Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts: 100 Mouthwatering Easy-to-Prepare Recipes (Paperback)

~ Debbi Fields (Author) "MAKING DESSERTS, ESPECIALLY AMERICAN desserts, has been one of my passionate pastimes for years..." (more)
Key Phrases: baking pan halfway, end with the dry ingredients, scrape down the bowl, Baked Alaska, Melt Chocolate, New York-style (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fields, of the Mrs. Fields' cookie chain, knows the kinds of desserts Americans like: rich, familiar and frequently chocolate. Eschewing the honorific in her third cookbook (after Mrs. Fields' Cookie Book and Mrs. Fields' I Love Chocolate Cook), which is being published simultaneously with the appearance of a PBS TV series of the same title, she covers expected family favorites, including layer cakes, pies, icebox desserts and cookies. Chocolate remains the most favored flavor, especially in such "signature" recipes as Debbi's Devil's Food Cake, Debbi's Chocolate Cream Pie, Debbi's Fudge Mousse, and Debbi's Flourless Fudge Brownies. Fields describes herself as "almost incapable of resisting the temptation to add extra ingredients." This proclivity leads to some excess, as in Peanut Butter, Fruit, and Nut Bars, the recipe for which includes a pecan-chocolate crust topped with peanut butter, chocolate chips, peanuts, almonds, apricots, dates and coconut. More appealing are simpler recipes such as Georgia Peach Butter Cake, Lemon-Berry Bars, Sweet Potato Pie and White Chocolate Bundt Cake. Throughout, recipes are clearly presented and often accompanied by illustrative photos, although discussion of technique is limited. 200,000 first printing; first serial to Family Circle; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Bluestein and Morrissey are the authors of The 99% Fat-Free Cookbook of Appetizers and Desserts (LJ 2/15/96) and The 99% Fat-Free Cookbook (LJ 4/15/94), among other titles; this time around, they're indulging themselves. True, they do include a chapter of Healthy Cookies (low-fat, sugarless, and/or gluten-free), but there are dozens of recipes for such treats as Cappuccino-Filled Hazelnut Sandwiches, Three-Layer Brownies, and Macadamia Florentines. Instructions are particularly clear, and there is also a section on holiday cookies, from Christmas to Passover to Halloween. Highly recommended. Debbi Fields is Mrs. Fields of cookie shop fame (see Mrs. Fields Cookie Book, LJ 8/92); she has appeared often on the TV Food Network, and this book is the companion to a new PBS series. She offers lots of rich desserts, both her versions of classic favorites such as Coconut Cake and Banana Pudding and her dressed-up, more extravagant variations, such as Lemon-Cream Coconut Cake or Chocolate Banana Pudding. The recipes sound delicious, and her TV show will only increase her popularity. Recommended for most collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Fireside Ed edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743202058
• ISBN-13: 978-0743202053
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,117 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, January 31, 2003

By A Customer

I too was lured into purchasing this book because of the over-the-top recipes but that actually proved to be the downfall. After trying out several I gave up on this book because they either were too hard, didn't work out or were just OK. I made the Carrot Cake twice and it ended up just falling apart both times when I took it out of the pan. And this was after about an hour & 1/2 in the kitchen. Other things like the Flourless Fudge Brownies were way too sweet & rich and made me a little sick to my stomach. I consider myself an experienced baker and there are so many other books which are more helpful and less of a waste. Try the Cake Bible or Betty Crocker books.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unreliable Recipes, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Debbi Fields Great American Desserts (Hardcover)

I regret purchasing this book. Okay, I must admit that the raspberry cream cheese coffee cake was beyond fabulous, and I have made it repeatedly, even in a triple batch for a large crowd at an official function. However, I have had more disappointment than satisfaction when trying other recipes in this book. The yellow cake, for example, was absolutely horrible. My husband and I each took a bite or two from our first (and only) slices of that cake, and promptly threw away not only the remainder of our slices, but the entire rest of the cake as well. Also, I did not like the blueberry muffins. I have tried literally dozens of blueberry muffin recipes over the years, searching for the perfect one, and this recipe ranked low on the list. I found the shortbread recipe only mediocre. So, while there may be other excellent recipes in this book, I am reluctant to try any more, because I don't want to waste my time (and ingredients) on recipes from an unreliable source.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars YUMMY!, December 13, 2001

By	Manal Fouz (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews

I bought this cake a few days ago and made the chocolate carrot cake but I used a different frosting... just a regular cream cheese frosting. It was delicious and very easy to make! Yummy, very well worth the dollars I spent buying this book. However, a word of caution. I really don't think this book should refer to itself as "easy". Some of the recipes do look a bit complicated and the ingredients aren't on your local grocer's shelf. For example, I'd like to make the tripe truffle cake but I just can't find some coffee liquer... and Debbie doesn't tell you if you can substitute it for another ingredient. In fact, she really doesn't give you many tips about ingredients or about baking in general or about the recipe in particular. I think this book is more for the intermediate baker not the beginner. Oh well, the pictures are great and I do plan to try some of the other recipes. The blueberry muffin recipe seems too sugary and doesn't sound good. Some of the desserts I just wouldn't care for making. But, man that chocolate carrot cake is a big winner at our house!!