Chocolate is life. If you do not believe that, then Chocolat may be the book to convince you. Beautiful illustrations and helpful information on all facets of the buying, preparation and application of chocolate. Never again will you find me deliberating on 50% cacao vs 70% for a particular recipe - Crapanzano has clearly taught me what to choose and how I can work with it.

The recipes are clear and easy to follow. although some may require more skill than others. I still have not attempted a Bûches De Noël. There are so many ways in which you can work with chocolate, you may even be inspired to come up with a few of your own! My daughter is a fan of the homemade Nutella. I will defiantly be making the truffles to give as gifts this holiday season include a copy of the book with it. There truly is something for everyone.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Chocolate lovers, this is the book for you! In Chocolat, there are a wide variety of bakes, from cookies to cakes, including accompaniments like sauces and glazes. Aleksandra’s recipes offer both metric and imperial measurements and a nice introduction to each recipe. The lovely illustrations add much charm to this baking book. I have baked two recipes, the marble yogurt cake and the chocolate sablés. The marble cake was a low effort, high reward bake. It was gone in one day. I baked the sablés as a gift for a friend. They had a deep chocolate flavor, perfect for afternoon tea or a cookie plate. I highly recommend Aleksandra’s new book! Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for this preview.

Chocolate by Aleksandra Crapanzo was a really good cookbook. The book begins with a very in-depth history of French desserts and chocolate. It was really interesting to learn all about the history of chocolate prior to trying the recipes in the book. I think this is a very unique feature of this book. I don’t know many other cookbooks that include historical information. There was an equally intensive section all about chocolate, what to buy, how to use it, and tips. The recipes were great. Since I am not French, I found many of the recipes to be unique and different from what I usually bake, which I was happy about. The recipes were well presented, each with an introduction, and each with the recipe name in both French and English. I loved that the recipes used both standard and metric measurements. I also liked that many had information about various. While some of the recipes were a little bit technical, they were all easy to follow. Though French baking may be seen as reserved for more experienced bakers, I think this book would be good for both new and experienced bakers alike. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in baking and/or French culture.

This book had a lot of great baking tips. I liked that the recipes had the ingredients listed by both weight and measurement. I will definitely be making more of the recipes in this book!

There are no photos.

That's tough for me on two fronts.

First, the book features some desserts I've never heard of. I'd like to know what they're supposed to look like when I'm cooking - it helps me make sure I'm headed in the right direction.

Second, it's said that we eat with our eyes first. It's true. When you see a picture of a dessert that looks particularly luscious, you can't wait to taste it. You start to crave it before you even measure that first spoonful of sugar to start the recipe.

That being said, the book is certainly full of recipes that you'll want to try.

The style of writing is both easy to read and enticing. I especially loved the bits of history and culture strewn throughout.

I've tried the sable cookies and they were relatively easy to make with great results.

Looking forward to trying more, but I think with photos I'd be more inspired to bake NOW.

* ARC via publisher

The first thing that I noticed about this book is that there is not a single photo inside. There are a number of watercolor illustrations, more for ambience than to show a final look for any resultant bake. This is not necessarily a problem for me especially as the recipes provide adequate description, but I know there are some that will not bother with a cookbook without pictures of results and even techniques illustrated. Some may see it as targeting more advanced bakers because recipes expect the reader to know basic techniques and do not break them down granularly; and perhaps even for food "snobs" since the chocolates specified are brands like Valrhona, Bonnat, and Callebaut and a clear preference for "European" butter. I would agree that this is not a novice book, though some recipes are not particularly complex if you know the terminology, but I would also defend the specifications on the ingredients because, for example, most European butters have a higher fat to water ratio than American butters and the difference is noticeable in a butter-forward cookie or cake. The recipes themselves are reminiscent of authentic French patisserie or confiserie fare. Beyond the introduction, there is a section for cookies, cakes, tarts, mousses, "chic, delicious, and playful", hot chocolate, truffles and caramels, yule logs, and sauces-toppings-fillings. As the title suggests, all items are chocolate. This is a lovely book for chocolate lovers who are comfortable with baking basics and crave a French-inspired treat.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Scribner) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

It is exceedingly rare for me to rate a cookbook lacking photos very highly at all, usually it's a deal breaker for me. However, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Aleksandra Crapanzano's last book, "Gâteau: the Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes" and it was the same, no photos, but full of charming watercolor illustrations.

I read her books more for the wonderful descriptions of beloved French desserts - the illustrations are adorable. I'm less interested in reading it as a cookbook, it feels more like a lovely book about what makes these desserts so special.

As with her last cookbook, most recipes are mostly given in super precise measurements, except when small amounts are given in teaspoons and tablespoons. A bit funny, but it is designed to introduce American cooks to French recipes and in the US we tend to use the less precise tsp/Tbsp measurements. Even as a very-allergic-to-chocolate person, I just loved reading this book, it fills my France loving heart with so much joy!

Thank you Aleksandra Crapanzano, Scribner, and NetGalley for this ARC, it was truly wonderful.

Thank you Netgalley, Scribner, and Aleksandra Crapanzano for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.


This book was amazing. It is full with a stunning amount of chocolate treats in every form you can imagine straight from France. I had to take breaks while flipping through the book, because my mouth wouldn't atop watering. It is divine in every way.

This book would be best for someone with moderate baking experience. While the directions were clear and easy to understand, a beginner might not have enough experience to tackle the more advanced techniques without more explanation. I really love the extra ideas at the end of some of the recipes for fun changes like adding different flavors, nuts, or fruits.

I think most of the ingredients and tools are going to be easy to find, or have good substitutions. I would highly recommend having a stand mixer to help cut down mixing by a ton for a lot of these recipes.

My biggest complaint is that there are NO photos. That is a huge pet peeve for me, because I have no idea what these desserts are supposed to look like when finished.

This is a foodie cookbook of gourmet (but generally simple) French chocolate recipes of all kinds. There are generally no photos and there is no nutritional information, but there are lots of recipes for making all kinds of chocolate dishes with high end ingredients. Paragraphs above every recipe tell stories and give lots of additional information.

I read an ARC of this book via netgalley.