The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book by Sabine Venier (Page Street Publishing, September 2020) celebrates the true treasure that is chocolate. For those bakers with a real chocolate sweet tooth, you will not be disappointed.
Sabine Venier is a recipe developer and food photographer She founded the blog, ‘Also the Crumbs Please’ and has happily been baking for as long as she can remember. Venier grew up in Austria and is currently living in the UK.
Throughout the book, Venier shares both classic recipes that feature chocolate, as well as creative ones that use chocolate in a way you might not have imagined before. The recipes also vary in skill level from easy, (Ultra Chewy Double Chocolate Oatmeal Bars, p. 19), to the more challenging (Pain au Chocolat p. 173).
The recipes themselves are written in plain language and are as succinct as possible. While there are two-pages dedicated at the beginning of the book to baking tips, I would say that most of the recipes included require some degree of baking of knowledge to make successfully. That isn’t to say that a beginner baker should shy away from this book, as you will undoubtedly learn a lot as you progress through the recipes.
Venier took all of the photos for the book and they are all simply beautiful. Each recipe includes a photo of the finished product which will make you wish you could step inside the pages and take a bite.
Perfect for the chocoholic baker, The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book is a wonderful resource for baking recipes of all kinds.
The Recipes
The recipes in the book are divided into eight sections: Crowd-Pleasing Bars and Brownies, Irresistible Cookies, Cupcakes and Muffins for Every Occasion, Crave-Worthy Cakes, Festive Pies and Tarts, No-Bake Treats, Sweet Candies, and Impressive Breads and Pastries. I’ve shared a selection of the recipes I tried below.
Most of the recipes use common ingredients. Of course, the quality of your bakes will improve with the quality of the cocoa and chocolate that you are using, so I suggest that you use the best quality that you can afford. If you’d rather not splurge on that expensive bar of Valrhona, that’s more than ok, as these recipes will still taste delicious if you use the grocery store brand.
The recipes provide both volume and weight measurements. I always prefer to weigh my ingredients as I simply find it easier and less messy. I use my trusted scale I bought off of Amazon for $20.
Most of the recipes don’t require any fancy baking equipment other than the usual baking tins, spoons, measures, and perhaps a hand or stand mixer.
Ultrathin Chocolate Cashew Cookies (p. 39)
This was the first recipe I made from the book. I love thin and crispy cookies and then one did not disappoint. I was also drawn to this recipe it only makes 12 cookies, which meant we weren’t going to have 2 or 3 dozen cookies hanging around (= more temptation!).
These cookies get their chocolatey flavor from unsweetened natural cocoa powder. I had some black cocoa powder on hand (think Oreo Cookies), so I decided to use it here. While I enjoyed the dark cocoa flavour, I think I would try them again with just a regular cocoa.
The cookies were indeed ultrathin with a crispy and chewy texture. Perfect dunking into tea.
White Chocolate Macadamia Tart (p. 125)
As is often the case, I decided to try this recipe out when we were having company over. I was so pleased when it turned out perfectly and not a crumb was left!
Both white chocolate and macadamia nuts are the stars of this tart. The nuts are ground into the graham cracker crust and also roasted to sprinkle over the top of the finished bake. While white chocolate can be sweet, it’s flavor is tempered here in a custard and is the perfect level of sweetness.
The finished tart was thin with a seriously silky custard filling. It was delicate and delicious and could be served at the end of an elegant dinner party or eaten at an afternoon tea. In our case, we ate it on a casual Thursday with some chai.
No-Bake Dark Chocolate Key Lime Pie Pops (p. 136)
I was most excited to make this recipe. I love the combination of lime and chocolate and this recipe came through in a big way!
Essentially what you’re doing here is making a no-bake pie, cutting it into slices and inserting a popsicle stick into each piece and voila, you have a portable piece of pie.
The crust is make of chocolate crumbs (like crushed Oreos) and the filling is make with cream cheese, condensed milk, lime, and whipped cream. Something magical happens when you combine lime and condensed milk. It thickens up and then when you freeze the pie, it really turns into a creamy ice cream consistency. The entire pie is enrobed in a thick layer of dark chocolate.
These cake pops were extremely delicious and very easy to eat on the stick! I will definitely make these again. And again. And again.
Summary
The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book is a great book for every chocoholic baker. The book has many recipes beyond just the basics you usually find with chocolate recipes and will provide plenty of inspiration and baking challenges for all. Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photo of the finished product which makes just flipping through the pages of the book a satisfying experience.
| Book Title | The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book |
| Author | Sabine Venier |
| Publisher | Page Street Publishing |
| Publishing Date | September 2020 |
| Format(s) | Hardcover, Kindle |
| Page Numbers | 192 |
| Photos of Every Recipe? | Yes |
| Who is this book for? | Bakers who have never met a chocolate dessert they didn’t like. |
To read more of my book reviews, check out the following links:
A Good Bake by Melissa Weller
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