Cookbook Review

Nutella Fudge Brownies are rich, fudgy and with only 4 ingredients (Nutella, egg, flour, hazelnuts), the easiest bite you’ll make! 

We met baker extraordinaire Abby Dodge on Saturday. Now let’s tuck into her new cookbook, “Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients,” (Taunton Press; $17.95).

Confession time: I have, oh, maybe 400 cookbooks stuffing my shelves. So really, truly, do I need another cookbook?

Well, yes, if it is one by Abby Dodge, a gifted baker and baking teacher, who has guided us from the pages of “Fine Cooking” and “Bon Appetit” magazines for more than 15 years, and from her own seven cookbooks. (Read more about her in A Baker’s Dozen Questions for Goddess of the Oven.)

The premise of D4T is simple, flavorful desserts with only four ingredients. Really, truly, only four!

Not only does it work as a concept, it works in reality, in a busy home kitchen. Less is more, indeed.

That’s a lotta Post-it flags marking recipes to try!

My habit is to put yellow Post-its on recipes I would like to cook. When I was done paging through, the book was aflutter with Post-its! A better question might have been what DIDN’T I want to cook from these pages?

Hint: If you have a baking or kitchen enthusiast on your gift list, this would be a good solution. And although it is not billed as a cookbook for children, many of the recipes appeal to all ages, and are simple enough for young teens to tackle.

The star of the book, according to moi, is Nutella Fudge Brownies. Nutella is the delicious hazelnut-cocoa spread that originated in Italy but has successfully stormed the U.S. borders. The recipe is pinging all over the planet, for good reason! You can get the craving, and within half an hour, a batch is baked and out of the oven. It makes 12 bite-size brownies, so that’s another plus; there are not so many hanging around that your eating plan is ruined. (Note to self: make sure to buy the BIG jar of Nutella at Costco! And if you have a jar hanging around, this is a great way to use a jar of Nutella!)

Whatever recipes you choose from this book, from idea to mouth, they are all fast, easy and most importantly, delicious!

Here’s a quick visual tutorial on the easy Nutella Fudge Brownies:

Nutella and egg go first into the bowl — 2 ingredients

Stir vigorously with a spoon

Add flour and stir in (that’s the third ingredient)

The bowl awaits licking. Where are the kids?

Batter in the cups awaiting the hot oven

A small mortar and pestle quickly crush a few nuts (that’s fourth ingredient)

Baked and looking good

Cool on a rack

Half with nuts, half without for the kids

Pin the image below on your Pinterest board to save this recipe

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions are my own and there was no compensation for this review.

Tagged as: Abby Dodge Nutella brownies, bake, brownies, Christmas, hazelnuts, how to use up Nutella, Nutella, Nutella Fudge Brownies, what to do with Nutella