Customer Reviews

A Baker's Field Guide to Holiday Candy & Confections: Sweet Treats All Year Long (Baker's FG)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From marshmallow peeps for Easter to Christmas Ribbon Candy and hand-formed Chocolate Leaves for Thanksgiving, HOLIDAY CANDY & CONFECTIONS: SWEET TREATS ALL YEAR LONG is a guide which may have missed our December issue, but which holds importance and value far beyond a single season. Each recipe offers a full-page facing page photo of the completed item, and each recipe teaches basic tricks of the candy-making trade, from tempering and using dry ice on molds to choosing a special type of chocolate to produce a polished finish, or using a leaf-shaped cookie cutter on jelly to make leaves. If you've made candy before you're used to one-dimension cookbooks which either offer recipes alone or go into great detail on advanced techniques: this one offers a bit of both and is far above most in ease of use and polished results.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I love this book! It has delectable candies in it that I've never seen elsewhere, such as Golden Heart Passion Pops, red heart-shaped lollipops with gold flecks. They're keyed to seasons and holidays, so you have ways to orient yourself and choose which ones to make. My five-year-old son pores over this book for hours, commenting on the candies and planning which ones to make. It's really gotten him involved in cooking, and it's fun for both of us. The recipes vary from quick & easy to quite long, but even the long ones are spelled out very clearly, with helpful suggestions about keeping the candy, who will like it, and so forth. I'm actually buying my second copy of this book because we spilled water all over the first. This book is a treat in itself. (I want to add that I have no connection to the author or publisher!)

There are a lot of 'easy' recipes (melt/mix and you're done), and a few completely unrealistic recipes (who can REALLY make ribbon candy at home?)

I got the book on sale, and I love collecting cookbooks, so I don't consider it money wasted, per se. But, I've only used a couple of the recipes/ideas from this book; most are a little too simple for my tastes.

This book was for my daughter...It is easy to follow, has nice pictures, tells origin of the treat and even gives you info on shipping recommondations...we checked itout from the library then she had to have it.

This cookbook lives up to its subtitle of 'sweet treats all year long' by providing 170 pages of recipes for candy and confections not only for American holidays but also for holidays celebrated by other cultures all over the globe. What results is a diverse selection of recipes that speak to every skill level and can be used all year round.

I am passionate about candymaking (primarily chocolate) and because of this have read many books on candymaking and own two (Making Artisan Chocolates and Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner) so when I pick up a new candymaking book I'm always looking for what it offers that is special and different. In comparison to those cookbooks as well as a few others that I have picked up there are a few differences. One of the biggest is how approachable this book is. It starts off with a 'How to Use This Book' section that includes everything from instructions on how to temper chocolate to definitions of the various terms used in the book. This makes it extremely user friendly for anyone who is a beginner in candymaking or who wants a reference book with some various tips. You're obviously not going to get the same level of detail as in Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner, but for most home cooks it will be more than enough to lead to successful candy.

Another main difference is the sheer diversity of recipes. There are many from other parts of the world I have never heard of, let alone made on my own like Chocolate Hazelnut Italian Kisses,Chestnuts in Yam Paste, Honey Walnut Candies,and Coconut Cashew Burfi. If you're only interested in traditional American recipes this may not be the book for you. But if you're interested in treats from other part of the world you will find these recipes interesting. This isn't to say there are no traditional American treats in here, as there are plenty, but international creations do get a fair amount of real estate. I imagine they would also be great for a student who has to bring in another country's food as a class project or to someone wanting to add a sweet treat to a themed dinner that features another country.

I also appreciate that this book is very easy to cook from. Each recipe is accompanied by well written directions, a picture, and some background on the recipe. The author also gives you a sense of where the recipe comes from and when it would be served. My personal favorite inclusion is that she notes the lifespan of each candy. As someone who often sends candy in care packages I much appreciate this detail that other candymaking books seem to neglect.

Overall I think this is an approachable candymaking book with enough diversity between the recipes in terms of skill level and flavors to appeal to a wide audience. I would highly recommend it to someone who is beginning candymaking and looking for a first resource.

It has a lot of great recipes, and is very easy to follow. My family loves that I have this book.

Great book for a candy maker. Has wonderful pictures, descriptions, recipes and tells you what can go wrong so you can correct the potential problem up-front. It is broken down by holiday. I especially like the history that comes with each recipe.

Excellent present for a chef who likes to make candy!

there were a few good recipes, but other than that, a waste of money. Not only were alot of the recipes not "common" or even appitizing, but the printing was very bad. In the middle of the book, they duplicated about 20 prior pages and then left out about 30 additional pages. I was so upset, I contacted the supplier. They did give me my money back, but I was very disappointed. there are a million other books to get if you're looking for a candy making book. don't buy this one.