Michaels Desserts: Sweets for a Cause Baking Cookbook - 45+ Recipes and A Mission to End Hunger (Our Tomorrow) - Softcover

Platt, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1684620473 ISBN 13: 9781684620470

Publisher: Get Creative 6, 2022

Synopsis

Debut cookbook from Michael Platt, a teen baker, social entrepreneur, and food-justice advocate. Featuring 45+ dessert recipes for cupcakes, cookies, snacks and more, served up with valuable life lessons—Michaels Desserts goes beyond baking and triumphs amidst autobiographies and other inspirational books for black teen boys.

Combining a fun cookbook with Michael’s mission to bring awareness to food and poverty, Sweets for a Cause will quickly become a favorite teen baking book that builds skills in the kitchen, celebrates history, and inspires activism. The desserts recipes collection includes Michael’s signature Freedom Fighter Cupcakes themed around figures from the history of civil rights and activism—Martin Luther King Jr., Grandpa Kitchen, José Andrés, Maya Angelou, Malala Yousafzai, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Harriet Tubman, and more—as well as chapters on pies, tarts, cakes, snacks, and breads. Each dessert features stunning photography, a list of ingredients, easy-to-do step-by-step instructions, and insightful tips from Michael that will make baking tons of fun.

Truly a cookbook for all ages, whether baking with kids or wanting to support Michael’s incredible mission, adding Michael’s Desserts: Sweets for a Cause to your collection will bring hope to heart and tasty treats to your table. For teaching your teenager to bake—or for those whose kids cook already—Michael serves up sweet recipes for desserts and a drive towards social activism!

Paperback; 128 pages; 7.5 in W by 9.5 in H.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Platt is on a mission to end food insecurity. A teen baker, social entrepreneur, and food-justice advocate, he's been baking since he was nine but has been interested in the challenges of inequality, food, and poverty since learning about the March on Washington at age six. Michael’s teen baking business, Michaels Desserts, has a 1-for-1 model which donates a dessert to someone in need for every one sold. With this model, Michael has served hundreds of people. Michael appeared as one of the best kid bakers in the country in season 4 of Kids Baking Championship on Food Network and has been featured in Ted Talks, Good Morning America, CNN, Washington Post, People.com, Guideposts, the Rachael Ray Show, and more. He's a member of the Kashi Crew, a group of kid cooks who worked with Kashi to create a new line of cereals and snack bites called Kashi by Kids. He also appeared on BYU tv's feel-good show Operation Awesome, taking a look at how kids are changing the world every day in 2021. Michaels Desserts is his first cookbook. Visit him at michaelsdesserts.com and michaelcplatt.com.

Reviews

Gr 8 Up-Michael Platt, the founder of Michaels Desserts and the nonprofit PLLATE, brings readers a cookbook with a mission: ending hunger. The book opens with a history of Platt and his philanthropic efforts. Platt got his start baking after an epilepsy diagnosis and, passionate about ending food insecurity in his community, started Michaels Desserts. For every order Michaels Desserts receives, the business donates an equal amount of baked goods to local shelters. Building on that success, Platt founded PLLATE, which creates snack packs for kids facing food insecurity. The extensive introduction concludes with an inspiring call to action for any kid who wants to make a difference. Platt then discusses bakeware basics before delving into the recipes, which are divided into four sections: Freedom Fighter Cupcakes, Pies & Tarts, Cakes, and Snacks & Breads. A highlight is the Freedom Fighter Cupcakes, each of which are named after someone from whom Platt draws inspiration, such as Malala Yousafzai Carrot Halwa Cupcakes. Each recipe has a full-page accompanying photo and most also include a blurb with interesting facts about the ingredients, historical context, or Platt's personal connection to the recipe. VERDICT The combination of delectable desserts and inspirational messaging makes this a must-purchase for teen cookbook collections.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Hello, my name is Michael Platt. I'm a sixteen-year-old entrepreneur. And I love baking and cooking.

My love affair with food started at home. Spending time with loved ones in the kitchen, with those sweet and savory smells filling the house...it's so special. My family is passionate about cooking. At our family dinners, everyone makes their specialty dish and many of the recipes have a story behind them. The stories are either about the origin of a recipe or how it was passed down through the generations. Sharing stories and sharing food just makes you feel good.

With so much love for food around me, I soon fell in love with baking. The first dish I ever baked was a layered chocolate cake, the kind that comes in a box. I was nine years old. My grandma Sarah helped me, but she let me take the lead. Since I made that first cake I have never looked back. My favorite part about baking is the finishing touches. I am amazed every time I see how the icing and decorations come together, turning a cupcake into a piece of art. And then it's also about the feeling of accomplishment. You have something that starts with eggs, flour, sugar, and other ingredients and it ends up being a delicious baked treat. It's basically chemistry and I love science. Baking is really just the cooking version of science.

Edition details

• Publisher: Get Creative 6
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1684620473
• ISBN 13: 9781684620470
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128