Confectionery Books

Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner

Peter P. Greweling, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

Amazon Price: $40.95 List Price: $65.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $35.94

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

a superb handmade chocolates book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Superb handmade and production based artisanal chocolate book. Everything under the sun and more. The recipes and techniques are outstanding. The flavor combos are delicious. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in chocolate making or a budding pastry chef or chocolatier.

very nice work 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

All you need to know about chocolate is in this book. It gives a review of all topics related and explains why chocolate is such an special ingredient in culinary arts.

Editorial Review:

Chocolate and candy making today is undergoing a renaissance in public awareness and status. This comprehensive book combines artisan confectionery techniques with accessible explanations of the theory and science as well as formulas for use in production. Fundamental information for the confectioner includes ingredient function and use, chocolate processing, and artisan production techniques. The book contains 140 formulas and variations for beautiful confections, including dairy-based centers, crystalline and noncrystalline sugar confectionery, jellies, and nut center and aerated confections.

Cake Art: Simplified Step-by-Step Instructions and Illustrated Techniques for the Home Baker to Create Showstopping Cakes and Cupcakes

The Culinary Institute of America

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lebhar-Friedman Books Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $12.24

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great reference for bakers with some experience 4 out of 5 stars.
28 of 28 people found this review helpful.

The Culinary Institute of America has come out with yet another beautiful and useful book: Cake Art. If you've ever had an interest in interest in creating dramatic desserts, this is a volume for you, although I wouldn't call this a book for beginners. It starts with an overview of tools and components that I found myself wishing had a bit more to it: more individual photos of each item rather than trying to discern elements in group photos, more explanation of what to do and how to do it, and more tips.

However, it's not a paralyzing shortcoming, as you can get some of that from browsing online retailers, stores, and catalogs. Where the book really shines is in the techniques and instructions. For example, on page 31 there is a photo with three spoons of meringue, one stiff, one medium, and one soft-peaked. There are formulas for both hard and soft ganaches (Books often don't explicitly set the two side-by-side, and there's a big difference in the resulting texture and use.) as well as modeling chocolate. You can learn to make ribbons and coverings of fondant. Pipe a flower from buttercream (with a tip on how to reconstitute the mixture if it separates) or mold it from molding chocolate, marzipan, or fondant. In short, there is a lot to learn.

And that might be the big problem for many would-be cake decorators. Some of these techniques require practice, and a lot of it. If you go directly to the projects and try to work your way backward into the techniques, the results are going to be disappointing. If you want to undertake a given project (each, smartly, tells you how far in advance - weeks in some cases - to start different parts), then read through, write down the techniques that are necessary, and practice well in advance. You don't really think that pastry chefs start on this level of work their first day of class, do you? However, if you are willing to spend some time, this book should be well worth your while.

Editorial Review:

If you have a creative spirit and want to try your hand at cake and cupcake decorating, Cake Art is for you. Chefs from the CIA's prestigious Baking and Pastry faculty describe the various techniques and provide easy-to-follow instructions so the home baker can create beautiful cakes and cupcakes. Cake decorating is an activity that can be enjoyed by everyone and children can help with 8 of the 27 projects included in Cake Art.

Truffles: 50 Deliciously Decadent Homemade Chocolate Treats

Dede Wilson

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harvard Common Press Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $7.58

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A complete disaster... 1 out of 5 stars.
12 of 17 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book after reading the raving reviews and tried two recipes last night: white chocolate truffles and cognac truffles. To my dismay, the cognac truffles never solidified and when I tried to roll them became blobs of chocolate instead, plus the quantity of cognac is excessive. The white chocolate truffles held up better (there is more fat in white chocolate) but were too mushy. After reading other chocolate books and comparing, I found out most truffle recipes call for butter which helps solidify the chocolate. This book only has chocolate and heavy cream in the ingredient in practically all recipes. I am so surprised at the 5 star reviews when 2 of the most basic recipes were such a dissapointment. And to think I wasted 4lb of wonderful chocolate!

Editorial Review:

The gourmet chocolate market is growing like gangbusters, and Truffles offers 50 recipes for indulgent chocolate truffles using high-quality chocolate infused with a wide range of fabulous flavorings. Anyone can become a master truffle maker with these clear, easy-to-follow recipes and tips on truffle-making basics, choosing the right chocolate, and decorating and storing truffles. Filled with beautiful 4-color photographs, this is the only book on the market devoted entirely to truffles.

Candy Making For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking))

David Jones

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: For Dummies Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $10.84

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Candy Making for Everybody! 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 30 people found this review helpful.

There may be fancier candy-making books written by better known authors, but David Jones knows what he's talking about. He is a highly respected member of the candy industry and the owner of the Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen in Helen, Georgia, a popular tourist destination.

His recipes are precise and well written with much more information than you'll find in most candy books. Once you see them, you'll want to drop everything and get started making candy, David's way.

This book should be in every candy-maker's library.

Editorial Review:

How sweet it is! More than 100 recipes plus terrific tips and tricks

Explore the art of cooking candy and create sweet masterpieces!

If you want to concoct irresistible treats for your friends and family, this book gets you cooking! You'll discover proper techniques and use them to create incredible candies. Recipes range from fondues to fondants, simple meltaways to decadent truffles, fun kids' treats to cream-filled delicacies. Indulge!

Discover how to
* Choose the proper utensils and ingredients
* Melt, temper, and mold chocolate
* Fine-tune your skills with professional secrets
* Create special holiday treats
* Bag, box, or wrap candies for gifts

Who Wants Candy?

Jane Sharrock

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HP Trade Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $8.41

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

You Know You Have To Buy The Book When... 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

You have checked a book out of the public library more than a few times! I've enjoyed this book for quite some time and just recently broke down and purchased it. I've had great success with everything I have tried. My normally "I don't eat sweets" husband could not stop raving about the Hopscoth Candy. Beware, you may not be able to stop eating your confections! :) I've read many books on candy making and this one is by far the most informative. It has a nice layout with a wealth of recipes for every level of candy-maker. What more could you ask for?

Editorial Review:

Third-generation candy-maker Jane Sharrock shares here some 400 recipes for mouth-watering candies, chocolates, pralines, crèmes, fudges, cookies, toffee, and holiday treats. This step-by-step candy bible covers everything from the traditional to the exotic. Complete with instructional chapters on the basics of candymaking, it deserves a place on every cookbook shelf. This collection features such irresistable treats as:

Marry Me Toffee € Pistol Pete's Peanut Brittle € Grace's Walnut Butter Fudge € Cherry Almond Bark € Panache Penuche € Raspberry-Fudge Truffles € and something called Aunt Bill's Brown Candy...

Plus: € No-bake cookies
€ Practical and fascinating information about ingredients and candy chemistry
€ Dipping candies in chocolate
€ A basic candy glossary

Sugar Flowers for Cake Decorating

Alan Dunn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Sugar Flowers for Cake Decorating 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a must have for cake decorators who make flowers. As with all Alan Dunn books it is beautifully presented. He is truly the master of flowers in sugar.

Editorial Review:

The ability to create delicate, realistic sugarcraft flowers is one of the things that set top cake decorators apart from lesser bakers. Their secrets are revealed here through hundreds of color photographs that show each step in the creative process. Targeted at intermediate to advanced cake decorators, the instruction begins with selecting and using both basic and specialized equipment, and making suitable fondants or other sugary icings from which an assortment of flowers can be fashioned. Individual flowers, larger sprays, and complete arrangements are all covered, encompassing a total of 32 unique types of blossoms. Fifteen featured designs range from a simple but elegant heart-shaped anniversary cake to a breathtaking two-tiered wedding cake with floral sprays that would make any bride proud.

Candymaking

Ruth Kendrick

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The best available book on candy 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book not long after its release, almost twenty years ago. As I was in a period of prolonged unemployment at the time, I thought learning "a little something" about candy would help pass the time. The authors hooked me and I haven't stopped making their delicious treats since!

The fondants in particular are precisely explained and the methodical instruction allows for understanding of the underlying candy structure. I have since used these recipes to branch out and make many new flavors of my own, and often make over 100 pounds of dipped fondants at Christmastime, as gifts.

It's true, as another reviewer has noted, the instructions on chocolate dipping and tempering are not as encompassing as they could be, and if you have trouble with the subject (as I did) I would recommend finding an instructor. No matter how many books I read about tempering, I simply did not get it until I had someone standing at my elbow showing me. I found a lady willing to teach me by putting up a inquiry on the church bulletin board.

The caramels and fudges are heavenly; the licorice caramels in particular are unusual and delicious. At least one of the fudge recipes is identical to a family treat we've been making for five generations now -- Golden Fudge. This candy is so good I've had people fight over it, literally.

A chapter on Divinity, Nougats, and Marshmallow offers such recipes as a gem for making your own marshmallow eggs, Cherry Nut Divinity, and a rolled nougat, caramel, and peanut bar that resembles a famous maker's.

Brittles and Hard Candies offers countless variations on brittle, recipes for taffies and lollipops, toffee, and the single best butter mints I've ever had. I've never had a single problem making them.

Additional chapters offered include Jellies and Fruits; Microwave and Easy Candies; Molded Candies and Compound Coating. I am not a jelly fan and haven't tried the recipes, but the microwave offerings I have made have all been easy, fast, and well worth the effort. There is also a resource listing of mail order sources.

This book does offer clear instructions on how to test the boiling point at your elevation and adjust cooking times accordingly, however they do push the water test method for determining doneness. I personally learned water testing before owning a candy thermometer and still prefer it. This will take some time to properly master, but having done so, you will be in a postition to know by the look, smell, and consistency of your candy when it is done, rather than relying on the thermometer to tell you.

Death by Chocolate: The Last Word on a Consuming Passion

Marcel Desaulniers

List Price: $29.95 By: Rizzoli International Publications Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $3.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This book is about obsession, cravings, and licit indulgences. It is about deliriously delicious, silkily sensuous, soul-stirring chocolate desserts, about Rabelaisian pleasures, and fantasies come true.

These seductive cakes, elegant ice creams, lustrous sauces, mouthwatering truffles, divine wafers, and unbelievably satisfying brownies are all from the kitchen of Marcel Desaulniers, a truly inspired chef.

At the Trellis Restaurant, in Colonial Williamsburg, Marcel Desaulniers has created a unique and innovative cuisine. One of the joys of the Trellis is its extraordinary desserts: Chocolate Phantasmagoria, White and Dark Chocolate Dacquoise, and Death by Chocolate — to name just a few. The recipes for these and other magnificent desserts are now revealed, detailed with foolproof, step-by-step instructions. Following the author's invaluable advice, the home cook can successfully create even the most elaborate of these chocolate wonders.

From a unique Chocolate Chip Cookie that will make all others pale by comparison to Simply the Best Chocolate Brownie, from Ebony and Ivory Chocolate Truffles to White Chocolate Ice Cream, from Double Mocha Madness to a fantastic Chocolate Wedding Cake, the kaleidoscopic glories of Marcel Desaulniers' chocolate repertoire are presented here in full color, each as delightful to make as it is to eat. This is a book for endless pleasure.

The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional

Glenn Rinsky, Laura Halpin Rinsky

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $11.14

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Really more of a glossary 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The book was arranged alphabetically with definitions for various baking terms. I hadn't expected that kind of format and would probably not have purchased it if I had realized that in advance.

That said, the definitions are well done.

Editorial Review:

With more than 4,800 terms and definitions from around the world plus ten appendices filled with helpful resources, The Pastry Chef's Companion combines the best features of a dictionary and an encyclopedia. In addition to the current terminology of every component of pastry, baking, and confectionary arts, this book provides important information about the origin and historical background of many of the terms. Moreover, it offers coverage of flavor trends, industry practices, key success factors, a resources list, illustrations, and phonetic pronunciations.

The Ultimate Candy Book: More than 700 Quick and Easy, Soft and Chewy, Hard and Crunchy Sweets and Treats

Bruce Weinstein

Amazon Price: $11.56 List Price: $17.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: William Morrow Cookbooks Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $5.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Candy Shop 3 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my daughter for xmas. She wants to be a pastry Chef (thanks to the food network). So far, she has made the carmel corn (absolutely fantastic), the homemade marshmallows (amazing)and carmel (gooey fun).

The only down side to this book is that there are NO pictures, NONE. Not demonstrating or showing the final product. We may need to purchase another book that has pictures.

Editorial Review:

Bruce Weinstein, author of The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, has the answer with this collection of confections. Try his rich chocolate truffles or any one of a dozen variations; sweet, chewy caramel with almonds or coconut; buttery pralines with crunchy pecans; or light-as-air divinity, nougat, and marshmallow.

Craft your own candy Christmas ornaments to hang on your tree, pipe chocolate spiderwebs for a scary Halloween touch, or whip up meringue kisses for your honey on Valentine's Day. Bruce even offers step-by-step instructions for creating your own homemade versions of classic favorites like peanut butter cups, gummy bears, and chewing gum.

If you have a sweet tooth or know someone who does, The Ultimate Candy Book -- filled with hundreds of year-round treats and gift-giving ideas -- is ultimately satisfying.