Customer Reviews

Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I may have to stop reviewing cookbooks from Taunton Press--every single one I have chosen to review thus far I have wanted to own. My personal copy ordered from Amazon is on it's way to me as I type this.

What is it about this one? At first glance, it seems a little gimmicky. About 10 or 12 years ago, there were several cookbooks published that either limited the number of ingredients or number of steps for a recipe. Sometimes they were successful and sometimes less so.

Johnson Dodge has an understanding of ingredients, of chemistry, of baking and cooking, and of today's cook that works like magic here. When you only have four ingredients, they all count, and they all must work together to make the finished product. She gives a great introductory section where she talks about ingredients, techniques, equipment and more. Almost every recipe has suggestions to change it up, or comments on technical things or ways to gussy it up with sauces or glazes or the like. Usually when I review a cookbook, I make two or three dishes to see how they turn out. These recipes were so easy and so good, I found myself making one every time I turned around.

I started with Jammin' Sugar Cookie Thumbprints (p. 22) and Toasted Pistachio Crisps (p. 19). I am lazy, so I almost never get out my mixer. On the thumbprints, I filled them with raspberry preserves. They were rich, buttery, crispy and the raspberry was a perfect contrast. There were several suggestions for switch-ins and anyone with a little imagination could come up with more. I was not able to slice the dough for the crisps, it kept crumbling. (Possibly my fault for either mixing by hand or not chopping my nuts finely enough). It didn't matter, I rolled the dough into balls and pressed each flat with the palm of my hand. My husband loved them, suggesting I add them to my regular baking. From there I tried Crunchy Peanut Butter Buttons (p. 32). You will be amazed that such simple ingredients make such a divine cookie. Next time I think I'll try the suggestion and add mini M&Ms. These cookies were surprisingly even more peanuttier the second day. The Oatmeal-Cinnamon Crisps (p. 28) made a believer out of me. I looked at the "dough" and then my homely piles of oats on the cookie sheets and thought there is no way this is going to work. And then it did, almost like magic, when the brown sugar caramelized to make little crunchy mounds of goodness.

There were two recipes that were less successful however. The Lemon Meltaways (p. 29) had nice texture but didn't taste very lemony. This again may have been my fault, as I didn't measure my lemon zest, just zested the one lemon I had and figured it was enough. The Chocolate-Toffee Crumble Cups (p. 37) were delicious when first baked, but after they had cooled, the toffee in the dough seemed to get very hard and chewy and made them not as good. In this case, I think I would make them again and only put the toffee on the top, or try one of the suggestions for other things to switch-in their place.

Almost every recipe I tried had a higher yield than indicated. (If you are into cooking or just like to be exact, I recommend buying cookie scoops of varying sizes, they work so well.) I wanted to try other recipes in the book, so I can't wait for my copy to get here. And Abigail Johnson Dodge, if you see this, I would love a Cookies 4 Today book next. (You can tell I can't get enough of these cookie recipes!)

This book is a must-buy for all bakers. Novice bakers will get simple desserts without complex techniques that will result in maximum flavors. Seasoned bakers will get a break with easy peasy desserts they can put together in a flash. I bake on a regular basis and loved that the Nutella Fudge Brownies took 15 minutes TOTAL to make - from the time I started to measure the ingredients til I took the out of the oven. And to boot - when you chef up any of the recipes in the book, you won't be left with a huge layer cake or 2 dozen cupcakes. So for those of you who like to bake but also watch your waistline - this one's for you.

The recipes in this book are simple, easy, approachable but don't skimp of flavor. Do yourself a favor - buy this book - you won't be disappointed.

This little gem is a 'must have' for any dessert lover! There is nothing pretentious about any of the recipes - just straight forward ingredients that almost everyone will have in their pantry. And yes, you read the title correctly, with 4 ingredients you can make sweet, satisfying desserts like Mini Bittersweet Chocolate Cheesecakes, the infamous Nutella Fudge Brownies, Crunchy Peanut Butter Buttons or even Maple-Glazed Figs with Hazelnut Mascarpone. Rich and satisfying, I love that most recipes make smaller amounts so you're not tempted to break the calorie bank with midnight snacking ( although midnight snacking isn't necessarily a bad thing, right?)

Abby also gives what she calls 'Switch-Ins' where swapping out one ingredient creates another fabulous dessert. Simple enough for every day but fancy enough to serve company, the book is filled with 125 recipes using everyday pantry ingredients that will keep me in desserts for quite some time. I think this is the perfect cookbook for every type of baker including young bakers. I just can't say enough about 'Desserts 4 Today' - it does not disappoint!

There are so many adjectives that could accurately describe this book: simple, easy, approachable, delectable, delicious, AMAZING.

Hello - 4 ingredient brownies? I've personally made the Nutella brownies. They took 15 minutes from bowl to cooling rack and tasted like heaven in a mini cupcake liner.

What I love about this book more than anything is how approachable the recipes are. I guarantee you have the ingredients for half the book hiding in your pantry right now. So when you're feeling that sweet tooth tug, Abby's got you covered in a multitude of ways.

What I also love is that the recipes make fairly small portions, so if you commit to a recipe, you don't commit to a week's worth of thigh busting cookies or parfaits, just a night's worth.

For years I have been praised for my amazing desserts and baked goods, but the credit is largely due to Ms. Johnson Dodge and her perfect recipes. In her articles for Fine Cooking and in The Weekend Baker I have never been disappointed. I was so thrilled to receive Desserts 4 Today for Christmas and eagerly flipped through the pages to see how this amazing chef could create a book full of miracles with only four ingredients each. Alas, the answer is by using ingredients such as "one pound cake", or "8 ginger cookies" and by including recipes which layer three flavors of ice cream or freeze four different juices on a stick. I'm sure I will use some recipes and my children will enjoy making some, but anyone who has successfully baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies should move along to one of her other books.

I have been pleased to see earlier books (not this one) by Ms. Johnson Dodge include cup measurements as well as weight and volume measurements. Please return to that in future books!

I am excited to be posting my first cookbook review. My book collecting extends to cookbooks, I don't use them as often as I should and since I started graduate school I hardly touch them but I was intrigued with Abby Dodge's desserts 4 today cookbook. First of all, I LOVE desserts and second, every recipe in the book only has four ingredients. I know! Only four ingredients! I thought there is no way that these desserts can be fabulous or have that many different recipes in the book, boy was I wrong! I picked out two recipes try and to relate my experiences with making them. Abby starts off by explaining that using fresh ingredients is always important but especially important when you are using only four ingredients.

The first recipe I tried was the Raspberry Mango Sorbet Pie. Now I had some problems finding the right ingredients for this one at my local grocery store, very limited flavors of sorbet available but it sounded so good that I used substitute flavors. Instead of the Raspberry I used Pineapple Coconut. My husband is not a fan of nuts so I only added nuts to 1/2 of the pie. I live in Phoenix, AZ and on the day we ate this sorbet pie it was 120 degrees outside. This was the perfect way to top off our meal, I loved that it didn' t require me to turn on my oven and heat up my kitchen to make. We had some guests over and while all of us enjoyed it, it tasted a little too pina coladay (I think I just made that word up) for most of us. Now, that was my fault for substituting ingredients but it was a great cool dessert and was super easy to make.

The second recipe I tried was the Chocolate Dipped Toasted-Coconut Macaroons. This one was more of a challenge, Abby suggests that we toast our own coconut and by following her simple instructions I was able to successfully toast my own. Not only did the coconut turn out fabulously, it made my entire house smell incredible! The cookies themselves were made from only three ingredients, now I have tried to make macaroons in the past and was unsuccessful so I approached this recipe with some trepidation and doubt. The cookies turned out great! They formed nicely and cooked up perfectly. I was so pleased with my results in the cookies, figured I had this cookie thing down and got lazy, I didn't follow her advice regarding melting the chocolate and instead zapped it in my microwave. Bad choice! I dipped the cookies before I realized that I had burned the chocolate , so the parts without the chocolate were really good and the parts with chocolate were not so much. Again, not the recipe's error but mine.

Overall thoughts, the cookbook was fabulous, super easy to get all the ingredients together (I mean really, only four ingredients aren't that difficult), easy to follow instructions and tasted great. I highly recommend this cookbook and was amazed at how many recipes were in the book. Abby has graciously allowed me to post a recipe at Novelreaction.com from the cookbook for all of you to try out for yourself.

This cookbook is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Each dessert in the book looks so elegant that I can hardly believe it contains only four ingredients - four REAL ingredients too; no boxed mixes here! All of the recipes in the book are approachable for bakers of any skill level...and, the possibilities for creativity are endless. Throughout the book, Abby includes simple ways to change up the recipes, as well as substitutions and other ideas to get your creative juices flowing so that you can make the recipes your own. It took me a while to decide which recipe to try first, but I finally settled on the peppermint meringue kisses that caught my eye the first time I flipped through the book. Not only are they beautiful and elegant, but they are so light that they practically melt in your mouth. These will be on my Christmas cookie trays this year for sure - and this book will be on my Christmas gift list for all of my baker friends!

I don't love to bake and the truth is, with a couple of small kids, I don't have time to do things I don't enjoy. Abby Dodge's book has changed all that. She's made it possible for me to easily and quickly pull together desserts with minimal ingredients and effort and have them come out beautifully each time.

Don't get me wrong, this book isn't just for baking beginners. The recipes are innovative, imaginative and sophisticated. That is the genius of Desserts 4 Today - it's not your typical "made-easy" book, with simple steps but lack-luster, mediocre results. These desserts work for meals with the family, or for an elegant dinner party.

And really.... four ingredients? Want to make Chocolate Bourbon balls? Chocolate, butter, bourbon, vanilla wafer cookies. Ladyfingers? Eggs, sugar, lemon zest, flour. Nutella Fudge Brownies? Nutella, egg, flour, hazelnuts. See what I mean? No stress. No need for a scale or a pantry so stocked Martha Stewart would be envious.

It really is a book written just for me, and for anyone who wants to make an impressive, tasty dessert without having it turn the whole affair into an agonizing marathon. I've had the book a little over a month and we've made eight desserts out of it. All wonderful and imminently do-able, beautifully designed for someone who gets that she can't do it all, but wants to be completely awesome anyway.

Thanks Abby, this is a book I'll have on my shelf for years!

Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts With Just Four Ingredients lives up to its title with a cornucopia of delectable dessert recipes, each relatively effortless to prepare with only four main ingredients. From Orange "Creamsicle" Rice Pudding (naval orange, whole or 2% milk, long or medium-grain white rice, and granulated sugar) to Mulled Pear Cider Sorbet (pear cider, mulling spices, granulated sugar, pear liqueur) to Banana-Brown Sugar Pie Pockets (banana, brown sugar, pure vanilla extract, premade pie dough) and more, these tasty treats are none the less savory for their simplicity, and many involve creative use of fruit and other healthful ingredients. Full-color photographs of many of the dishes illustrate this excellent choice for dessert lovers.

Abby Dodge has hit on a wonderful concept with her latest book - four ingredient desserts that are quick and simple to put together but still knock your socks off with flavor. The recipes are creative and interesting and the ingredients are easy to come by and usually sitting in your fridge or pantry. I've already made a handful of these and they are perfect for weeknight company. For example, the Nutella Fudge Brownies took me five minutes to mix together and ten to cook, and I served them with ice cream to some very happy guests. Much easier than even a batch of brownies. Homemade OR from a box. And MUCH better tasting.

The book layout is clean and easy-to-follow, directions are clear, and Abby thoughtfully suggests ingredient substitutions and ways to dress up each recipe.

Desserts 4 today is definitely one to add to your baking aresenal, and several people I know are going to be getting it as a gift.