The Ultimate Brownie Book: Thousands of Ways to Make America's Favorite Treat, including Blondies, Frostings, and Doctored Brownie Mixes
Readers paging throughThe Ultimate Brownie Bookwill swear they can smell melting chocolate. Brownies by definition are simple to make, so the only difficulty is deciding which kind to make first. After a short section on equipment and ingredients, the recipes are nicely laid out on facing pages so that you never have to turn back and forth in the middle of one. Authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough acknowledge the age-old debate over whether the best brownies are fudgy or cakelike (every recipe that falls decidedly in one camp or the other is categorized). The spectrum stretches from Cake Brownies ("Fudge lovers, you'll have to skip ahead," warn the authors) to Fudge Brownies ("a chocolate-lover's grail"). The Brown Sugar Brownies fall right on the halfway point, making them universally pleasing. Members of the fudge camp will find the Malt Brownies just perfect, with their chewy edges, creamy and rich middle, intensely chocolatey flavor, and the beautiful old-fashioned aroma of malt. Weinstein and Scarbrough also offer such new-fangled concoctions as Cocoa Nib Brownies, Marzipan Brownies, and Mexican Chocolate Brownies, as well as old favorites, including Cream Cheese Brownies and Butterscotch Blondies. And just to make sure there's something for everyone, there are a number of low-fat recipes, one that's fat-free, a gluten-free brownie, and even one for Passover.--Leora Y. Bloom