Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers

Scones for two? A batch of eight cookies? Three brownies hot out of the oven? These tiny yields are the norm for recipes in Maugans's second Small-Batch Baking title. "Scaled back to manageable proportions," recipes produce handfuls of baked goods, ideal for the single person, those counting calories, or must-eat-fresh-out-of-the-oven die-hard bakers. The self-proclaimed "chocoholic" uses the cacao bean in various forms including unsweetened cocoa powder, milk chocolate bars, bittersweet chocolate chips, and even chocolate milk in her recipes for cakes, pies and tarts, and more. Clever ideas include baking "baby-layer" cakes in cans and making soufflés in eight-inch ramekins. Classic desserts such as red velvet cake and chocolate chip cookies are alongside less-than-traditional combinations including chocolate lime bread and java choco-banana muffins. A lack of photography may prevent gift buyers scanning the shelves from noticing, but chocolate lovers and those who want small yields will appreciate this straightforward title. (Feb.)