Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons [Hardcover]

Charity Ferreira (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2008

There are few things more tempting than a dish of fancy candies. But here's a little secret—it's actually quite easy to make these sugary confections at home! Brittles, Barks & Bonbons offers a candy recipe for every occasion and is packed with helpful tips on ingredients and equipment. For elegant gift-giving, there are Chai-Spiced Truffles and Vanilla Sea-Salt Caramels. For movie night with the family, Rocky Road Bark is deliciously addictive. And classic Buttery Almond Toffee is a festive treat for the holidays and perfect for giving. For the ultimate in simple indulgence, there's nothing sweeter than Brittles, Barks & Bonbons.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charity Ferreira is the author of Ice Cream Treats and Peeps. She lives in Oakland, California.

Karen Steffans is a San Francisco-based food photographer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 93 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First edition. edition (October 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081185535X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811855358
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Cookies

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 40 Delicious Recipes for Quick & Easy Candy, November 29, 2009

By 

S. D. Fischer (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons (Hardcover)

Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons delivers on its promise of delicious recipes for quick and easy candy.

I had been a little intimidated about making candy, but the author makes it sound relatively easy with clear and detailed instructions. She also shares several tips that I haven't seen in other candy recipes (such as that beet sugar crystallizes less predictably than cane sugar, and that it is not necessary to wipe down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush when caramelizing sugar).

The author provides a brief overview of ingredients and the few necessary pieces of equipment (which are likely to be in most kitchens with the possible exception of a clip-on candy thermometer which I found for 99 cents at a discount store). That is followed by candy tips and techniques.

The first chapter, Brittles and Toffees, includes recipes for:
*Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle
*Spanish Almond Brittle
*Spicy Pepita Brittle
*Coconut-Peanut Toffee
*Macademia Nut Brittle
*Pine Nut Honeycomb
*Buttery Almond Toffee
*Cinnamon Brittle

The next chapter, Barks and Clusters, includes recipes for:
*Dark Chocolate Bark with Figs, Almonds, and Anise
*Chocolate-Cherry-Hazelnut Bark
*Rocky Road Bark
*Crispy Rice Bark
*Peanut-Raisin Bark
*Marbled Peppermint Bark
*Sea Turtles
*White Chocolate Clusters with Pistachios and Golden Raisins
*Coconut-Smoked Almond Haystacks
*Chocolate Pretzel Clusters

The third chapter, Truffles and Chocolate-Dipped Candies, includes recipes for:
*Malted Milk Chocolate Truffles
*Chocolate-Sour Cream Truffles
*Chai-Spiced Truffles
*Mexican Chocolate Truffles
*Dark Chocolate-Espresso Truffles
*Mocha-Hazelnut Truffles
*Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallow Peeps Pops
*Chocolate-Covered Graham Crackers
*Chocolate-Dipped Sesame Halva
*Chocolate-Dipped Fresh Fruit
*Chocolate-Dipped Dried Fruit
*Chocolate-Dipped Candied Citrus Peel

The final chapter, Bonbons and Other Sweetmeats, includes recipes for:
*Vanilla-Sea Salt Caramels
*Butterscotch Caramels
*Honey-Almond Nougat
*Candied Citrus Peel
*Milk Chocolate Praline
*Striped Butter Mints
*Toffee Popcorn with Cashews
*Marzipan-Filled Dates
*Blueberry-Pear Gelees
*Vanilla Sugar

The featured recipes sound tempting but I gave the book 4 stars as I would have preferred photos of more than 23 of the 40 finished products, and would have also liked to have seen more recipes included.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for gift giving, May 11, 2010

By 

Macro chef (Oviedo, FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons (Hardcover)

This book has recipes from melting chocolate and making bars to more timely recipes, but even the simple ones were great for Christmas gift giving and easy for the novice to prepare. I wrapped the peppermint bark in celophane decorated bags from the dollar store and got rave reviews. Also made the chocolate marshmallow pecan barks and they were incredible. Next, I want to make chocolate covered pretzels. The hardest part is not eating too much!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple and clear, December 28, 2008

By 

Carol L. Roman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons (Hardcover)

Used a few recipes from the book so far and they are clear and concise. Make sure you have a candy thermometer before attempting most of the recipes. Very good for a person just starting with candy making.