Elinor Klivans is a renowned cookbook author with, thankfully, a focus on desserts and sweets. An intense focus. She has over a dozen books in her portfolio, plus articles for magazines and newspapers across the country.
The book from 2008 has this intriguing adjective “essential” in the title. You see books calling themselves “best” or “supreme” or “greatest” but “essential” is a twist.
And a good twist. This is a book about using chocolate chips. It’s not solely a cookie book. The chapters here include:
- Cookies and Candies
- Brownies, Bars, Muffins and a Tea Loaf
- Pies, Tarts, and Puddings
- Cakes without Frostings
- Cakes with Frostings and Fillings
- Ice Cream Desserts
At the bottom of this post, you’ll see a picture of one of those cakes: Mocha Chip Meringue Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream and Coffee Whipped Cream. Stare at that picture for more than 5 seconds and you’ll be reaching for you whipping cream.
Sometimes a book can be judged by its cover or by its first recipe. That very first recipe in a book can be quite important. What is it her? Kitchen-Sink Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’m posting the recipe on Friday – that’s tomorrow! What is in the kitchen sink? Brown and granulated sugar, chops, pecans, walnuts and almonds. In Elinor’s words: “There is just enough dough to hold the heaps, and I mean heaps, of chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts and almond together.” If you make these cookies, be prepared to suffer "I ate some batter" losses. Elinor claims you get 36 cookies from the recipe. You won't.
Tomorrow you’ll see the picture that proves that point. And the recipe. The very recipe.
If you love chocolate chips and would like to go beyond a basic cookie, then try the kitchen sink. Or the cake or any of the other wonders in this book.
Here's the cake with two flavors of whipped cream. A perfect end-of-summer dessert.
