky Lola cookies. The surprise hit so far, though, was the cornmeal lime cookies. They were surprisingly addictive and the perfect end to a Latin-flavored meal.
*Update 12/13/10* I took this cookbook home for the holidays. We made a huge batch of the sticky sticky buns, and they were incredibly rich and so yummy. They taste like a cross between a honey bun and a traditional sticky bun. A couple notes - One, you may want to put a cookie sheet under the rolls as they cook. We had quite a mess to clean up when the goo from one of the rolls bubbled over. Second, baking the rolls in a glass pan seemed to help them cook more evenly than baking them in a metal pan.
*Update 1/27/11* After reading reviews of other cookbooks on here, I felt that I should note that this book has the ingredients listed by weight and by volume (i.e. grams and cups). I know that a lack of weight measurements can be a make or break issue for some people with a cookbook, so I wanted to make it clear that this book does have measurements listed both ways.Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe Overview

Want to learn more information about Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours Review

Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours ReviewI live in Chicago and had never heard of Sarabeth before this cookbook, but the preview on Amazon looked great so I tried it. All I can say is it is AMAZING. I am not a baker -- I have baked, and enjoy cooking, but I'm not remotely proficient at baking. With this book, I feel like the real thing. As others have said, her descriptions are very-very detailed and the pictures are wonderful. They are especially important for the dough. I made the Raspberry-Lemon Cake for a birthday party, and it is not an exaggeration to say people thought they were eating a professional wedding cake. It was the best cake I've ever made by a long way. The blueberry preserves are also out this world. Next, I'm going to tackle the croissants. I think I might actually be able to do it.
Word of warning, this book is not for the faint of heart. Some of the recipes are wonderfully simple (e.g., the preserves, cookies), but many of them have a number of steps. At least, the ones I've tried do. She is excellent at explaining which steps can be done ahead, which is a godsend. And you really do feel great when your recipe turns out. She does not shy away from listing the materials that are ideal for a recipe, but as someone who does not plan to turn into a baking machine, I make do with the materials I have on hand. My substitutions have been fine (e.g., one kind of rolling pin, not two or three; regular round cake pans, not special cake rings for layering). I don't skimp on the ingredients, but there is nothing exotic listed -- cake flour, bread flour, butter, sugar, etc. She has a great tip for working with vanilla beans, btw, but she also tells you when pure vanilla extract will do.
If you feel like taking a shot at baking, this book is very worth your effort. And if you are already an accomplished baker, I'm guessing you'll still love the luscious recipes in the book.
Update 11/21/10 - made the croissants over the weekend. They were way, way easier to make than I expected, and they were perfectly flakey and delicious -- a huge hit in the house. Total time I spent measuring, mixing and rolling was maybe half an hour. The rest of the time the dough just sits. I've read the directions in other books for how to make croissants, and the method Sarabeth came up with is dramatically easier than anything else I've seen. It's worth the price of the book on its own. Next I'm going to try the puff pastry and make some turnovers.
btw -- the size of the croissants she provides are about half the size of bakery croissants. It's a nice size for a party or if you don't want overkill. To have a typical bakery-size croissant, I roll out to a single 24" x 8" rectangle, and then mark a 6" base for each croissant. It took a bit of trial and error to come to these measurements, so I thought I'd share them.Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours Overview

Want to learn more information about Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...