Decadent Cookbooks for True Chocolate Lovers

By Oscar Vazquez, Office Aide
September 23, 2021
Riverside Library

Chocolate is nearly universally beloved. If you love eating chocolate, these cookbooks will give you plenty of ideas for treats—cakes, candy, desserts and more— you can make and share. Some of these titles focus just on chocolate, while others cover a wider variety of baked goods. Let's get started!

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Chocolate Is Forever: Classic Cakes, Cookies, Pastries, Pies, Puddings, Candies, Confections, and More by Maida Heatter

Maida Heatter is one of the most beloved cookbook authors of all time—Chocolate Is Forever collects her very best. Developed for foolproof baking by anyone, each of these nearly 100 recipes is written with Maida's warm but no-nonsense instructions and carries her guarantee that it will work perfectly every time.

Recommended recipes: Everybody's Favorite Fudge, Chocolate Fudge Pie, Orient Express Chocolate Torte

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Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes by David Lebowitz

Pastry chef David Lebovitz is known for creating desserts with bold and high-impact flavor, not fussy, complicated presentations. With his unique humor and fondness for desserts, Lebowitz  serves up more than 170 recipes for cakes, pies, tarts, crisps, cobblers, custards, soufflés, puddings, ice creams, sherbets, sorbets, cookies, candies, dessert sauces, fruit preserves, and even homemade liqueurs. His recipes will inspire readers to pull out their sugar bin and get baking.

Recommended Recipes: Red Wine-Raspberry Sorbet, Apple-Frangipane Galette, Lime Marshmallow Pie

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Raw Chocolate Treats: Healthy Recipes for the Chocolate Loverby Jessica Fenton

In this cookbook Jessica Fenton introduces the delicious flavors, health benefits, and versatility of raw chocolate. Dispelling the common myth that chocolate is unhealthy, these easy-to-follow recipes for drinks, cookies, cakes, candies, desserts, and party food offer tantalizing ways to boost anti-oxidants and improve overall health.

Recommended recipes: Raw Cacao Fudge, Ginger Caramels, Cacao Crackers with Spicy Tomato and Cacao Dip

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Everything Chocolate: A Decadent Collection of Morning Pastries, Nostalgic Sweets, and Showstopping Desserts by America's Test Kitchen

Everything Chocolate is the definitive guide to any sweet treat you can imagine for any time of day. Make your decadent dreams come true with this chocolate-covered collection of more than 200 foolproof recipes that showcase the treasured dessert ingredient—from delicious morning baked goods and pick-me-up treats to rich after-dinner delights for special occasions.

Recommended recipes: Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, Chocolate Shadow Cake, S'Mores Brownies

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Food52 Baking: 60 Sensational Treats You Can Pull Off in a Snap by Amanda Hesser

Whether it’s the chocolate cake at every childhood birthday, or hot dinner rolls smeared with butter at Thanksgiving dinner, homemade baked goods hold a place in many of our best memories. With this book, created by the editors of Food52, you can have homemade treats far superior to the store-bought variety. Baking is the new go-to collection for anyone who wants to whip up something sweet every day.

Recommended recipes: Featherweight Blueberry Scones, Hippie Crispy Treats, Blueberry Cream Torte.

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Theo Chocolate: Recipes & Sweet Secrets from Seattle's Favorite Chocolate Maker Featuring 75 Recipes Both Sweet & Savory by Deborah Music

Who doesn't love chocolate? Here are delicious sweet and savory chocolate recipes, along with the fascinating story of how North America's first organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory came to be (and why they are so passionate about how their chocolate is made).

Recommended recipes: Chocolate Pecan Breakfast Rolls, Nibby Crackers, Gooey Double-Chocolate Mocha Cookies

Summaries adapted via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.