Notes about Recipes in this book

• Milk chocolate lover's cinnamon ice cream

  • dbuhler on April 05, 2024

    I didn't have the recommended cinnamon sticks, so I just used the saigon ones I had on hand. This is delicious and creamy and I love the combination of chocolate and cinnamon. I will definitely make this again!

• New classic chocolate brownies

  • PatriciaScarpin on April 01, 2011

    Amazing! These brownies are easy to make and absolutely delicious. Gooey - I prefer fudgy brownies to cakey ones.

  • DJM on April 07, 2012

    The gold standard for brownies. The techniques developed by Alice of using an ice bath post-baking makes these brownies solid chocolate pleasure.

  • TrishaCP on July 08, 2015

    I had major user error with these (had turned the oven off by mistake- and had to guesstimate how long to re-cook them), so the end result was way overdone. Having said that,the flavor is wonderful- rich and deliciously bitter. Not sure if kids would like this version, but adults for sure. I used the pan size called for, and my brownies were a bit flatter than pictured- would love to know if my over-baking somehow prevented a bit of rise.

  • mamacrumbcake on July 26, 2017

    The quintessential brownie.

• Best cocoa brownies

  • Astrid5555 on February 10, 2013

    Absolutely delicious! Simple, quick and very fudgy, always a big hit with kids.

  • stockholm28 on September 29, 2014

    Absolutely the gooeyest brownies ever. I cooked them an extra 10 minutes because they were so "wet". These have very little flour in comparison to the cocoa.

  • e_ballad on May 24, 2019

    Completely worthy of the hype!

• Black-bottom pecan praline bars

  • Jane on February 02, 2014

    So, so good. I made these for a Super Bowl party and they disappeared so fast. A fudgy brownie base with a crunchy praline topping.

• Lacy coconut-topped brownies

  • Xyz123 on November 03, 2021

    I paired these with the New Classic Brownies. I made it as directed but didn’t feel there was enough coconut topping for adequate coverage so I quickly made another batch of the coconut and added it to the top. This made them perfect.

• Queen of Sheba

  • Astrid5555 on January 31, 2013

    Have made several times already, and always a big hit!

• Fallen chocolate soufflé cake

  • Astrid5555 on February 10, 2013

    Medrich calls it a "slimmer reincarnation" of her Queen of Sheba, but it is just as delicious. The torte sinks like a soufflé while cooling and thus is not as nice to look at as the Queen of Sheba, but this is actually the only difference.

• Albert's mousse

  • Lindacakes on February 05, 2012

    If I want a chocolate recipe for guests, this is usually it and never fails to impress. Easy to make, and can be made ahead.

• Melting chocolate meringues

  • dbuhler on August 19, 2023

    I added a pinch of salt and used 1/2 cup toasted pecans and 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. I meant to use the #50 scoop but I accidently used my #30 scoop so I only got 13 cookies from the batch. I used egg whites from my freezer and my stand mixer easily whipped up just two egg whites, which surprised me. These were good and a great use for the egg white in the freezer. They are also an easy way to get a quick chocolate fix!

• Strawberry celebration cake

  • Acequiamadre.nm on May 04, 2017

    The mascarpone frosting was not a hit. Would not repeat, though the chocolate cake was lovely.

• Chocolate cheesecake

  • Astrid5555 on October 28, 2012

    Not so sweet and very chocolatey, thus also a very "adult" cheesecake which the kids did not like. Took 15 minutes longer to set properly and get to the described puffiness.

• Tiger cake

  • sgump on June 15, 2010

    Delicious on its own, not too difficult, and beautiful, to boot! Freezes well; is delicious at room temperature or microwaved just a bit; also delicious toasted. Has a very dense crumb. Make sure to use good-quality olive oil--the fruitier, the better. Together with the white pepper, the vanilla, and the cocoa, the olive oil does lovely things for this dessert.

• Warm mocha tart

  • Astrid5555 on February 12, 2013

    Incredibly rich and delicious, just like chocolate pudding over shortbread. Love the fact that the crust can be made with melted butter and is simply pressed into the tart pan. No chilling, rolling out, pricking and weighing down with beaking beans required.

  • Cati on December 16, 2019

    Made by my grandson. Perfect recipe bound to impress. 14.12.19.

• Alice's chocolate sauce

  • swegener on January 30, 2015

    Quick and easy--love the versatility of the recipe.

• Cocoa syrup

  • abrownb1 on December 12, 2025

    Quick and easy! Consistency is like Hershey's syrup but the flavor is much better!

• Nibby nut and raisin cookies

  • hillsboroks on March 07, 2014

    I tried these for the first time tonight. The raw cookie dough is delicious and my husband kept snitching bits of it. You get the chocolate flavor but without the extra sweetness of regular chocolate chips. However the final baked cookie was a bit disappointing. Maybe the flavor will improve as they cool down. Cookie has a nice texture and appearance.

• Boston Globe by T. Susan Chang

  Given Medrich’s meticulous ways, it came as no surprise that nearly every recipe worked exactly as written.

  Full review

• Serious Eats

  Personal narrative aside, (it) is the first and only cookbook of its kind to feature chocolate recipes using various percentages of chocolate, as well as recipes built around the use of cocoa nibs.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  If you love chocolate, if you love to work with chocolate and cook with chocolate, then this book is a must. If you are interested in learning more about chocolate... then this book is a must.

  Full review

• Lisa Is Cooking

  I do tend to appreciate...cookbooks with lots of precision and detail, and this one fits that description. The how’s and why’s of ingredients and techniques are delightfully well-explained.

  Full review