Baking and Confections Books

As a culinary student, my chocolates and confections class instructor relied heavily on this book to teach us recipes and techniques. My team has yet to fail in any of our candy making endeavors. :)

Part food-porn, and all instructional, if you're serious about making the best ganaches, chocolates and confections, look no further. This book is absolutely indespensible.

My wife wanted this for Valentine's Day. It went over swimmingly. She's a bit of a cooking freak. I can't vouch for the contents of this book, but it's managed to give her ambitions to be an artisan chocaltier.

This book is a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. I am getting into the chocolate business and have a recent certificate in chocolate making. Of all of the books I have read on chocolate making, this one has the best lay out and photographs. The how to sections are easily read for the amateur but very comprehensive for those wishing to read further.

Excellent book. Lots of technical detail for those readers who enjoy such information. The recipes are not for the faint-of-heart, and some should be considered "expert" level. All will take plenty of practice to perfect. Nevertheless, this is one of the best books I have on making chocolates.

Chef Peter Greweling is THE source for all things confectionery. He has devoted his study to candy-making and if you cannot find yourself in his classroom, this book is the next best thing. Geared toward the working professional more than the casual at-home cook, but attainable for most skill levels due to thorough and thoughtful explanations of the processes that must be controlled in order to be successful with ingredients like sugar and chocolate. Highly recommended.

When it comes to professional caliber instructions and instructions for baking and pastry, this book is clearly top of the heap. It may be a little expensive, but it is easily the equivalent of at least a dozen other books on pastry with glossy, fancy photos and a big, famous name on the cover. If you are a professional who plans to advance your career, this book is a must have. Please note that this is volume 2 of the series; you are expected to go through the volumes in order, so this book assumes that you have already gone through and mastered volume 1.

This book has a lot to offer the professional. Note that the emphasis on this volume is production. It goes beyond the basics of volume 1 (sanitation, making batters, proper baking techniques, etc.), while fancy, sophisticated decorations are reserved for volumes 3 and 4. The mini lessons in this volume are more or less equivalent to the instructions I got at culinary school. The great value here is that there are many more subjects in this book than in any cooking school class. If there is something you wish to do but never did at school, the recipes in this book will give you enough detail to do it successfully the first time through.

Even for the home cook, there is much here of great value. Like cooking school, the lessons in this book are designed for cooks who may or may not have previous experience. If you are going to try something from this book, you must follow all the instructions to the letter, gather the necessary tools and ingredients, have patience, and expect to fail once or twice before you get the hang of it. Also, pay careful attention to the difficulty ratings to the recipes; the instructions make everything look easy, but this is misleading. If all you get out of this book is the proper method to make pastry cream and creme anglaise, a couple of candies, a decorated cake or two, a couple of tarts, and brioche, then this book is very worthwhile.

There are a few cautions, however. I found some format problems: pictures mis-labeled, the butter cream section is messed up, etc. The original copyright date is 1985, and first published in English in 2000; this means that the patisserie here is probably 3 decades old, and much of it very out of fashion. Also, note the title is "Professional French Pastry", and bears little relation to pastry as it is commonly served here in the US. It's primary value is that of a training manual, and not a guide to current, trendy pastry trends or tricks.

It has chapters on: basic creams, 2 chapters on secondary creams, confectionery, and finished pastries (pate a choux, cakes, tarts, puff pastry, and brioche presentation). The last section on finished pastries is by definition advanced, and occupies the second half of the book.

An excellent and complete manual for French pastry. These classic techniques are taught to every French pastry apprentice. They are all basic instuctions but very detailed and can be built on very easily. Only caveat: the ingredients used are French and/or European and American equivalents aren't suggested. Only the language has been translated-but not the culture!

I have purchaced this book just because i like french pastries and like to try myself to make those wonderful pastries that we see in the vitrine. And i did not regret that.Now I am going to purchace the full series.After reading ,this book I can now prepare brioche,eclair,petit pain,cream cormet.Buy them I promise you will not regret at all.All my friend do not believe that i cook them myself.

This book stands out from most of my other cookbooks because it does not only focus on what to put into the things it describes, but how to do it, and what not to do. The latter is, for some reason, quite hard to find.

Don't expect a book for keeping on the table in the living room because of its pretty pictures, like the latest trend in cookbooks seems to mandate. This book is directed towards people who need to do something in the kitchen, and tries to tell them how in a relatively simple way.

A very nice book, although it is directed towards learning in a professional environment. You will also need volume 1 to get the full benefit of this book.

This is truly an old-fashioned style smorgasboard of a holiday season book. The origins of the holiday days in December and January are detailed and the recipes included have a meaning specific to Christmas, Hanukah and various European-celebrated holidays during that time of the year. Marvelous cakes, scrumptious candies, fabulous traditional cookies...I have used this book for over 28 years for holiday cooking and ideas, and a reminder as to the meaning behind the holidays. All of Mimi Sheraton's books are truly wonderful--this is my personal favorite and always a pleasure to read thru and use. The Gingerbread Cake that was a favorite of Abraham Lincoln's is fabulous; I learned to make truffles from this book, as well. A marvelous book for those of us who cherish the spirit of the holidays, family, and home.

I always wanted to make some kind if chocolates and this is the book that inspired me! His directions connected with me instantly. Giving me the confidence I needed. The tarragon with candied grapefruit was my first attempt. And they came out exquisit. Lemon verbena and the anise with pink peppercorn were also got rave reviews. The tahitan marshmallows were also a first. Wonderful just wonderful! The malt ice cream ,roasted banana ice cream. And i can go on and on. I'm a middle aged guy who likes to cook and bake and now i do chocolates. Get the book, you'll be very happy you did.

After moving from California up to Seattle, this book was published just in time to fulfill my "Recchuiti withdrawals." Anyone who loves chocolate beyond healthy amounts (hehe) needs this book! The best brownie recipe - EVER - should be the selling point here! The recipes are not for "semi-homemade people" if you know wha I mean - set aside time to love and enjoy the process of making delicious confections!

I was more than pleased with my purchase. Transaction was very simple and quick. Delivery was incredible fast. Could not believe that I received my book as quick as I did. A++++++++++++

A very well written and thought out book, beautiful photographs and excellent recipes that are easy to follow. A must have for chocoholics.

Contents of book: About 25 chocolate candy recipes (1/2 the book), Snacks (brownies, cookies, cupcakes, souflees), chocolate drinks, and ice creams.

The best part of this book is that Recchiuti gives you the recipes of the real chocolates that he sells on his website and stores. Tea, Burnt Caramel, tarragon/grapefruit, cardamonom, malt with honeycomb, fleur de sel, rose caramel, kona, ginger, and so on - they are all there. Given that Recchiuti is known as one of the top chocolatiers in the country, this is really incredible. If you are a serious chocolate candy maker, this book is a must-have.

The difficulty level of this book is hard for chocolates, easy for other parts. Most of the chocolate recipes use invert sugar (not a common ingredient). Some of the spices are specialized (verbena, or rose water). Molding technique is obviously difficult. On the other hand, the other sections are at a much lower level of difficulty.

This book is not heavy on technique pictures or descriptions of techniques. You almost have to know the techniques before you do them.


If you are looking for chocolate techniques, "chocolate confections" by Greweling is a better book, as is "Making Artisan Chocolates" by Shotts.
To me, this is more of a ganache recipe book.


For me, the bottom line is that Recchiuti shares his recipes for his *entire line* of top end chocolates. He's giving away all his trade secrets in this book. You gotta have it for that reason.

I wanted to make fondant candies and there are NO recipes in this book. There's also no recipe for penuche. The truffle recipes look easy and good, and there's some good information on working with chocolate, but I was disappointed by it.

This book made a great Christmas gift for my daughter. Thanks

This is a great book that shows you how to make fabulous candies at home easily.The author gives a wealth of information about chocolate and other ingredients, minimal equipment needed, and great recipes. My favorites are Caramel Chocolate Truffles, Orange-Hazelnut-Chocolate Clusters, Chocolate Nut Bark, and Mocha-Spice Fudge. Everyone on my list will be receiving homemade candy this holiday season.I enjoyed this book [...].My personal favorites are the truffles, especially the Green Tea Truffles

I made the classic truffles recipe from this book and it turned out great, my fiance ate the truffle middles before I got a chance to dip them.

Carole Bloom says that this book is "all about pleasure" on page 1. This 200-page book includes recipes and techniques for making a wide variety of candy and chocolates right in your own home.

The book is organized topically into chapters: Introduction, Ingredients, Equipment and Tools, Techniques, Truffles, More Chocolate Candies, Caramel Candies, Nut Brittles and Marzipan, Fudge Nougat and Divinity, Fruit Candies and an Appendix of Sugar Stages/Temperatures/Weights and Measurement Equivalents.

Using the chapters on techniques and ingredients, even the beginner will be able to create luscious truffles at home. While there are only 11 photographs in the book, the equipment chapter has several drawings that will enable you to locate the right tool.

Each recipe includes a brief introduction, an expected yield, a list of ingredients, paragraph-style instructions on how to prepare the recipe, and variations. Recipes include Tropical Clusters, Swiss Chocolate Truffles, and Florentines.

From the basic to the exotic, you are sure to find the candy recipe you need in this little book.

This book is fun. but I really got this only becuz I saw the bride and groom cookies and wanted to make them. Consequently, I didn't use those but made the cookies with the flower basket (weaving the fondant etc) and that turned out beautifully. Good ideas for reference.

I was expecting something more useful. Some of the cookies looked lumpy, and the decorating wasn't of the highest caliber.

I purchased Mr. Morgan's last book (about Gingerbread Houses) and loved it, I couldn't wait to get my hands on his latest creation. As usual his creativity and talent shines through. I enjoy giving these types of books as gifts because my friends and I are not pastry chefs, we are merely mothers who want to make things that taste great, look great, and that can be recreated without the official title of 'pastry chef' after our names. Mr. Morgan's book does all of this. The colors, the pictures, the recipes, a treasure from cover to cover. Hope my friends don't read this, or they'll know what they're getting for Christmas! I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!

This delightful book shows, step-by-step, how to create elegant confections from basic cookie dough. "The Artful Cookie" explains in simple detail, how to prepare four basic dough recipes and four recipes for glaze, ganache and icings. In clear language, Pastry Chef, Aaron Morgan, outlines easy professional techniques, using ordinary ingredients and kitchen utensils to create delectable cookies you'd be proud to serve anywhere for any occasion.
The Artful Cookie is a great present for parents who want to have fun in the kitchen with their children, as well as "the older kid" in all of us. The how-to photos are easy to follow, encouraging use of imagination in creating your very own delectable designs, and the results are downright delicious!

I was very much looking forward to receiving this book, but was generally disappointed with it. I agree with the reviewer who said the cover was the best part. Many of the cookie decorations were mundane and rather unprofessional looking. This book didn't offer anything innovative or new.

I received this set as a Christmas gift two years ago and I've given several of them for Christmas gifts ever since. The recipes are solid and the photos are beautiful. I really like that each recipe is on a card and I am not balancing a huge book as I'm trying to bake. I've been known to even throw the cards of the cookies I want to make in my purse before heading to the grocery store instead of making a list of the ingredients to save time. I highly recommend this!

"Today, families bake and pass along their treasured family Christmas cookies as heirlooms from past generations. This clever card collection features timeless cookies, family favorites, cookies for gift giving and mailing, and elegant party cookies." - From the deck

The Christmas Cookie Deck by Lou Seibert Pappas includes 50 cards with a festive, colorful photograph on one side and recipe on the other.

Some of the recipes you'll find in this deck include:

* Springerle
* Lebkuchen
* Viennese Marzipan Bells
* Christmas Biscotti
* Dried Cherry-Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
* Embossed Macadamia Stars
* Coconut-Pecan Toffee Squares
* Tangy Lemon Bars
* Pepparkakor
* Almond-Praline Wafers
* Gianduia Snowballs

In addition to cookies, recipes for bars are also included. While The Christmas Cookie Deck contains familiar recipes such as Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread, and Peanut Butter Blossoms-most of the cookies seem exotic. Not only that, most recipes include nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios, and almonds especially)-and not everyone likes nuts (and some are allergic to them). Also, the recipes call for unsalted butter. I don't know about you, but I only use salted butter so that may prove to be problematic for some individuals.

The photographs are very attractive and festive, but many of the recipes seem complicated, employ ingredients that most won't have on hand (some ingredients I've never heard of before!), and are just not that appealing.

I realize there's no accounting for taste. In addition, some people enjoy going all-out when baking for Christmas. However, if you're looking for time-saving family-friendly recipes-especially ones without nuts-you'll probably want to pass on The Christmas Cookie Deck.