Bake and Freeze Chocolate Desserts (ISBN 0767900138)

Hey, It Really Works:
When I first ran across this book, I was skeptical. The positive comments on the dust jacket that the recipes really work convinced me and I tried them. I was surprised when all of the recipes worked (the ones I tried, anyway). I now regularly make chocolate desserts from this book and freeze them. Being able to just take something rich and chocolaty from the freezer, thaw, and eat is something not to be missed. Cookbooks written in the 1960's and 1970's used to routinely include instructions for saving and freezing the recipes. This is not true of recent cookbooks. This is a shame, as it a great labor saving technique. The home cook would make a spectacular dessert on a lazy Sunday afternoon or in lieu of a cancelled weekend activity, and freeze it for later use, mainly during the weekdays, when there is no time to properly bake a nice chocolate dessert (not to mention midnight raids for a snack). It is also an excellent way of preparing for parties and such. This book happily brings back this old-fashioned tradition our mothers used to practice regularly. I find 2 factors in this book rather quirky. First, the author recommends melting chocolate in a warm oven, then turning up the heat for the baking. Better methods are the microwave (the author states that she does not have one) or in a double boiler. You also must have a large stand mixer; there are no alternate insturctions for doing the recipes manually. There are some curious errors. This book should have been vetted by a test kitchen. Some of the recipes should involve the use of tempered chocolate (chocolate curls), yet no mention is made of how to temper chocolate or the use of vegetable oil based "summer coatings" (I skip these recipes; there are better ones for making and using tempered chocolate). Some of the recipes involve a dramatic visual presentation (chocolate-covered raspberry mousse mountain), yet there is no picture of the finished product. The instructions for freezing are not a part of the recipes, but are mentioned in sidebars, leaving the cook to guess as to how include the freezing instructions into the recipes. For the most part, this is not a problem, but it can lead to confusion in some recipes. They should have been integrated directly into recipes.

A "must have" chocolate dessert cookbook!:
As the holidays loom nearer, there's nothing like having a few desserts in your freezer on hand for those unexpected guests! The recipes are well written and easy to follow. And the freezing/thawing directions are very helpful, too. Plus, the author gives very good descriptions of specialty ingredients and where to find them.

Delicious, Dependable Recipes:
I used to daydream about moving to Maine because of the scenery. Now I daydream about moving to Maine so I could become Elinor Klivans' best friend! This is my most-used dessert cookbook and provides some of my favorite bedtime reading. I'm addicted to the chocolate chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip cinnamon twists; while my husband loves the peanut butter milk chocolate chip cookies and the white chocolate-chocolate covered cherry brownies. I almost always have a batch of chocolate truffle sauce in the freezer and am not too proud to eat it by itself when a chocolate craving hits. Besides these everyday standbys, this book has provided special occasion desserts that bring raves from guests. The Razzle-Dazzle Raspberry Fudge Pie is a favorite, as are several of the cheesecakes. This book is well-written with clear instructions and interesting notes. I know that these recipes will freeze beautifully and am brave now about applying Mrs. Klivans' techniques to other desserts.

This was a good book!!!:
This book was good i found it had alot of stuff to help me with making and choosing the right chocolate to use!!! The chocolate is a part of our world and we should all try it once and a while!!!The world has had its eye on chocolate and i think u should put some chocolate into your life! So that brings me right back to this book chocolate is the best thing to experiment on with how to make it you should try it once in a while!!! I made some chocolate and it was my first time and it just tasted delicious!! So if your a chocolate lover(like me) than you just have to read this book!!!

This book makes baking fun!:
These desserts are yummy and a cinch to make. The author's directions are easy to follow and she anticipates any questions you might have. This is easily the best dessert cook book I have found. This book makes baking fun!