Death By Chocolate Cookies [Hardcover]

Marcel Desaulniers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1997

Marcel Desaulniers, the prize-winning, bestselling author of such classics as Death by Chocolate, The Burger Meisters, and Desserts To Die For, continues down the decadent road he has paved with sweets, turning his attention to one of America's favorite temptations: cookies.

With his customary wit and clarity of style, Desaulniers has taken cookies to new heights in this stunning collection of seventy-five easy-to-follow recipes, each of which is captured in full-color splendor. Pared-down preparations, concise instructions, and satisfying results make the chocolate indulgences offered in this book the perfect antidote for anyone who has ever considered baking "work."

No one will be able to withstand the temptation of these chocolate cookie combinations, from the simple and delightful Chocolate Peanut Butter Bengal Cookies or Chocolate Raspberry "Cookiecupcakes," to the intricate and impressive Golden Spider Webs with Wicked Ganache and Raspberry Rapture and Chocolate Balloon Cups with Oven-Roasted Pears. Desaulniers also lets us in on some old family recipes; Hessie Rae's Chocolate Pecan Tart Cookies and Mrs. D's Chocolate Chip Cookies make you wonder what other undivulged secrets he's been saving.

As Desaulniers writes in his introduction, "Rather than showcasing towering confections like those in Death by Chocolate and Desserts To Die For, this is a collection of chocolate cookies, bars, brownies, nougat, brittle, praline, ice-cream sandwiches, candies, and biscuits that you can hold in your hand and pop in your mouth. O.K., so I went overboard and pulled out the plate in the chapter 'More Than a Mouthful.' But as Mae West said, 'Too much of a good thing is wonderful.'"

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There ought to be a law against cookies as sinfully delicious as the ones Marcel Desaulniers presents in his Death by Chocolate Cookies. Chocolate Peanut Butter Love Bars, Chocolate Pecan Tart Cookies, White Chocolate Peppermint Patties, Chocolate Mango Ambush--the names alone are life-threatening, while the full-page color photographs are almost guaranteed to send serious chocoholics into cardiac arrest. Desaulniers devilishly tempts the reader with 75 easy-to-follow recipes that promise untold delight in every bite, from the simplest Chocolate Raspberry Cookiecupcake to the fascinatingly intricate Golden Spider Webs with Wicken Ganache. Dip into Death by Chocolate Cookies at your own risk: this much chocolate is almost certainly lethal!

From Library Journal

Desaulniers, chef/owner of The Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia, is not one for understatement; his earlier cookbooks include Desserts To Die For (LJ 8/95) and this book's predecessor, Death by Chocolate (Rizzoli, 1992). Most of the recipes here are less complicated than the show-stopping restaurant desserts in his earlier books. There are family favorites like Mrs. D's Chocolate Chip Cookies, from his mother; recipes "for kids at heart"; and fairly simple "Easy Street" recipes. But there are more elaborate choices, too, such as Golden Spider Webs with Wicked Ganache. The recipe directions are especially clear, and all these mouth-watering treats are shown in full-color photographs. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (November 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068483197X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684831978
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #774,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marcel Desaulniers is the executive chef and owner of the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia. A 1965 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Marcel has received several national awards, including Food and Wine magazine's Honor Roll of American Chefs, Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America, the prestigious Ivy Award from Restaurants and Institutions, the 1993 James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic States, the highly coveted Silver Plate award from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, and in 1999 the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in America.

Marcel's first cookbook, THE TRELLIS COOKBOOK, was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1988. The paperback version, including 20 new recipes, was published in January 1992 by Simon & Schuster. DEATH BY CHOCOLATE, Desaulniers' second cookbook, published by Rizzoli, New York in September 1992, has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide. In 1993, DEATH BY CHOCOLATE won the James Beard Best Baking and Desserts Cookbook Award. Marcel's television cooking series, "Death by Chocolate," based on his book premiered in September 1993 on The Learning Channel.

In 1994, Simon & Schuster released Marcel's third book, THE BURGER MEISTERS. In 1995 THE BURGER MEISTERS won the James Beard Best Single Subject Cookbook Award. His cooking series, "The Burger Meister," premiered on The Learning Channel in September 1994. Marcel's fourth book, DESSERTS TO DIE FOR, was published by Simon & Schuster in November 1995, and in April 1996 the book was awarded the Julia Child Cookbook Award for Bread, Other Baking and Sweets category as well as the Cook's Choice Award. His fifth book, AN ALPHABET OF SWEETS, was published by Rizzoli, New York in October 1996. A sixth book, DEATH BY CHOCOLATE COOKIES, was published by Simon & Schuster in November of 1997. The seventh cookbook, SALAD DAYS, was published by Simon & Schuster in the Spring of 1998. DEATH BY CHOCOLATE CAKES, was published by William Morrow, New York in September 2000, and was a 2001 IACP Cookbook Award Finalist. Marcel's most recent book, CELEBRATE WITH CHOCOLATE, was published by William Morrow, New York in October 2002 and was the winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Best Chocolate Book for 2002. Foreign editions of his books have been published in France, Great Britain, Holland, Australia, Mexico, and Canada. Marcel next cookbook, DREAMING OF A CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS, will be published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., in October of 2007.

Marcel opened The Trellis Restaurant in 1980, along with partner John Curtis. In July 1988, Marcel was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the American Culinary Federation. He is past president and chairman of the board of the Virginia Chefs Association, a past member of The Board of Directors of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and is trustee emeritus of The Board of Trustees for the Culinary Institute of America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yes... but No!, December 20, 1999

By 

Sam Hershey "Sam" (Chelsea, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death By Chocolate Cookies (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful book. The photography is truly amazing. However, I have found a number of inconsistencies and what can only be called mistakes in the recipes themselves. For example: in the Chocolate Caramel Puffs, the recipe claims that 1/8th of a teaspoon of lemon juice will make 1/2 cup of sugar look like "wet sand." Go ahead... measure it out and try it. As this is somewhat a central part of the recipe (and affects the caramelization of the sugar) the alterations necessary to achieve the desired consistency make following the recipe a bit difficult. I have noticed similar problems with other recipes, particularly ones that call for chocolate ganaches. I recommend it with hesitation, and should only be considered by expert cooks with a LOT of equipment.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Maybe I got the wrong edition..., December 1, 2004

By 

D. Kerr (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death By Chocolate Cookies (Hardcover)

I have read the previous reviews and I am puzzled. I do not like this book at all. I have never written a review before but this book drove me to it. I am an experienced baker and tried two recipes following the instructions carefully. Both failed miserably and I am not willing to waste the butter, or more importantly, the chocolate, to try another.
My first attempt was the Paisely Brownies. The recipe called for 12 ounces of butter (yes, ounces, not tablespoons). While nervous about 3/4 of a pound of butter going into essentially a double batch of brownie batter, I forged ahead. What I got was incredible greasy brownies with a gummy raspberry topping. I figured the butter amount must have been a typo so I tried again with 12 TABLESPOONS of butter and while the brownies were less greasy, they were still mushy in the middle with a gummy raspberry topping. Next I tried the Topsy Turvys (didn't even get around to making the sorbet or the pineapple topping). Each attempt to mold the baked cookie into bowl shapes yielded greasy messes on my counter. Perhaps I got the two dogs out of the whole bunch but as I have said before, I'm not willing to waste any more butter, chocolate, parchment paper, etc. on any of his recipes.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Try the Chocolate Dalmatians, September 18, 2000

By 

peg2 (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death By Chocolate Cookies (Hardcover)

Yes, you do need equipment. Yes, you do need to know what you're doing. The results are fabulous, though. The Chocolate Dalmatians instantly became my favorite chocolate chip cookie (don't even think of trying them unless you have a heavy-duty countertop mixer -- these babies will tax the best hand-held model). I've always made good cookies, but these are incredible!