Customer Reviews

ChocolateChocolate

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ok, I'll say up front that the sheer number of (pink) flowery prints on the pages of this book didn't sit well with my stomach... they reminded me of the gaudy cheap clearance rack books.

Having said that (and adding that the author's "Baking by Flavor" doesn't wear garlands, thank you Lisa) I've really enjoyed perusing "Chocolate Chocolate". The author has truly provided a wealth of info and the title of chocolate bible wouldn't be much of an exaggeration. The recipies are geared more toward the kinds of things one might make on a dull weekend afternoon, and avoid the complex, showy items.

The recipies consist of the following categories:

1) Brownie style
2) Back-to-basics chocolate cakes
3) Black bottom cupcakes and more
4) Chips and chunks
5) Chocolate and streusel, chocolate and nuts
6) Chocolate and toffee
7) Chocolate birthday cakes
8) Chocolate bread
9) Chocolate coffee, Bundt, and pound cakes
10) Chocolate in big muffins, biscuits, and scones
11) Chocolate in layers
12) Chocolate memories
13) Chocolate pancakes, chocolate waffles
14) Chocolate tender, chocolate crunchy
15) Chocolate, caramel, and nuts - a turtle twist
16) Deep, dark, and bittersweet
17) Double chocolate
18) Flourless and almost-flourless chocolate cakes
19) Heirloom chocolate cakes
20) Mudslide
21) Liquid chocolate and homemade marshmallows

The author adds a wonderfully useful "Storing and freezing chocolate baked goods" section that comes in handy when your eyes are bigger than your stomach and you've been unable to resist the recipies.

In short, this is a wonderful (and wonderfully handy) epic book of things chocolate. The recipies aren't designed for fancy restaurant plated desserts... they are the kind that you'll make again and again, and gladly share with those you love. (And then get "Baking by Flavor" if you don't have it already.)

(Still wish the thing wasn't so pink and flowery, but that's a small price to pay ;-)

I received this book for Christmas. I'm obsessed with it. It is the most beautiful cookbook I've ever seen! One reviewer mentioned all of the floral pages - she thought them to be unattractive. I think the opposite - I LOVE them! There are, of course, many many just chocolate recipes but there is also recipes that have a chocolate combo flavor such as chocolate/coconut (the author seems to REALLY like coconut!). There are recipes that are more for special occassions such as flourless tortes but there is alot of downhome, bake sale type of treats as well.....brownies, layer cakes, sheet cakes. There are recipes for muffins, cupcakes, waffles, cookies, scones, bundt cakes.....it's endless! I see that other reviewers mention the authors ability to write good instructions. Very true. Very detailed. I like the fact that she mentions what to expect when combining ingredients (you know how sometimes when you bake and something seems not quite right, you think "did I do something wrong?"). Well her explanations answer most of those doubts (curdling, batter thinness/thickness, appearance, what to look for etc). I made one of the chocolate frosting recipes the other day and it was wonderful. It was like a layer of rich creamy fudge on my cake. The recipes are fairly basic - no fancy ingredients but the author still manages to put a unique spin on the recipe that you probably have not seen elsewhere. I think this book would make an awesome gift for a chocolate lover. In the local bookstore it costs $45.00 but on amazon it costs $29!! Big difference. Oh yeah, the photos in this book are lovely. Ben Fink (the photographer) captures the baked goods texture and flavor and almost their scent!

Wow. This is the most gorgeous baking cookbook, both the layout and the recipes. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.
I have been a fan of Lisa Yockelson's since reading her articles in the Washington Post and her prior book, Baking by Flavor, is my baking bible. It is the only book that I would consider using to make a recipe for guests that I had not tried before. Until now.
This book is similarly wonderful. It's not just chocolate either, but recipes with toffee, coconut, oatmeal, vanilla, classic candies, all types of wonderful flavors.
It has many more photos than Baking by Flavor, full page photos that inspire you to try the recipes.
As always, her attention to detail is second to none. She will tell you every possible substitution or possible variation, as well as exact mixing, baking and cooling times. With her recipes, you are guaranteed perfect results.
I can't recommend this book highly enough...it's destined to be a classic. Here's hoping that Lisa is already working on her next book!

I agree with Leslie Fitzgerald's review. This lush, lavish book seemed promising at first glance, but I was disappointed once I closely examined the recipes. Sure, I like chocolate with nuts, toffee, and coconut. But it's the same ingredients, recipe after recipe. There is not much range in the kinds of recipes offered (one recipe for pie, for example). I was hoping that some of the recipes would be challenging, but most are pretty basic. This author has a penchant for including chopped up candy bars in her sweets. Excess seems to be the goal.

Many of the recipes seem similar or almost identical. There is a recipe for Chunky Chocolate-Covered Coconut Candy Cookies. Or would you rather make the Double Chocolate-Coconut-Pecan Cookies? Or Double Chocolate-Coconut Heavens?

Coffeecakes: You want the Coconut-Chocolate Chip Streusel Cake or the Mini Chip Coffee Cake? Want the Homestyle Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies or Home on the Range Cookies? Well, the only difference in the list of ingredients for these two cookie recipes is that in the latter, chopped walnuts are listed as an option.

I'm sure you can concoct some delicious desserts from this book; it's just not what I hoped it would be.

Oversize and lavishly illustrated (155 big photos), with a ribbon place mark, just like a chocolate devotion should be, Yockelson provides a chocolate lover's baking Bible. The first section - offset in yellow pages for easy finding - is an exhaustive primer covering everything from types of chocolate and compatible ingredients to pantry staples (including brand suggestions), equipment (decorating tools too), and techniques.

Serious chocoholics would be wise to read the primer first. Once you get into the recipes it's hard to go back. Recipes are arranged by themes including "Chips and Chunks," "Memories," "Birthday Cakes," "Deep, Dark and Bittersweet," "Chocolate in Layers." There's a whole chapter of brownies and another for pancakes and waffles, as well as muffins and biscuits. There are more chocolate cakes than I've ever seen in one place.

Directions are clear and precise and brief intros describe the character and evolution of the recipes. Useful tips include variations and technical choices having to do with things like chemistry and weather. Yockelson ("Baking by Flavor") also offers storage instructions, should there be any need. Personal reminiscences and pointers are sprinkled through the text.

Highly personal (she eats chocolate for breakfast!), sensuous and sumptuous as well as expert and exact, this is a delight and an education for any chocolate lover.

- Portsmouth Herald

I have been enjoying Lisa Yockelson's recipes since 1996 or so. We lived in the DC area and she was a food writer for the Washington Post. I have made many of her recipes and love all of her cookbooks. The recipes are all very flavorful and innovative. Chocolate Chocolate is at least equal to her award winning Baking By Flavor if not better. I must congratulate her for making each recipe such a success. I am considered to be a great baker but it is due to experts like Lisa Yockelson.

I couldn't wait to create some of the beautiful recipes from this lovely book. I have made two of them so far and they came out perfect. Easy to read recipes and lots of photos. I liked that not all of the recipes were purely chocolate, there was a good combination of coffee cakes and muffins that had a good balance of chocolate to other ingredients. I only have a few complaints. One is the authors love of coconut. I hate coconut and wish the author would have remarked if the coconut was required or optional as she does with nuts. Also, some of the recipes require odd sized pans like a 10 inch square or a 9 inch tart pan that it 2 inches deep (most are one inch). I wish she would have included a substitute pan guide. Overall this book is practical and very pretty, a great addition to my collection.

Wow!!!

Lisa Yockelson's new cookbook "Chocolate Chocolate" is outstanding. The amount of research time Lisa must have spent on this book is phenominal. The pages and pages of lists of different chocolate and baking information is a real find. The recipes are yummy and beautifuly laid out and the baking notes
"study" are extremely helpful.

This cookbook is the most beautiful cookbook I have ever owned.
It will be a National Treasure!!!

M. Davidson

In Chocolate Chocolate, Lisa Yockelson continues her tradition of writing flawless instructions for bakers of all levels. I consider myself a novice baker but am pleased with my progress, thanks to Ms. Yockelson's detailed instructions. She provides essential background material on vocabulary, ingredients, and various techniques of baking - with everyone's favorite flavor - Chocolate. The individual recipes are laid out so meticulously and logically that the baker knows which ingredients to gather and how best to combine them to ensure a tasty dessert. Her helpful hints on presentation provide final instructions that will virtually guarantee your dessert will be a pleasure to look at as well as eat. Most bakers will find helpful the abundance of eye-popping photography matched with most recipes. Non-bakers will enjoy the mouth-watering photography as well. Be sure to read the short intro paragraphs preceding each recipe as they educate as well as enlighten. I continue to learn the more I bake and my guests continue to enjoy the delicious results.

I checked this book out of the library and have loved reading through it. The pictures are breathtaking! The recipes are very straightforward and detailed. There is a beginning section describing different kinds of doughs and batters and detailing how to best handle chocolate in all its forms. I tried the recipe for "Coca-Cola Cake" and it was sublimely wonderful. The cake turned out perfectly and tasted even better the next day. There are at least 10 other recipes that I am dying to try, including "Blackbottom Brownie Tart" (which features a shortbread crust, brownie layer, then swirled cheesecake topping), and "Bittersweet Chocolate Truffle Squares" which are a brownie/truffle hybrid. I am a cheapskate but I truly believe I will get $29 of baking pleasure from this book so I'll have to break down and buy it...