Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Co… (2024)

Everything about this book appealed to me. The gorgeous photos that could convince me to eat things I've never liked, the array of recipes, and just the subject itself. I am, I confess, a dessert person.

Overall, though, I have mixed feelings about this one. I'll start by saying that most of these recipes require a lot of ingredients, many of which will have to be ordered specially, and some of which will definitely be pricey. And I should add that several of the already lengthy lists of ingredients contain things like "Chocolate Frosting (see pg ###)" meaning that the recipe can be twice as long and complicated as it first looks.

I also thought the inclusion of a savory section was an odd and unnecessary choice for a book titled "Dessert Person". Some others have noted that it has "something for everyone" but, come on, is anyone who just likes savory stuff going to buy a book called "Dessert Person"? It was already quite a hefty tome, too, so I think shedding that section would have been just fine.

Now for what I made. My first foray into this book resulted in these pistachio pinwheel cookies.

These were actually really good. They were similar to shortbread cookies, a little salty (in a good way) and the pistachios + almond extract gave them great flavour.

Funnily enough, that was my more "daring" recipe because it wasn't something I would usually gravitate towards. Then I decided to make the buttermilk chocolate cake because I love chocolate and I love chocolate cake and buttermilk does great things for waffles and pancakes so why not my cake, right?

The chocolates on top were not part of the recipe. I just added them because I couldn't do the beautiful swirls that Saffitz did on hers. And, you know what? I was disappointed with this one. It was very... okay. It required a lot of extra steps that didn't result in a better than average chocolate cake. I could have produced a similar cake with a Betty Crocker box mix. Meh.

I will try a couple more at some point, most likely. Some of the recipes look very exciting, though I will have to order ingredients online to make them.

I made 41 recipes from this book during December quarantine (my freezer is full of so much cake, help.) My favourites were the turmeric-squash tea cake, apple crumble cake, coconut thumbprint cookies, tarte tatin & confetti birthday cake.

This isn't a very international friendly book (a lot of the fruits asked for seem to be US-only, like concord grapes/meyer lemons/sour cherries/persimmons/kumquats, with no alternatives given, and the temps are only given in F), but all weights are given in grams. A lot of the recipes could have easily been done in just one-bowl, so I ended up ignoring a lot of instructions just to save washing up.

Saffitz LOVES cardamom in cakes, but doesn't use citrus zests enough - there was a frequent lack of acid that I had to adjust for. Though the addition of apple cider vinegar to apple recipes is going to become part of my repertoire from now on!

November quarantine baking: Baking at the 20th Century Cafe (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
January quarantine baking: Bravetart (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)

This comes out in fall 2020.

In 2021, I'm going to make everything in here.

edit: Since posting this review, I have learned about (and seen) Julie & Julia. I knew my idea sounded too good to be new!

I can’t wait to bake so many of these recipes. As a physical object, Dessert Person is a triumph, thanks to its lavish trim size & the gorgeous photography. I also want to give a special mention of how the design & organization of the book will help all bakers, from novices to experts, choose and bake the right recipes at the right times for them. Every recipe includes its difficulty level, the time you can expect to invest, and the best time of year to prepare it (based on the availability of fresh ingredients). Rather than repeating the ingredients & steps for essential & frequently used components like pie dough, pastry cream, and various frostings, they’re all in an appendix in the back & include lots of helpful illustrations & pointers. This is an instant classic. (I’ll assign stars once I do some actual baking out if it, but based on reading it from cover to cover & my previous baking experiences, I am pretty confident of success.)

Bought it yesterday and already made the poppy seed & almond bundt cake with orange glaze, as well as the Peach Melba tart. I'M IN LOVE.

I don't really understand all those comments about pricy or hard to find ingredients, I did not need to go out of my way to find any ingredient and don't see any issue after flipping through the recipes. Yes, ground cardamom doesn't cost 0.50$, but you can get some for 3$ in Canada. Lots of nuts, which might be expensive, but I just see those desserts as "special occasion" desserts and are garanteed to be show-stopper.

I really like the savory section, I see it mostly as a bonus, and why wouldn't you want more recipes from Claire Saffitz :D Gorgeous photos, well explained recipes, good alternatives (I didn't have a bundt cake mold, but the recipe suggested using 2 loaf pans and bake for 75 min instead)

Sorry for any spelling mistakes, english is not my native language.

REVIEW SENT TO PUBLISHER: I adored this book! Like..everyone I am a huge BA Test Kitchen fan and when I saw that Claire (CLAIRE!) was coming out not only with a cookbook, but a dessert based cookbook, I could not wait. The great news is that Dessert Person did not disappoint. Claire’s personality carried right over onto the page, the instructions were clear, I enjoyed her honesty and her non-fussiness and I enjoyed how she rated her desserts on a scale of 1-5 for how they would make a brand new baker feel using the cookbook. The photography was timeless and I cannot wait to get this on my shelf and have a permanent place of honor.

Many of these recipes contain ingredients that are way outside of my price range or impossible to find in my living area.

this comes out in october.

in 2021, I’m gonna make everything in here. eve ry thing.

First off - I loved this book. Not just the recipes themselves but the overall structure, her writing and the way she goes into the science of baking.

I think the most important thing to discuss here is in contrast to many of the reviews I have read. It is clear from some of the 3 star and below reviews who dubbed this book 'overly complex', 'unattainable' and 'not for beginners' - did not read her introduction or any of the pages that precluded the recipes. One of the incredible things about this book is that it is a challenge to bakers of all experience levels. There are of course fairly simple recipes that are foolproof and come together so simply, and of course there are a bit more complex riffs on standard recipes you expect to see - and like why wouldn't you want to see this. If you wanted a standard brownie, cake or cookie recipe, look to Nestle Tollhouse or Ghirardelli to do the work for you. She clearly states that this is a book for people looking to level up their skills, learn something new, try new techniques and fail gracefully.

This brings me to my third point - to all the people who found that 'recipes didn't work for them', who also apparently did not read the intro. Baking is temperamental. Of course there are times that something will go awry even if you follow recipes down 'to the letter. It might take a couple tries, or it might take a warmer/colder day. The point is that you keep going and refine the skills needed to understand what might have gone amiss. Try again and see if it comes out differently. At the end of the day it is still butter, sugar, flour and some sort of flavour that probably isn't going to make your mouth unhappy.

Enjoy the process. It is baking which should be a fun adventure - and if you can't find quince then just experiment with something else and see how it goes. Claire is clearly too busy wrangling her cat to march to your door and spank you because you didn't follow her fruit recommendations perfectly.

I'm annoyed at how much I like this, honestly, but the text is clear, the directions are coherent, and Saffitz's notes are an excellent addition. Bonus for the recipe matrix -- I love the concept.

So far I've made:

- "Forever" Malted Brownies (verdict: awfully tasky, but has the decency to use minimal dishes, and the brownies ARE good. I'm convinced! I thought the milk chocolate would be too sweet, but it is not.)

- chewy molasses spice cookies. Took a bit of fussing with my oven temp to get the desired underbaked texture, but I appreciate a cookie recipe that tells me how many grams each dough ball should be. I did sub 1/2 tsp cardamom for the ground pepper, since I only have coarse black pepper on hand. Still good. I froze half the dough and baked it later and I think it was easier to control the level of "doneness" that way.

- Salty halvah blondies. Okay. Totally worth having to go to the far-away grocery store to get halvah, these are amazing. Not too sweet, almost savory from the tahini, tender and crisp.

- Quince Tart. Essentially a tarte tatin, except with poached quince, a jelly, and almond paste instead of apples and caramel. I like this recipe, because while it IS very tasky -- Poaching fruit, making a jelly from the poaching liquid, puff pastry/tart dough, almond paste (I make my own because I can never find it in the store) -- it looks hella impressive. Also, I like quince! Sadly, no one else in my house will eat this; and since I made it in the doldrums of 2020, I had no occasion to share it. (Not as freeze-able as some of the other recipes I've made from this book.)

Will update as I cook other recipes from this book.

After making six recipes I feel like I can safely vouch for this cookbook as being amazing!! Sweet and savory baking all recipes delicious!!

This is a review of the book, not the recipes.

Largely because I can't really make any of the recipes. :( This is book is really only suitable for Americans. In Europe you'll either struggle to find a major component of each recipe in the first place, or it'll cost you upwards of 10 euros to make a single dessert. There are seriously so many nuts in this book and nuts are so expensive I don't know how anyone can eat them regularly. I enjoy baking because I can work wonders with butter, flour, and sugar and very little else because they're cheap. This book certainly showcases the variety of things you can make with those ingredients, but the recipes go so far beyond the simplicity of butter, flour, and sugar, that it's a whole new kind of baking for me. And a sadly impossible one. I swear one day I'm going to visit New York for a couple of weeks and do nothing but cook with the enormous range of ingredients that are apparently cheap and commonplace. I guess that's what happens when you underpay everyone in the food chain.

Anyway.

Saffitz writes beautifully and clearly. She's so passionate about baking and it really shines through. She wants you to succeed. The recipes themselves are beautiful and drool-worthy. The flavour combinations are so creative and potentially fascinating (sugar and coriander seed? I will try it, but I am wary). Every single one of these baked goods is a stunning show piece, even the "simple" cakes.

The layout is gorgeous and SHE INCLUDED GRAMS!!!!!!!!!!!! The challenge of finding the ingredients notwithstanding, the inclusion of grams in a book by an American author is nothing short of astounding and it's such a relief. It makes it actually accessible for the rest of the world. Thank you. It was worth a whole paragraph to say that because: Americans, include grams please!

This is a truly fantastic book and if you're American, buy it without any hesititation. If you're not American then be prepared to be sad at how many of the things you can't make, or be prepared to spend a lot of money on a heck of a lot of nuts for an occasional treat.

I've been making 1-2 recipes a week from this book since I got it, and I've got to say, I like it a lot. I enjoy the guides to seasonality, the brilliant difficulty/time commitment chart in the front, and the many footnotes with suggestions of substitutions or alternative approaches. The range (from sweet to savory, from everyday to showstopper) is also quite appealing to me.

CSaffitz has spent a lot of time thinking about how to explain and teach cooking, and it shows. While I've loved some of these dishes more than others, they've all been *good recipes* in the sense that following instructions leads to a very reliable expected result. Cooking out of Dessert Person makes me feel more confident and competent in front of the oven.

An extremely pretentious and arrogant baking book. It felt as though she was shaming the home baker, and that the home baker would never reach her level of expertise. Completely turned me off from the book. Happy I got this from the library and did not purchase it.

again part of the baking phase

The average rating for this book is criminally low and so I would just like to say that I've owned this cookbook for almost 2 years and I still make recipes from it regularly. It's become almost a weekly ritual for me to stop by the fancy grocery store on my walk home from school then make a recipe from here every Friday afternoon. Claire Saffitz has not failed me once. Every recipe is amazing and delicious and exciting and usually gone by Saturday afternoon. And I can almost always find the ingredients at the fancy grocery store (except for fresh cranberries once but I will concede that it was July)

I felt compelled to leave a review for this cookbook since I think it's current rating is criminally low.

I've seen several one-star ratings for this cookbook from reviewers based outside of the US, complaining about the units of measure, or the lack of availability of the ingredients. I think these reviewers do not understand that cookbooks are region-specific, both due to units of measurement, availability of ingredients, and regional differences between ingredients. Don't buy this cookbook unless you plan on baking in the US. Many of the remaining one-star reviews are from people without stand mixers. Many of the recipes require a stand mixer, so this cookbook is not for you if you don't have a stand mixer.

At this point I've made over 40 recipes from this book. Most have been absolutely fantastic, no doubt do to Claire Saffitz's excellence as a recipe developer. Her instructions and cues for doneness are detailed and clear - baking can be tricky, which Claire is aware of, so she tries to give each home baker the best chance of success. Given this, this cookbook is also excellent if you're looking to up your baking game. With Saffitz's clear instructions and photos, I now feel confident making choux pastry, laminated doughs, yeasted breads, enriched doughs, and pastry cream. Some of my favorite bakes include the plum galette with polenta and pistachios, the gateau basque, the St. Louis gooey butter cake, the tomato tart with spices and herby feta, and the za'atar flatbread with charred eggplant dip. Her pie crust recipe is now my go-to. The only recipes that were duds were the meyer lemon tart (the curd wouldn't set properly, however my family maintains that this was delicious) and the spiced persimmon cake (it was OK, I just don't feel like the flavor of the persimmons shone through).

This cookbook has reignited my love of baking with its unique flavor pairings, focus on seasonality, and breadth of scope (ranging from very easy bakes to very challenging bakes). Thank you Claire Saffitz for this beautiful book!

Love this, will be purchasing ASAP

did i read the whole entire cookbook? yes. have i baked a single thing from it? not yet!

i am giving this five stars because i love claire saffitz

Your conversion to a DESSERT PERSON is guaranteed !

I just cannot express how I’m in love with this book !!

Out of many dessert dedicated books; this should be the utmost keeper FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES FOOD. I agree with the author about we all love sweet food. We’ve given so many taste buds when we were born.However and to what extent we deplete that,we all still are sweet-loving and carving people ! We have to admit that !

The book divides into chapters of Loaf cakes and single layer cakes,Pies and tarts,bars and cookies. Then again comes fancy desserts,breakfast and brunch to breads(also savory baking) and then lastly to foundation recipes for crumbles,pastry cream to sweet yeast dough etc).

Next you will be marveled at the time frame page like a slap in the face !! I know ! That’s exactly what I felt. Because unlike any other “dessert book” out there, it's called the “Recipe Matrix” . This page gives you the exact idea of what you can come up with any time frame(in a detailed graph divided between difficulty and total time). Most of us are held back on desserts due to lack of time to cook them. Say bye to the cheesecake sampler you buy for your next party ! I would check this recipe matrix first and then think of how much time I would be spending to make a dessert. If I am in an adventurous mood;definitely I will go for difficult recipes.

Gem like points on how to be a successful dessert maker comes next and the beautiful encouragement of it’s okay to be not successful at baking. Which is another MAJOR reason to give up baking. But none of us aren’t born bakers. With time and practise will take you there;with this in hand. I bow before Claire for saying that, she tested the recipes with widely available nationwide butter brands(I,myself have given up a lot of recipes due to expensive butter).

And she tells you how to reap the best, by switching to baking seasonal produce and encouraging bakers to reduce the use of plastic wrap and aluminum foil(this literally switches me to a panic mode when I run out of this stuff) and bought myself two Silicone mats. Few days with this book,I'm already converting into a dessert person.

Even when you look at each recipe, she meticulously divides the facts of the recipe. If there are more than one fruit, she tells which is available in which season and so forth. Even if you don't have the infographics about what seasonal produce comes up each season(so accurate:you will find late summer/early fall;what a brilliant idea !!! ) and month,you just can do a quick read about what seasonal dessert you can cook by scanning for the word.The difficulty level of each recipe gives a great idea about making it now or reserve it for another time.

Packed with beautiful photography and step by step instructions even for recipes labelled as “easy”(fruit cake) But instructive photos are packed into the end for challah,focaccia,kouign-amann,spelt croissants,babkallah:a mash up between a babka and a challah). Foundation recipes are too packed with visual information for as simple as crumble topping to graham cracker crust to hard to pursue different kinds of doughs(flaky all-butter,rough puff pastry,sweet tart,olive oil to choux buns).

I think there’s no way I’m gonna let go any holiday without some home made dessert. Salty nut tart on page 87 leaves me in awe ! As soon as I cook from the book I will update more on the recipe results from this book ! I have never heard of Coriander sugar !! I can’t wait to see how it will taste(page 229 for Brioche twists) !!!

This is the best Baking book the world has seen this Fall !!

I’ve received a free copy from Ten Speed in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
Thank you.

A bit surprised by some of the lower ratings here! For me, Dessert Person is exactly what I want in a cookbook: clear, detailed recipes accompanied by beautiful photos of delicious and interesting looking food. I buy cookbooks to learn more about cooking/baking, for new recipes that I can't find online, and to push me out of my cooking comfort zone: this book excels at all three. As a book, it's gorgeous and readable. Had I a coffee table and we weren't in the middle of a global pandemic, I'd leave it there for guests to thumb through. Saffitz's clever recipe matrix in the beginning graphs every recipe in the book on a difficulty by time matrix, so it's easy to survey the contents based on what level of bake you're looking to tackle. I want every cookbook to come with one.

There's so much I want to bake from here, but so far I've just made four things: Double-Apple Crumble Cake, Buckwheat Blueberry Skillet Pancake, Loaded Corn Bread, and Clam and Fennel Pizza with Gremolata (uses Soft & Pillowy Flatbread). I loved each of these recipes, and was a new take on something I've made before. They were straight-forward and clearly written, though I haven't tackled any with a 4- or 5-level of difficulty just yet. Many of the recipes also have a seasonal focus, so I look forward to cooking more from this book slowly over the course of the year.

Would avoid if in Europe... despite most things being in grams etc, there are caveats in the introduction that become difficult to keep track of while cooking each recipe (e.g. if using a fan oven reduce temperature of each recipe by a certain amount; recipes are for large eggs only) and a lot of recipes result in pretty average desserts despite very detailed and often unnecessarily complex recipe. Manages to turn simple desserts into hand-wringing overwrought science lessons. Very disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong- having the same birthday and being a once die hard Gourmet Makes fan, I love Claire! But this book just seems far too advanced for an amateur baker like myself. There are some staple recipes I’ll attempt, as well as the cookie recipes, but other than that, I’m just not sure. Lots of ingredients and techniques I’ve never heard of, making it rather intimidating. Maybe in 5 years I’ll come back to it when I’m more confident in my baking skills!

It is gorgeous and inspiring, but the recipes read in a way that I find less useful. The flavors ended up being less of a fit for us so far, but I love the way Claire thinks about food and even recipes. It may be that we aren't quite ready for this one yet. Sometimes, we have to grow into cookbooks.

It has a wonderful focaccia recipe, so yummy 🤤

Absolutely gorgeous book!

Loved learning more about baking from my fav dessert person, Claire Saffitz! Such a beautiful cookbook filled with many recipes ranging from beginner to more advanced. Love love the recipe matrix - I want every cookbook to have one! Excited to bake using recipes from this book!

Ah to remember you read a cookbook when you’re feverently trying to finish your 36th book by midnight.

4.5
i only made one recipe lol before having to return to the library but super pretty and the cake was yummy

Like The Secret Recipes, Saffitz puts far more details into each of her recipes than is average for a cookbook. For example, the start of the “Pistachio Linzer Tart”:

Preheat the oven and toast the pistachios: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Scatter the pistachios on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast until they’re golden and nutty smelling, shaking halfway through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven (leave the oven on) and let the pistachios cool. Rub the warm pistachios between your fingers to remove any paper skins that may have loosened during toasting and discard (don’t worry about removing every last bit).

I didn’t worry about removing every first bit, either.

Saffitz emphasizes throughout the book that bakers must “bake to the given indicator, not the time”. Unlike other forms of cooking, where the cook can taste throughout the process and then “correct course and make adjustments as you go, baking is less forgiving.”

I will never instruct you to bake a cake just until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. To eliminate any guesswork or doubt, I will also tell you that it will look golden brown across the surface, feel springy to the touch in the center, and smell very fragrant.

The recipes themselves are some pretty amazing combinations of the familiar and the new. The first recipe I made were “Brown Butter and Sage Sablés”. Basically, shortbread cookies flavored with sage. I love the flavor of sage, but would never have thought of putting it in cookies. They were phenomenal.

I chose the second recipe, “Poppy Seed Almond Cake”, after watching her make it on her video series. It’s a poppy seed cake with almond flavoring, glazed with more almond flavoring and orange juice mixed with powdered sugar. I made the executive decision to use sour milk instead of good milk, which seems to have worked well. This was also an amazing thing to eat for several breakfasts. And will still be, as I still have a small amount in the freezer, waiting for me to finish testing all the new cookbooks I picked up over the holidays.

I did not buy this particular book. It was a gift, and exactly the kind of gift I like: something I would never have bought for myself but greatly enjoy using.

I made the third recipe yesterday, and almost ate it all yesterday, too. The “Pistachio Linzer Tart” grinds a full cup of pistachios into a cup of flour for a very shortbread-like two-layer tart, with store-bought jam in between (I used some elderberry jelly I picked up from a vendor in downstate Missouri). It was very easy to make: everything is done in the food processor.

All three of the recipes are ones I’ll be making again. I’m also looking forward to making some “St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake” (Saffitz is a St. Louis native), some “Pistachio Pinwheels”, and some “Rice Pudding Cake with Mango Caramel”.

One of the things Saffitz tries to do in this book is take old comforts and update them. For example, Pigs in a Brioche Blanket, Pineapple and Pecan Upside-Down Cake, and Minty Lime Bars. Her carrot cake is a Carrot and Pecan Cake

There’s also another version of the Kouign-amann, for making “24 muffin-sized kouignettes”.

This is a great addition to any cookbook library.

This book is a defense of baking… I am a dessert person, and we are all dessert people.