5 comments about The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook: More Than 80 Recipes for Irresistible, Old-Fashioned Treats.

1. I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK GREAT RECIPES EASY AND FUN TO MAKE EASY TO FOLLOW STEPS GREAT TASTEING OLD FASHIONED TREATS I HAVE BOUGHT OTHER BOOK LIKE THE MAGNOLIA BAKERY COOKBOOK AND MORE FROM MAGNOLIA THOSE BOOK ARE GREAT TOO GOOD AND YUMMY OLD FASHIONED BAKING .



2. I should have read the other reviews when I bought this -- I did specifically buy it because I'd been to the Buttercup Bakery and loved their cupcakes and wanted to make them. There are some cake recipes and some frosting recipes, and I expect I'll be able to cobble together something yummy that I can bake in a cupcake wrapper (though for how long, not too sure...and I hate guessing). The recipes sound lovely, in any case.
   
   But really, guys, if you put cupcakes on the cover, people are going to expect cupcakes inside.
   
   [I write knitting books and if I put a sweater on the cover of one of my books without putting the pattern in the same book, I'd never hear the end of it. :-)]



3. So, most people who buy this cookbook are aware of the falling out between the owners of Magnolia Bakery -- that's how Buttercup came to be. Since Buttercup is essentially a spinoff of Magnolia, you might suspect that the recipes are similar. They are.
   
   Certain recipes are identical. For example, the "Buttercup Golden Layer Cake" is the same as Magnolia's "Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake". There are a few other examples. With the same heritage, it's inevitable that this type of thing would happen. To the reviewers who didn't bother to read the recipes, cupcakes are simply the cakes with the batter poured into cups.
   
   So, the difference is in the other recipes. Buttercup tends to pick some really strange ones. Orange Marble Pound Cake anyone? There are a lot of "white cakes" -- cakes without egg yolks. White cakes are definitely not for the beginner because they require a little more of a delicate touch than the "mix and bake" of a Duncan Hines box. Also, a lot of recipes call for cake flour, an ingredient that may not be familiar to a lot of beginners. The Milk Chocolate Layer Cake sounds good, but like many of the cakes in this book, the flavoring is really subtle and slightly disappointing. Same goes with the Red Velvet Cake.
   
   In contrast, the cakes in Magnolia are very straightforward and usually require ordinary ingredients and preparation. And they're much more flavorful. They're simpler and faster. And in my opinion, they're more useful recipes. I can't think of a time when I would want to make a "Fireside Orange Cake with Brandy Glaze" from Buttercup's instead of a "Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake" from Magnolia's.
   
   Which is a shame, because Buttercup is the superior bakery when it comes time to compare the two bakeries in person.
   
   But this isn't to say the Buttercup book is bad. They always turn out if you follow the sometimes convoluted instructions, and they do taste like what you get in the store. But for my money, I'd just stick with the Magnolia Cookbook.



4. I love this cookbook! It's got some great desserts. I have always loved the Magnolia and Buttercup Bakery's in NYC, and now I can have all of my favorite treats at home!



5. First off, I own all 5 of the books written by both Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey. The recipes in this cookbook (IMO)come out very good and taste better then the one's served in the bakery. My only complaint, is the book's kinda of share similar recipe's (Magnolia cookbook and Buttercup cookbook). I am aware of the falling out between the owner's and I live and work in the upper west side of Manhattan so I visit Magnolia bakery on a regular.
   
   My point I am trying to make is if you are not sure which cookbook to purchase, you should go to the book store flip through them and see which one best suits you. If you collect cookbook's like I do, rock out, buy all 5 of them like me, the recipes are very good so will not being wasting your money. This cookbook is worth the money if you decide to choose this one. Good luck!

No comments about Decadent Desserts: Recipes from Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte.

5 comments about The Donut Book.

1. I thought this book would have more recipes in it that I could use. Well, it doesn't. It's a great coffee table book. It's lovely to look at and very informative. If you're looking for the history of donuts and something to read while munching on one, here ya go. If you're looking for a cook book - look elsewhere.



2. What a wonderfully entertaining and insightful book this is! Author Sally Levitt Steinberg writes so effortlessly, so breezily, that even readers like me (admittedly not a "foodie") won't be able to put the book down. Who would have guessed that a book about donuts could be so utterly fascinating?



3. This book gave more of a history of the donut than it did receipes. Needs more easy donut receipes.



4. This book is delightful. I ordered it after reading the reviews on it. I understood that it was not really considered a cookbook, however it has some good recipes in it. Reading the history behind donuts was very inspirational and interesting. It made me want to make donuts more than ever. It is a good coffee table book as previously stated.



5. HI! I bought this as a gift. As I looked through the book before wrapping it... I was not really happy about the contents. I hoped it would of showed a lot more pictures of donuts, design and recipes. It is really not what I would consider a cookbook/bakebook for donuts. So if that is what your looking for I am sure another book would be much better for you.
   The cover design is the only great thing about this book and really the reason I bought it. I thought if they showed that many donuts on the cover Well then there must be loads inside...NOT!.

5 comments about Bundt Cake Bliss: Delicious Desserts from Midwest Kitchens.

1. All recipes are excellent but I wish it had pictures! It's a very good recipe book



2. Bundt Cake Bliss is an appropriate title for this cookbook. So far, every recipe I've tried has come out deliciously. And friends and family are taken aback by the presentation itself.



3. I have only used the book once at this point, but the tunnel of fudge cake was delicous. I am planning a luncheon next month and will be making at least three cakes from the book. I am sure they will be great.



4. So far I've only made the Maple Corn Coffee Cake, it was truly delicious and easy to make. Most of the ingredients were already in my pantry, the only thing I had to buy was buttermilk. I made the cake to take to dinner, as dessert. It was so good that, instead of insisting that I take the leftover portion home, my niece offered to swap some of the leftover main course for the leftover cake.



5. Blame Bonny Wolf, author of EATING WITH MY MOUTHFUL, essays developed from her NPR reports. Her chapter on the Bundt pan was irresistible. I went to the back of the closet, retrieved mine and bought this book, largely on the basis that it is endorsed by Ms. Bundt (Dorothy Dalquist). With the exception of the chocolate mayonnaise cake that I must have screwed up somehow (I probably should have left it in the pan to cool longer before upending it on the rack--it arrived in pieces), what I have made thus far has worked. I am anti cake mix, so about half the recipes are not for me, but there are enough that are from scratch to make this worthwhile. I've served the low-fat chocolate cake without anyone guessing, so the recipes do work.
   
   Why I've nicked it a star: Where's the editor who would have caught the reference to pans, when only one pan is called for? Or the editor who would have noticed that one need not turn to page 136 for the peanut butter frosting recipe because it is also already on page 66 with the cake recipe that calls for it? Or that the two peanut butter frosting recipes are identical except for the amount of peanut butter? There are no photos to suggest how to decorate with frosting (really, I don't know, I only know how to do a Jackson Pollock effect with icing or a glaze). The homespun comments are cute but stop short of obnoxious. In fact, they can be enlightened (there's a "coming out" cake).

5 comments about Somersize Desserts.

1. This book is great for those who know what they want, that is, desserts that fit into their Somersizing way of eating, as well as a love for baking. If you have given up sugar and are no longer craving the sickening sweet things you previously ate, then these recipes are perfect. The creme brulee is rich and creamy and just sweet enough. After all, aren't we supposed to be adjusting to a healthier lifestyle? If what you want is a rich ice cream sundae that makes your teeth ache, then this book isn't for you. But if you have given up sweets, and find the sweetness of natural fruit to be sweet enough and have a love of baking and cooking, then these recipes will do the trick. My family loved them, too.



2. I have tried a couple of desserts and they worked great. I used Splenda as sweetner with no problem. I also substituted lower fat dairy products. I love this book.



3. I HAVE BEEN SOMERSIZING FOR ABOUT 5 WEEKS AND HAVE ENJOYED THE FOOD RECIPES IN SUZANNE SOMERS 3 BOOKS, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD TRY THIS DESSERT BOOK. SO FAR I HAVE LOST 10 LBS AND AM LOVING THE RESULTS WITHOUT STARVING MYSELF. HER PROGRAM IS TRUELY A WAY TO LIVE BY. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE HER PRODUCTS, BECAUSE SHE GIVES YOU MOST OF THE RECIPES IN HER BOOKS, I LIKE THAT! THIS DESSERT BOOK DID FALL SHORT THOUGH COMPARED TO THE OTHER WONDERFUL BOOKS. I HAVE TRIED THE CHEESECAKE WHICH IS OK, BUT WHEN YOUR EARLY ON HAVING THE SUGAR CRAVINGS IT LEAVES SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED, I SUFFERD THROUGH. WE ALSO TRIED THE ICE CREAM AND THE PREVIOUS REVIEW IS EXACTLY RIGHT, THE SOMERSWEET MAKES THE ICE CREAM HARD AS A ROCK, IT WASNT VERY GOOD. I HAVE YET TO TRY ANY OTHER RECIPES. THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY LOOK MORE LIKE THE DESSERTS I AM USED TO ARE ON LEVEL 2, SO I GUESS WE JUST HAVE TO SUFFER THROUGH. I HAVE MADE A GOOD MOUSSE DESSERT USING SUGAR FREE CHOC PUDDING AND CREAM, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE AN ALMOST LEVEL ONE. I PERSONALLY WOULDNT WASTE THE $ ON THIS BOOK.



4. I've tried most of the desserts in this book and none were dissappointing.



5. This Way of Eating Saved my life.. I just found out I'm a type II Diabetic and thought my party was over... Then I found Suzanne's Somersizing Plan and my blood suger dropped over 50 points in one week! Suzanne is presenting not just a diet book.. She's setting an example of a wonderful lifestyle.. Imagine getting up in the morning and preparing a delicious Eggs Benedict using a grilled Portobello Mushroom instead of english muffin.. Add some Bacon sprinkles ( I like turkey bacon ) and you have a gourmet start to your day.. head out for a trip to the farmers market where you can walk out in the warm sunshine and choose more wonderful goodies to bring home to prepare lunch.. how about a BLT in Crunchy Iceburg Lettuce instead of bread.. then a organic Steak and mashed Celery root instead of mashed potatoes.. last but not least.. end your meal with a fabulous desert made with somersweet and you're not only keeping your blood sugar low.. you're loosing that spare tire as well.. Now. if that's not a party.. I don't know what is..
   You've got to try this.. My one request is for the Food Network to invite Suzanne to have her own show! Talk about inspiration..

5 comments about Bakin' Without Eggs: Delicious Egg-Free Dessert Recipes from the Heart and Kitchen of a Food-Allergic Family.

1. My 3 year old son is allergic to eggs as well as peanuts and tree nuts. Although I have found some recipes I like, and most importantly he likes, I struggled to find cake recipes that tasted great, were moist, and didn't sink. My cake frustration ended when I tried some recipes from this cookbook. I made the Silver White Cake with buttercream icing for his recent 3rd birthday party and everyone loved it. It looked great and tasted great. Also, many of the recipes in this book give you the option for adding or not including nuts. I've made a few of the cookie recipes and they've all turned out well too.



2. My sister-in-law, who was recently diagnosed with an egg allergy, found this book very helpful!



3. My grandson is very allergic to eggs and after looking at a lot of books about allergies we found this one. My daughter and I love this book and use it all the time. My grandson's sweet tooth is complete thanks to this book.



4. I can absolutely not say enough good things about this book! My 3 yr old daughter is allergic to eggs, milk, potatoes, bananas, and peanuts. I can't use the typical "egg substitute" that you buy at the store because it contains potato starch. And other egg substitutes often don't work with baked goods. However, this book uses regular ingredients that you can buy at most grocery stores.(I substitute soy-based products where dairy is present, i.e. milk, butter, yogurt.) But the kicker is--they taste pretty much the same as regular. In fact, for a couple of these recipes (the chocolate chip & the sugar cookies), my husband increduously asked me if these were safe for our daughter! :) I have made chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, white cake, ginger cookies, and pumpkin bars. Every one of them tasted SO MUCH better than everything else I've tried. I've never had an allergy cookbook that I could find more than one or two recipes that worked right and tasted good (and that was after trying dozens). So far in this cookbook, I'm 5 for 5! If you have a egg-allergic child, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.



5. This book has been a lifesaver to me. At 17, I was diagnosed with a severe alergy to eggs. I thought I would never be able to have a normal birthday cake again. I tried the vegan recipes but they all have weird ingredients and I could never get them to turn out right. This book has recipes that turn out wonderful and even the most inexperienced baker can make them. None of the recipes call for anything that can't be bought at Wal-Mart. It has made it possible for me to enjoy having birthday cake and special holiday deserts again. I would recomend it to anyone who knows anyone who is allergic to egg. It has changed my life for the better.

5 comments about Pure Dessert.

1. The recipes in this book are not your boring everyday type of recipes,Oh no,no,no anything but! Deliciously unusual!



2. I love baking and making desserts and have collected lots of great recipes by Dorie Greenspan, Nigella Lawson, Maida Heatter and others. I only discovered Alice Medrich's books about six months ago but she's now become my absolute favorite. Out of all these authors, she's the only one whose recipes are absolutely reliable and always turn out perfectly. The almond cake and the Italian chocolate-almond torte in this book are amazing and I can't wait to try the rest. Inventive, well-designed recipes that taste wonderful and are not excessively complicated. Thanks, Alice!



3. I like the author's focus on using the best ingredients and simplifying recipes to allow the flavor of individual ingredients to shine.
   
   Chapters include Before You Start (which includes recommendations on ingredients and equipment); the Flavors of Milk; Flavors of Grain, Nuts and Seeds; Flavors of Fruit; Flavors of Chocolate; Flavors of Honey and Sugar; Flavors of Herbs and Spices, Flowers and Leaves; and Flavors of Wine, Beer and Spirits.
   
   The author's notes for each recipe are interesting, and directions are clear. Many recipes include possible variations, offering the cook even more options. The desserts include cookies, cakes, sherberts, ice creams, tarts, souffles, puddings, and a few more adventurous options (such as Mexican chocolate soup with cinnamon toasts).
   
   Pure Desserts might have received five stars if it included more photos. The color photos featured in the book were beautifully staged, but I wish there had been many more.
   
   This is similar to Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yokelson, but I would recommend Pure Dessert between the two.



4. Organized by flavors (milk, sugar, fruit, nuts and so on), this book creates exquisitely simple and incredibly satisfying recipes. In a nut shell, Alice Medrich rocks. I wasn;t blown away by the chapter on milk and fruit, but the nuts and grains recipe are fantastic. Particularly, the recipes for Nibby buckwheat cookies and the Italian chocolate almond torte never fail to please guests and hostess alike ;-)



5. His is a beautiful and inspirational cookbook. It's only flaw is a lack of photos. There are some beautiful photos, but they aren't labeled and they don't always correspond to the recipe on the facing page making it frustrating to try and figure out which recipe the photo is referencing. Ideally a cookbook should have photos of all the recipes in the book. Then again this may not be important to everyone.

No comments about Betty Crocker Just Cupcakes: 100 Recipes for the Way You Really Cook (Betty Crocker Books).

5 comments about 101 Things to Do witha Cake Mix.

1. This is a great book. I bought this for a friend. The Lemon cake is one I have make about 50 times. Everyone asks for this one.



2. Great Book! Everything I've tried is wonderful and I highly recommend this book. Especially if you want to make something in a hurry that's not exactly from a box (just kinda sorta). The recipes are all great tasting and easy/quick to prepare. It was also shipped in a timely manner and in the condition as described.



3. I like to cook, but I've never been much of a baker. 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix changed all that! Even with a cheap box of supermarket Brand-X cake mix, I can whip up something that delights the company and absolutely amazes me!
   
   Trust me, please... You will actually turn out baked goods that will make you wonder how you ever managed to do it.
   
   Folks, believe ALL the good reviews, and plunk (very little) money down for a little book that will make you the star baker of your circle. No one will ever think of throwing a barbeque, dinner party or luncheon without you ever, ever again!
   
   Go for it!



4. Gee, I feel like a bully being critical of this book that so many others have praised, but. . .
   
   Many of the recipes are almost identical but have different names or the most insignificant ingredient change. For example, the old favorite "Gooey Bars/Cake/Brownies" recipe appears many times, albeit with different names, sometimes with nuts, sometimes without, sometimes with chocolate chips, sometimes with white chips, etc.
   
   Same thing with cookies. There is a basic recipe for making cookies out of a cake mix, and most of us have enough imagination to substitue M&M's for Reese's pieces, or a chocolate cake mix for a yellow for a lemon.
   
   And there are probably inadvertent ommissions such as the oven temperature.
   
   If you're an experienced cook, you will probably find this too simplistic. If you're not experienced, or not very imaginative, then you'll probably enjoy it.



5. I love the 101 Things To Do With a Cake Mix cookbook. I've already
   made one cake and we loved it. This book makes having wonderful desserts very affordable, because they all start with a cake mix, and I love seeing just what kind of cake mixes are used with other different ingredients. I love to put cream cheese in cakes and this book allows me to do that. I enjoying making cakes to take to work and this book is just what I need. I've already shared with a couple of friends about the cookbook and in fact, took it camping last weekend and shared it with one of my best friends. She loved it so I am thinking it would make a wonderful Christmas present for her. I'll probably get my daughter and daughter-in-law one also. As a matter of fact, as I am typing these comments I can think of about 5 or 6 other ladies I will give it to them as Christmas gifts. How soon do I need to order for Christmas gifts? Thanks for such a wonderful cookbook.

3 comments about The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Recipes and History from America's Premier Chocolate Maker.

1. The Ghirardelli cookbook is presented beautifully. Many of the recipes come with lovely photographs, and the recipe layout is extremely clean and easy to read. It's a very attractive book that would make a lovely gift.
   
   The true star of this cookbook, however, is the results. The recipes perform flawlessly. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are simply to-die-for. The double-chocolate banana bread is perhaps the first banana quick bread I've had that used enough banana for a noticeable banana flavor---and it's also one of the first double-chocolate recipes I've had that wasn't overwhelmingly chocolaty.
   
   As awesome as those recipes were, however---and believe, me they're amazing---they're nothing compared to the chocolate bread pudding. Pardon me; I must swoon for a moment at the memory.
   
   These recipes are hardly what I'd call good for you, but they don't tend to gratuitously use large amounts of, for example, butter, when they can get by with less; they use enough to ensure a delicious recipe without overdoing it.
   
   In short, if you love chocolate, buy this cookbook! It has recipes for chocolate-lovers of all kinds, including some wonderful white chocolate delicacies (cupcakes, mousse, and more!).
   
   [Advance review copy courtesy of 10 Speed Press]



2. For the chocolate lover, this is THE best cookbook. There are so many wonderful recipes and you will find it hard to pick the first one that you will try. This cookbook is a must for anyone who can cook and even for those you are just getting started. You will love it!



3. Ghiradelli (pronounced: gear-a-deli) chocolate was originally founded by an Italian immigrant, Domingo Ghiradelli, in San Francisco in 1849. Since then, it's been bought and sold several times, having survived the Gold Rush, Great Fire of 1851, and two world wars. The cookbook features an informative introduction into the company's early years, including reproductions of vintage posters. A handy chocolate primer tells how to effectively store chocolate (think: cool, dry place, low humidity), how to garnish pastries with chocolate, candy making, and chocolate substitutions (using only Ghiradelli products, naturally). There's even a snobby little guide on how to appreciate a good chocolate (much like wine tasting, minus the swishing). Looking to host a choc-tail party? That's in here too.
   
   Once you hit the cookbook section, recipes are arranged straightforwardly by type, beginning with cookies (chocolate chip, lemon, sugar, shortbread, peanut butter, macaroons, biscotti), chocolate brownies and bars (the peppermint brownies are worth the price of the book; I've made them four times, and they just keep getting better!), chocolate cakes, cupcakes, tortes, pies, tarts, candies and bonbons, and chocolate breads and breakfast.
   
   The recipes are easy to follow, although the font is a little small, and the photos are beautiful. One of the problems I ran into was the fact that some recipes called for Ghiradelli products that were not readily available at the first few stores I tried (such as the ground chocolate and cocoa powder, although a substitution is listed in front).
   
   I decided on the Ghiradelli cookbook after looking at several chocolate cookbooks from Scharffen Berger (Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate) and Marcel Desaulniers (Death by Chocolate: The Last Word on a Consuming Passion). The Ghiradelli Chocoalte Cookbook had the highest ratio of recipes that a) appealed to me and b) actually looked doable by an intermediate baker. I was right on both counts, and everything I bake is a smash hit.