Peter Pauper Press ~ Little Black Book of Chocolate ~ Little Pink Book of Frozen Drinks ~ #Review

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to share the most recent products I reviewed! I’m always looking for unique gift ideas and I found the perfect place. Many of my friends are the creative types, though finding gifts for them isn’t the easiest task. This is why I was quite eager to learn more about Peter Pauper Press and their “Little Book” series.

Peter Pauper Press was founded in 1928! They are one of America’s leading publishers of fine gift books, humor books, compact references, travel guides, unique journals, quality stationery, holiday cards, and innovative children’s activity books. Yes, they have everything! While browsing their site, I would think of a relative or friend, search for one of their interests, and could easily find a book or gift that would suite them well!

As I mentioned above, Peter Pauper offers a line of Little Black Books and Little Pink Books. Little Black Books are hip little reference guides on popular topics such as cocktails, sushi, wine, poker, party games, and well, you get the picture. The Little Pink Books series is a little more sophisticated in focus on topics such as home entertainment, weddings, baby names, and more. Peter Pauper generously sent me the Little Black Book of Chocolate and the Little Pink Book of Frozen Drinks! Each book is at least 160 pages and measures at 4-1/4″ wide and 5-3/4″ high.

So let’s talk about the Little Black Book of Chocolate first. As someone who loves chocolate and has a family who loves chocolate, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and see what recipes the book had to offer!

The table of contents makes it easy to find what type of recipe you are looking for. There are categories like cakes, pies, drinks, cookies, and more. The recipes are quite clear cut with a list of ingredients and easy steps to follow! There are also sections in the book that focus on gratin chocolate properly, as well as creating chocolate shapes and curls.

Throughout the recipes you’ll also find fun facts about chocolate as well as famous quotes about chocolate! A great aspect about this book is the attached elastic band that serves as a place holder. This way you never loose your spot or can mark that recipe you really want to try! I’m definitely glad that Peter Pauper added that nice touch.

So of course I wasn’t going to post about this book without testing out a recipe! I found inspiration in the page on Chocolate-Coated Strawberries!

Thanks to the Little Black Book of Chocolate, I was able to whip up these chocolate covered strawberries in no time! Okay, well I needed an hour to cool down and harden the chocolate. However, the directions were clear, concise, and easy to follow.

So now let’s talk about the other book I received, the Little Pink Book of Frozen Drinks! Yes, it’s summer time, which means it is also Frozen Drink season! I couldn’t wait to read and discover new drinks to make and sip out on my porch while trying to cool off from this brutally hot summer.

I really like that the Index is the back is divided in various ways to look up a drink. You can search by name, alcohol involved, or even by flavor! So if I was in a fruity mood, I could look under subjects like cherry, mango, or orange just to name a few to find the perfect fruit drink. Or if I want something mint, caramel, or nutty, there were those options too!

The recipes again are very clear, letting you know all the ingredients involved and how much of each one and alcohol you precisely need. Directions on creating the drinks and serving are included with each recipe.

Throughout the book you’ll find bartending definitions and tips, along with quotes and fun facts on drinks! These tidbits were fun to read through. Looks like I have some trivia up my sleeve now to quiz my bartender friends!

So the night I decided to try some frozen drinks from this book, I was in a chocolate mood! Mostly because I had just done a chocolate recipe the night before! The book offered four Chocolate themed drink recipes. Now even though this is a frozen drink themed book, they do have recipes for signature cocktails. I decided to try the Black and White Martini!

The recipe was fairly simple. It called for 2.5 oz of vanilla-flavored vodka and 3/4 oz of creme de cacao. Just shake the two together with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. To make your drink extra special, the Little Pink Book suggested dropping half a split vanilla bean into your drink and serving with nonpareil candy!

If you notice in the picture, I didn’t quite chill my glass. Trust me, do this! It can make a difference! However, I did add a few bits of shaved ice to create that extra cold chill.

Overall I found each book so much fun! They make great little gifts, especially if you know a niche that your love one is into. My brother is getting married soon and I would love to give his fiancee the wedding book or the home entertaining book.

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Buy It: You can purchase any Peter Pauper Press products right off their website. They offer a great variety of fine gifts and books. Each Little Book I reviewed retails for an affordable price of $9.95. Additionally, their products are carried by leading bookstores, independent booksellers, and gift stores throughout the U.S., as well as major online retailers.

Win It: Stay tune…

I received complimentary product(s) to facilitate this review from the sponsoring company. This is 100% my own honest opinion. No one has influenced me otherwise though I was compensated financially. This review is solely based on my own experience with this product.