Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets: 100 Delicious Desserts to Pick Up and Eat [Paperback]

Abigail Johnson Dodge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 11, 2012

Forgo the fork—and spoon! These delectable desserts are fun to make and easy to pick up and devour: the 100 recipes in Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets will have sweet lovers sneaking seconds . . . and thirds. In these pages, expert baker Abby Dodge whisks together step-by-step baking instructions, for a sweet-shop sampler of treats—from cookies, mini tarts, and hand pies, to ice cream sandwiches and candy. No-fail recipes for sugary delights (along with delicious drizzles and favorite toppings ) abound in this collection of perfectly sized, perfectly portable desserts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ABBY DODGE is a widely respected baker as well as a popular food writer and instructor. She studied in Paris at La Varenne and is the author of eight cookbooks, including Desserts 4 Today and The Weekend Baker. Her recipes and articles have appeared in dozens of cookbooks, publications, blogs, and Web sites. A contributing editor to Fine Cooking magazine, Abby’s recipes have also graced the covers of Bon Appétit magazine. She’s a regular guest on TV and radio and teaches cooking around the country. Dodge lives in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (September 11, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600854672
• ISBN-13: 978-1600854675
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.9 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The Short Story
A classically trained pastry chef, Abby Dodge is a widely respected, award wining, international acclaimed baking expert as well as a popular cookbook author, food writer and instructor. She studied in Paris at La Varenne and is the author of nine cookbooks, including Desserts 4 Today, a viral sensation, and The Weekend Baker, an IACP Cookbook Award Finalist. Her recipes and articles have appeared in more than six dozen cookbooks, publications, blogs and websites. A long time contributing editor to Fine Cooking magazine, Abby's recipes have also graced the covers of Bon Appetit magazine. She's a regular guest on TV and radio, including guest hosting duties on Martha Stewart Living Radio and Food & Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen where she shares monthly desserts. Her ninth book, Mini Treats & Handheld Sweets~Delicious Desserts to Pick up and Eat has just been released and is available for order. For more information about Abby, her cookbooks, blog and videos, please visit her website. www.AbbyDodge.com

The Longer Story
What began as a love for baking at a young age, developed into a passionate and successful career for Abby Dodge. A widely respected, award winning, international acclaimed expert in baking and cooking for both kids and adults, as well as a popular food writer, instructor and media personality, Abby has a simple mission: To streamline baking and cooking for home cooks of all ages. Abby's stress-free strategies and simple techniques for busy people have garnered awards, rave reviews, and a loyal following because ".. despite her serious experience, her approach is relaxed and realistic."--Publishers Weekly
Abby began cooking and baking as a young girl at home in New York and Connecticut. She studied in Paris at La Varenne and later worked under superstars Michel Guerard and Guy Savoy, specializing in pastry. She has held editorial posts at Parents and Woman's Day, and has contributed to over six dozen special-interest publications focusing on baking and family cooking. Abby is currently a contributing editor at Fine Cooking, where she has been on the masthead since 1994. She founded the magazine's test kitchen, has written and contributed to over eighty articles to date, and serves as the magazine's guru for all things baking. Her recipes have also graced the covers of Bon Appetit magazine. Abby's practical advice, recipes, and tips continue to be picked up by myriad consumer magazines, websites and, TV and radio programs.

In addition to her regular blog postings, Abby hosts a monthly online baking community on her blog called #baketogether where she encourages an international group of bakers of all skill levels to follow their own inspiration using one of her recipes. She's a regular guest on TV and radio including Guest Hosting on Martha Stewart Living Radio and Food & Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen where she shares monthly desserts. Abby also is an active member of International Association of Culinary Professionals and the American Institute of Wine and Food, and serves on the National Cutco Culinary Advisory Board. She lives in the Connecticut town she grew up in with her husband Chris, and their two children, Alex and Tierney. Abby's ninth book, Mini Treats & Handheld Sweets~Delicious Desserts to Pick up and Eat has just been released and is available for order. For more information about Abby, her cookbooks, blog and videos, please visit her website. www.AbbyDodge.com.

Author of Nine Popular and Award-Winning Cookbooks

Mini Treats & Handheld Treats ~ Delicious Desserts to Pick Up & Eat (September, 2012)
Desserts 4 Today - Flavorful Desserts with just FOUR INGREDIENTS (September, 2010) (a viral & critically acclaimed sensation)
Williams-Sonoma Mini Pies (September, 2010)
Around the World Cookbook, 2008 (Good Morning America Top 10 Cookbooks of 2008; Parents Choice Recommended Award 2008; Cordon d'Or Culinary Academy Award 2008)
The Weekend Baker, 2005, reprinted 2008 (Food + Wine Top Ten Cookbooks of 2004; IACP Cookbook Award Finalist)
Kids Baking, 2003 (Over 347,000 copies in print, translated into Spanish)
Williams-Sonoma Dessert, 2002 (Over 300,000 in print, translated into Spanish)
The Kid's Cookbook, 2000 (Over 368,000 copies in print)
Great Fruit Desserts, 1997 (Translated into six languages)

Abby has contributed or co-authored many cookbooks, including:


Baking Out Loud (Hedy Goldsmith, Clarkson Potter 2012)
B. Smith's Southern A to Z (Scribner, 2008)
The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition, 2006
Savoring America, 2002 (James Beard Award finalist; Ben Franklin Award winner)
Cookies for Christmas, 1999
The All New Joy of Cooking, 1997

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Sweet Treat from fabulous Abby Dodge October 11, 2012

By Jamie

Format:Paperback

Mini Treats & Hand-Held Treats is my third Abby Dodge cookbook and I am hooked on them! After The Weekend Baker and Desserts 4 Today, Mini Treats is filled with great recipes: Better-Than_Mix Yellow Cupcakes (maybe the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever eaten!), Double-Trouble Chocolate Cupcakes, Streusel-Topped Double Cherry Slab Pie (the next on my own list), Lemon Meringue Pie Poppers, Mini Mocha Roll Cakes, Blood Orange and Creamy Tangerine Pops, White Chocolate-Cherry Popcorn to name a very few. And Abby, as she does in all of her cookbooks, gives extremely precise instructions that will give even the beginning baker confidence and great results, fun suggestions for twists to change up and personalize each treat, and her own Kitchen Wisdom oozing with her long experience.

Using one of Abby's cookbooks to bake is like having Abby in the kitchen with you: the books are casual and fun, instructions super easy to follow, and her expertise, her years of experience guide you as she puts you at complete ease.

And why do I keep baking out of her books, one recipe after the next? Because they work every time! They are all so good! Her vanilla cupcakes from Mini Treats and her Emergency Chocolate Cupcakes from The Weekend Baker, both super fast and easy one-bowl recipes, are now firmly a part of my own repertoire, cakes I'll bake over and over again. Fabulous!

Her cookbooks make the perfect gift for both the novice or the more experienced baker - and for yourself. I have made several desserts and snacks from Desserts 4 Today and The Weekend Baker but I found Mini Treats & Hand-Held Treats even more enticing and I know I won't stop until I've baked and made every single recipe. I have been lucky enough to get to know Abby personally and I count her as a close friend.... She is warm and generous and smart and funny, but don't think that I promote her cookbooks because she is a friend. I would never offer empty praise nor would I make promises to friends or fellow baking enthusiasts about something that I myself didn't absolutely love. Abby is an astonishingly talented baker and creates desserts and cake and treats that are often incredibly simple to make yet hit the spot every time - delicious, perfect, satisfying and homey. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little treats from the very best baker October 14, 2012

By C. Barrow

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm already a huge fan of Abby Dodge's baking books (The Weekend Baker is essential) and with this book, she's added another must have book to my cookbook library. Her easy, yet authoritative style will have you baking the best little snacks in no time. We loved the espresso chip fantails, so good for tea time. And the chewy brownie bites were rich and chocolatey and completely satisfying. But my all time favorite, and no doubt it is because of the charming headnote, is the big mountain slab pie. It's a giant fig newton, but about a million times better. This is a wonderful book - great gift for any baker, from experienced to novice.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets November 4, 2012

By Robin W.

Format:Paperback

Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets includes recipes for 100 delicious desserts you can pick up and eat without a fork or spoon. Whether you plan ahead or occasionally find yourself short on time and need a dessert at the last minute, this cookbook is for you. You could serve these treats at a dessert party, a special afternoon with friends or whenever you have a sweet craving. There's something for everyone in this sweet collection. You'll also find recipes that are gluten-free, non-dairy, vegan, egg-less and low-fat. Here's just a sampling of the recipes inside this cookbook. The names alone will make your mouth water!...

Cookies - Toasted Pistachio-Cherry Biscotti Straws, Chocolate-Cinnamon Double Deckers, Lemon Lavendar Shortbread, Walnut Pear Crumble Bars, Orange Cardamon Slice `n Bakes, Triple Threat Chocolate Squares, Lemon Meringue Pie Poppers

Mini Pies & Slab Pies - Brown Sugar-Ginger-Pear Turnovers, Nutty Dulce de Leche Dumplings, Streusel-Topped Double Cherry Slab Pie, Jam-Filled Triangle Hand Pies, Poppyseed-Lemon Hand Tarts, Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Phyllo Triangles, Mini Pumpkin-Maple Tarts with Toasted Pecan Streusel

Whoopie Pies, Cakes Bites & Mini Cakes - Cinnamon Cupcakes with Toasted Walnut Buttercream, Chocolate-Covered Banana Cake Bites, Toasted Coconut Snowball Cupcakes, Mini Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow Filling, Double Espresso Whoopie Pies, Carrot Cake Cones with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting, Mini Spiced Sour Cream Coffee Cakes, Peanut Butter Cone Cakes with Bittersweet Frosting

Bite-Sized Treats - Black-Bottomed Nutella Swirl Cheesecakes, Cinnamon Toast Scones, Café au Lait Scones, Dusty Sundae Eclairs, Mini Mocha Roll Cakes, Orange and Ricotta Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries, Chocolate-Glazed Peanut Butter Fingers

Frozen Treats - Brown Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches, Double Raspberry Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches, EZ Strawberry Ice Cream Cones, Very Berry Cranberry Pops, Coconut Mango Ice Cream Sandwiches, Coffee-Toffee Bonbon Bites

Candies - White Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Fruit Leather, Spicy Buttery Caramel Popcorn, White Chocolate-Cherry Popcorn, Homemade Marshmallow Chicks, Toasted Walnut Maple Marshmallows, Chocolate-Covered Crispy Butterscotch Caramels, Salty Mixed Nut Brittle, Rocky Road Fudge

Abby includes twists, do ahead instructions and finishing touches for many recipes. She shares little nuggets of kitchen wisdom throughout the book to help you become a better baker. What great insider info from an expert! She says if you have questions or need recipe advice, you can visit her at [...] and "Ask Abby."

This is Abby's ninth cookbook. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets 100 Delicious Desserts to Pick Up and Eat October 14, 2012

By Carol Sacks

Format:Paperback

My daughter and I have been making Abby Dodge's marvelous recipes together since January, participating in a monthly baking group called #Baketogether. We've baked bread, cheesecake, savory cheese sables, angel food cakes, fruit pies and tarts, and more. Abby's recipes are clearly-written, easy-to-follow and fool-proof -- they always work beautifully. With every recipe, she shares techniques that can be applied to other baking projects; we learn every time we bake. Most importantly, Abby's recipes are wonderfully flavorful. Many of her recipes have become family and friend favorites.

It was with great excitement that my daughter -- who has learned to bake following Abby's recipes -- and I cracked the spine of Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets and began trying recipes. Her Mini Spiced Sour Cream Coffeecakes combine an irresistible sweet streusel topping with a soft cake that is buttery, sweet and gently spiced. They are easy to make, and as impressive for a brunch as they are for dessert after a casual dinner.

Destined to become a family favorite are Chunky, Chewy Brownie Drops. Intense, dark chocolate flavor fills this cookie from two sources: cocoa mixed into the batter and bittersweet chocolate chunks which are folded in before baking. The texture really does bring to mind a chewy brownie with the much-appreciated addition of slightly crunchy edges, too. This is a sophisticated cookie, but also very easy to do for a last-minute dessert.

My daughter and I already have picked several more recipes to try over the next few weekends, and I'm sure a dessert or two or three from Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets will grace our Thanksgiving table next month.