Customer Reviews

Sweet Gratitude: Bake a Thank-You for the Really Important People in Your Life

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have ordered every gifts from the kitchen book I ever heard of, but was usually deeply disappointed. IMHO, only five are worth owning - and this is definitely one of them. Each recipe is preceded by a brief description of why it is special - and all are, indeed, special, often containing secret ingredients, such as pepper in ginger cookies. There are even wonderful slice and bake cookies. The recipes are awesome; don't miss this incredible book.

Sutton is known for reliable, delicious, clear recipes. That should be enough to recommend it, but this wonderful book is so much more. Each recipe really makes for a memorable, tasty treat as special thank-you for a teacher, friend, or hostess. No kidding; when I took some cookies to a party of food-snobs, people went nuts over these delights! The beautifully written accompanying text and delightful illustrations raise this work above all others in its class: the book itself makes for a perfect Thank-You for the really important people in your life. This book makes you happy, and anyone who bakes will treasure it always. When is volume II?

Usually when I use a cookbook, I prepare a recipe and return the book to the shelf. Sweet Gratitude has been on my kitchen counter for weeks as I try to keep up with end-of-the-year school parties, summer picnics, baseball practice, and the list goes on. Every recipe I've tried has been excellent--Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies for my husband's office party, Peanut Butter Cookies with Crunch for a PTA meeting, Cupcakes for Busy Moms for my son's t-ball team, Lemon Mousse and Brown Sugar Shortbread for a dinner party, and Little Lemon Loaves for my daughter's school picnic. If it sounds like I'm exaggerating, I'm not! When you bake from this book you give the thank you and you get an even bigger one back.

This is an absolutely charming book full of cute illustrations and top-notch recipes. The Super Fudgy Brownies are the best I've ever tried, and I've tried quite a few brownie recipes. I made the Totally Unlike Store-Bought Caramels and was floored by how deliciously chewy they were. The book also includes lots of helpful info on packing and shipping homemade sweets. You have MY gratitude, Judith Sutton!

I just received the book this afternoon, and within five minutes I had already chosen a recipe I wanted to try. I was able to jump right in since most of the recipes don't require exotic ingredients. I started with the "melt-in-your-mouth coconut macaroons." While I didn't get 60 cookies, as the recipe indicates, they were incredibly easy to make and the lightest macaroons I have ever tasted. I will make these for my Christmas baskets this year. The book is wondeful, and you won't regret buying it.

I am buying this book today because I found one of her recipes in the Chocolatier magazine a couple of months ago (the chocolate brownies) and made them this week. My co-workers simply raved about them, which is a high compliment indeed. The super chocolate brownies are like a Hershey bar with crust! You use three different kinds of chocolate in the recipe. I finally got a chance to use my Jacques Torres chocolate along with my Sharfenberger. These brownies are to die for. Since I've from Savannah I put Pearson's Georgia pecans on top which gave them an extra crunch. I can't wait to get this book and try all the recipes. I cannot describe the chocolate rush when you eat one! I will be giving them at Christmas as gifts.

As the owner of 200+ cookbooks (and searcher of numerous online recipe sites), I'm now highly selective about which new ones I buy. After reading Corby Kummer's mention of this book in his year-end review for The New York Times, I took it out of the library, read it, and promptly ordered a copy.

Her recipes are unfussy, her directions are clear, her methods are sound, and her advice is eminently practical. The desserts themselves, needless to say, are delicious. Even the cutsey (kinder people would say whimsical) illustrations are bearable. For $10.85, it's a no-brainer.

I love this book. Usually dessert books are full of lots of things I would like to make but somehow never do. This one is full of stuff I make all the time. All the recipes are easy to make, taste unusually great, and are as comforting as it gets. The English Gingersnaps, Brown Sugar Shortbread, Very Fudgy Brownies (the best I have ever tasted), and the Candied Orange Peel are my current favorites--but with a book like this--so full of really good things--I may have a different set of favorites next week.

This dessert cookbook is unique not just for the great easy recipes (Brown Sugar Shortbread and Very Special Fudgy Brownies -- easy and delicious), but what other cookbook has an introduction and epiloque that move you to tears? Judith Sutton's story about her beloved cat, Remy, and the tender ministrations of Dr. Rocha, aka "the Cat Doctor" (inspiration for this cookbook), may bring even the most confirmed non-baker to start softening the butter.

This book is AWESOME! I love to bake and I love to bake for others, and this book makes it even easier! It's easy to go through and mark each page for a certain someone, and all the cookies are AMAZING. My only suggestion for improvement would be a spiral binding (shouldn't that be standard on cook books of any kind?!). Otherwise, enjoy the sweets and the happiness of others when you deliver them :0)