Customer Reviews

Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts (Moosewood Collection)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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I love a cookbook that is more than just a collection of recipes. The recipes in this cookbook all start with some background about where the recipe came from, how it can be used, and other ideas for how to serve it. This makes the book fun to browse through. Also, the book is well-organized and well indexed. There's even an ingredients index so you can look in your pantry and pick a dessert based on what you have on hand. The variety of recipes is good: some are easy, some are more complicated, some are good for kids, some are fancy for adults. I've tried several things from each chapter of the book and everything has turned out well. Basics are included, such as a flawless pie crust recipe, as well as more unusual desserts such as Pink Chiffon Cake. Another bonus is the multicultural aspect of the book. There are several recipes from the Middle East, and some from Italy, Greece, too. These Mediterranean desserts tend to be less sweet than what our US taste buds usually like, and I've found them great for informal suppers and luncheons. (By the way, the name "Moosewood" in this cookbook does not mean "healthy"! There's plenty of sugar and other good stuff in these recipes!) I make desserts only when entertaining, so I usually have to take the risk of trying new recipes with guests, but with this cookbook I never have any worry about whether it will be a hit or not. This book has proven itself to be a Dessert Bible for me!

I have several dessert cookbooks, all with great recipes, most costing considerably more than this one. In spite of that, when I am looking for a recipe, this is the cookbook that usually comes through for me. I have made cakes, muffins, coffee cakes, cookies, pies, and other assorted sweets, all with rave reviews. The recipes are tailored for the home cook, so they are easy to prepare, but amazingly there is no loss of quality. You can get fancy if you want (the chocolate cake with chocolate ganache is quite impressive) but most of the recipes are quite simple. No great color photos, but the price more than makes up for that.

This is another fine Moosewood publication. It offers unique and varied dessert selections. The recipes are generally well-tested, though a few had a decidedly flat taste that I didn't prefer, such as the chocolate bread pudding and the apple cake. One recipe failed outright, in my opinion (the everyday rice pudding--it was WAY starchy). My step-daughter really loved the bread pudding and apple cake, though, so maybe it's actually a strength of the book, that there's something to suit everyone's taste in it. Most of the recipes have been outstanding, however, and so I would recommend this book totally. The Indian peach dessert is sensational, for instance. The soft, sweet peaches and the crumbly cornmeal topping is a heavenly pairing.

I like the look and feel of the book. It's soothing to work with--it's not glossy and pretentious, it's not merely designed to impress. I reach for this book often, and it has come through for me time and again.

If you love to bake you'll love this cookbook! Most appreciated is the prep time, baking time, and equipment needed section for each recipe. Easy to read recipes and the results are to die for! The peanut butter cupcakes with cream cheese icing are the BEST we've ever tasted!

I bought this book a week ago and have already tested half a dozen desserts from it and plan to make dozens more(I am a home-based professional baker selling to restuarants in my area). The instructions were well written, and included accurate estimates of preparation time. The desserts were easy to prepare, yet had a moderate elegance (not a fancy pastry generally, but definitely classy). Each of the desserts came out exceptionally well, was tasty as well as attractive, and received excellent reviews from my "taste testers" (the family). The variety included was excellent, and while some chocolate recipes were included, it was nice to see some refreshing alternatives. The discussion of ingredients in the glossary is very educational for the home baker, and the inclusion of storage instructions and keeping time for the individual desserts within the body of the recipe helpful. One of the best that Moosewood has put out.

I wondered, what does it mean for a vegetarian restaurant to publish a dessert cookbook? I mean, most desserts don't have meat in them, so ... Well, the answer is: it's wonderful! The same creativity that is a feature of the other Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks is clearly on display in the Book of Desserts. If you've seen their other books, particularly "Sundays at Moosewood", you know that the group pulls influences from cultures all over the world. This book is no different, in that the desserts exhibit that similar multi-cultural style, with spices (some of which are pretty surprising!) and flavors from all over. All the while, the Moosewoodies (I hope it's okay to call them that!) stay true to their own style, and keep the recipes true to their home cultures as well. I highly recommend it -- especially for party planning (making desserts for parties).

I'm famous among friends and colleagues for my desserts. My selection of dessert-related cookbooks literally takes more than two feet on my bookshelf-- and that's not counting general cookbooks that have dessert sections or magazines!! Lets just say that I have high standards for a cookbook-- matched by people's high expectations for what I produce.

So, why do I LOVE this cookbook? Every single thing I've ever made from it has turned out _perfectly_. Whether I'm after something fancy or simple, something easy or complex, something comforting or challenging, the desserts I've made from this source are just right. The instructions are very easy to follow with no room for misinterpretations, their chatty intros ensure that you know exactly what you'll be getting (and how best to serve it), and everything's well laid out (the page introducing new chapter lists all recipes in that chapter, the index is terrific, and there's lists at the back for "quick to make", "ingredients on hand", "feed a crowd" etc with all qualifying recipes). Don't worry about lack of pictures: with the intro plus the recipe, you'll know exactly how it's supposed to look-- and that will be exactly what you'll end up with.

It's become one of my favourite references for when I need "something". Many of the recipes are really quite simple to make, yet can be perfectly appropriate for most special occasions (my fathers 60th birthday bash, for example) and people will rave about them and beg for the recipe-- or go back for fifths. You'll be left feeling almost ashamed about how easy it was to produce such results...

I was lucky enough to receive this as a birthday gift; I whole-heartedly believe that everyone who bakes should have this their cookbook library. The only thing the book lacks are the truly outrageous, decadent, multi step complicated affairs, but if you own Marcel Desaulniers' Death By Chocolate or Desserts to Die For plus this one, you'll be set for pretty much anything.

Happy baking!

I love this cookbook. The Moosewood Collective always puts out accessible, charming recipes with integrity and that makes this book totally user-friendly. It's the first book I turn to when I want a simple cookie recipe or when I want to pull a fancy layered cake together. The glossary is very helpful, as is their way of writing recipes to include prep and cooking time. My only complaint is that the cookie quantities always seem a little off, but I am willing to chalk that up to my shortcomings.
As a chocolate-lover, yes, I'd say we're not very well represented in this book. However, the chocolate recipes that are in the book ( Mocha layered cake, brownies, truffles, ganache) are solid and easy to adapt. Have fun!

Unlike the other Moosewood cookbooks, this one doesn't even pretend to be healthy, and is filled with refreshingly decadent dessert recipes. But for the health conscious, there are also some healthy / light / low-fat / low-sugar recipes included -- and even those are spectacular.

From poached fruit... to angel food cake... to cowboy cookies... to rice pudding... to ice cream... this book has it all, and with multiple variations. Every thing you could possibly have a craving for is in this book. And to make it even tastier, it includes a full index and appendices with recipes grouped by type / season / occasion -- like "for Kids," "Low Fat," and even an entire list of what the book includes that is vegan friendly -- as well as a list of items you should keep on hand in your pantry, should the urge to bake strike. At the beginning of the different sections, there is some discussion of the history behind the class of desserts in the section, and also just little bits of rambling and random thoughts that tie it all together.

If you're looking for a dessert cookbook that will provide you with recipes for everything from a birthday cake, to a fancy dinner party, to an afternoon brunch -- this book is for you. If you just love sweet treats -- this book is for you! I highly recommend it.

These peanut butter cookies are simply the best. Husband is a peanut butter cookie fiend. We've tried many recipes, and this one is the best. Katie's Orange Cookies are tasty. However, the Chocolate Ginger Cake is a disaster. The recipe requires one 9-inch round cake pan. I should have known there was a problem when the batter came up almost to the top of the pan. About 5 minutes into the baking we smelled smoke, took a peek and found that the batter had bubbled over and made a tremendous mess. This might work better in a 13 x 9-inch pan. But it's delicious! Perhaps we will try it again, in a larger pan. Otherwise, I recommend this book.