This was a great cookbook and absolutely visually appealing with the wonderful photography. I love that the author/chef is a 16 year old boy who is using his talents to benefit others with his business model. The recipes look delicious and I look forward to trying them out. Would've loved a little more context on why he chose to honor certain figures with recipes. But overall, I can't wait to get my hands on the physical version of this book!

A great cookbook for aspiring home bakers. The book has some good pictures and step by step instructions which makes it easy to follow..

Thanks to Netgalley, the Sixth&spring and author Michael C.Platt for this ARC

What an inspiring young man!!! He’s only 16 (at publication date) and he’s accomplished so much.

His recipes are amazing!

Awesome stuff:
*Easy to follow instructions & ingredients
*Pictures with every recipe.
*Lots of his why

The only thing I wish was different is I wish he said why he came up with the recipes for certain people. That would have added another layer.

I will buy any cookbook this young man puts out. And if he opens a bakery (that ships) I’ll buy from there too.

Michael C. Platt’s Michaels Desserts: Sweets for a Cause is an inspiring and delicious cookbook. I loved learning about Michael and his impressive charitable efforts. I also like the many bright pictures and helpful baking tips.

This yummy cookbook features chapters on Freedom Fighter Cupcakes, Pies & Tarts, Cakes, and Snacks & Breads. There is a nice blend of classic favourites and innovative treats. You can learn to make traditional Key Lime Pie and Sweet Potato Pie as well as Beignets and Scones. There are also eternal classics like Cinnamon Rolls and Apple Tarts as well as Strawberry Shortcake. However, my favorites are the unique and fun desserts named after important activists like the wonderful Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes (topped with cream cheese icing and toasted mini marshmallows!) as well as the decadent No Kid Hungry French Toast Cupcakes which are delightful breakfast for dessert concoctions that are overflowing with maple cream cheese frosting and cinnamon candied bacon!

Michael also begins the cookbook by giving us an inspiring history of himself as well as his charitable work, his business, and his current mission to alleviate food insecurity. There is also a helpful Getting Started section which lists all the important baking tools like high-sided baking pans and tart shells needed to make the book’s recipes.

I really loved reading Michael’s story! He is such an inspirational and talented young man who has achieved an enviable amount at such a young age. I appreciate his dedication to ending food insecurity as well as encouraging kids into the kitchen. I really wish him all the best in his endeavours.

The recipes are clearly written and easy-to-follow. I like that each comes with a little story. Topics range from the history of the main ingredient in the dish, background on the dessert within Michael’s family as well as fun little tidbits on the important figures. Did you know that Harriet Tubman’s childhood nickname was Minty? Did you know that Malala Yousafzai loves sweets? Me too, girl!

I also like that all the dishes contain fairly inexpensive and very accessible ingredients. I also appreciate the focus on using fresh ingredients and baking completely from scratch. Although I do think that the recipes in this book are approachable, the dishes are a little too advanced for younger children. There are quite a few recipes with many steps and many ingredients so I believe that this book is better suited for older children or those with more cooking experience.

The book’s overall design is clean, bright, and colourful. I love that the book is filled with bright full-colour pictures! There are many pictures of Michael with famous chefs and other popular figures as well as Michael at different events. I really like that almost every single recipe has a full-page accompanying picture. These pictures are simply staged but showcase the desserts wonderfully.




🧁🧁🧁🧁 out of 5 cupcakes!

Michaels Desserts is a fun and high energy cookbook with a social conscience by young entrepreneur Michael C. Platt. Released 1st Nov 2022 by Union Square on their Get Creative 6 imprint, it's 128 pages and is available in paperback format. 

This is a beautifully presented book with tutorials and recipes aimed at beginning bakers (8-12 years old) but definitely all-ages friendly. The author writes clearly and well, and his empathy and commitment to social equity and food security comes through clearly. This book is part of the "Our Tomorrow" series, highlighting young socially conscious entrepreneurs and their missions.  

The recipes are arranged thematically: cupcakes, pies & tarts, cakes, and snacks & breads. Recipes contain an introduction/background, bullet list of ingredients, and clear step-by-step preparation instructions. Ingredient measurements are given in imperial (American) units. Nutritional info is not included (which is probably a good thing - these are wonderfully decadent gooey delicious desserts). 

The instructions are simple and easy to follow but not too easy. The photography is gorgeous throughout and there are also lots of publicity photos of the author in photo-op pictures with various celebrities in relation to his philanthropy work on food security and with epilepsy awareness. 

I thought the social activism parts of the book fused nicely with the included recipes and the message for young people throughout is encouraging and important: namely that no matter how much you can accomplish for good, it counts, and it's important, and never give up. 

Four stars. Very well done. This would be a great choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, and gift giving.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I absolutely love a good cookbook! Michaels Desserts has changed my dessert game tremendously .You will find yourself trying one recipe after another because the recipes are easy to follow and the photos are wonderfully captured. The book contains recipes of everything from cupcakes, pies and tarts, cakes, snacks to breads. Everyone must own this book!

I work in an urban library and we are always looking for books that are inclusive of all of our patrons. I was very happy to find a cookbook with a young African American male on the cover as I have several young patrons interested in cooking. I'm glad I was able to find a book author that they can identify with and the social service aspect is even a bigger plus. What a role model for young boys! Several copies were purchased for different locations.

I love this book! Michael is a changemaker, working to end food insecurity. The introduction section was great, sharing some of his background and motivations. Kids can make a difference, and he is inspirational.
Then his delicious recipes are in chapters on Freedom Fighter Cupcakes, Pies & Tarts, Cakes, and Snacks & Breads. The cupcakes were named for people who motivate him to give back and support his community. I especially liked that each featured flavors relevant to the person - and that they went far beyond basic. These pages also had a bit of info regarding the person they were named for, so it was like a side social studies/history lesson along with the baking.
The other chapters, while missing the fun names, still had delicious sounding recipes and nice full color photos to go along with them.
This is definitely a good book for beginning bakers and/or older kids (ok with knives and heat in the kitchen), but these are interesting recipes supporting this young man's awesome mission.

When Michael C. Platt asserts, “Kids can help solve big problems,” he practices what he preaches. Platt’s baking book is more than a collection of recipes. Part memoir, part history lesson, it affirms the therapeutic power of baking to heal self and society. Beginning as a response to a personal health issue, Platt takes baking from an individual remedy to a force for social benevolence. Following the Toms shoes model, Platt donates a cupcake to homeless shelters for every one he sells at Michaels Desserts, his Maryland bakery. Through his business and a nonprofit he founded, he has donated 500,000 meals to the hungry.

His activism began with an awakening in first grade, when Platt found himself “crying from anger after hearing a story of people being mistreated” due to racism, Platt writes on his website. Freedom Fighter Cupcakes, then, are a fitting cover image for this first book by the 16-year-old author, pastry chef, and social activist. Cupcakes constitute the first chapter, which includes recipes and headnotes honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., Booker T. Washington, Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman, Malala Yousafzai, José Andrés, and other historical and contemporary figures.

Drawing lessons from these leaders and his elders, Platt continues to tell engaging stories in the headnotes of the pie, cake, and bread recipes. In the latter category, Platt refers to yeasted breads without explanation, likely to raise questions for the targeted 8- to 12-year-old readers. Instructions, specialized ingredients, equipment, and techniques are otherwise written clearly, making the yeasted oversight the exception.

Young activists aspiring to follow Platt’s model can find two servings of empowerment in the Michaels Desserts book. There’s the short-term gratification of using one’s own hands to bake a treat that can be enjoyed at once. If this satisfies the body, the second helping feeds the mind and spirit through food-centric history lessons and straight-talking support from Platt to join the youth movement for social change.

It’s peers to whom Platt dedicates his book, namely the “kids who are working to change the world. No matter how big or small, your work is important. Do everything you can and never give up.”

As many professionals have observed, baking allows for a tangible sense of accomplishment. Here Platt has authored a heartfelt recipe for youth to taste success in the kitchen and the body politic.

What an innovative idea! A book featuring a young changemaker, which is really a cookbook and features some recipes honoring contemporary and historic trailblazers! I can see this being a big hit with young readers and families!

This is a super creative cookbook. The recipes are awesome and easy to follow. The key lime pie is my favorite. I love the attention to detail and that it highlights different causes and social issues that are important.

tl;dr
Unique and tantalizing flavor combinations, and easy-to-follow instructions make this a great book for beginner bakers looking to expand their skill set.

Thoughts
I bake a lot, and I have all my favorite recipes already, so the only reason I'd grab a cookbook these days is if I thought it would be a good gift for a beginner baker, or if it had a lot of recipes I've never tried. This book fulfills both of those prompts. Beginner bakers who have tried a few bake mixes and are ready to take more control over their work will find a lot of great tips and easy-to-follow recipes. A brief guide on tools and what they do is also useful for bakers who are newer to the experience. The last chapter moves on to slightly more complex concepts like yeasted doughs or using tangzhong, which is a great launchpad into more difficult baking. The recipes themselves are inspired by people, history, and global movements, and feature a lot of flavor combinations I've never tried in a cupcake before. The golden milk cupcakes and the arroz con leche both look especially tasty (can you tell I like cinnamon?)

Of note, the introduction to the book also covers a lot of ground discussing food insecurity and how it's tied to other social issues. It's a good primer, especially for younger readers, and I found it a very encouraging read. He also highlights groups currently doing work to alleviate food insecurity including his own, along with some of my favorites like No Kid Hungry, and World Central Kitchen.

Overall, a great cookbook with some unique recipes great for beginner bakers.

Here is a dessert cookbook that I would try every single recipe of! Everything looks delicious! There are recipes for cupcakes, pies and tarts, cakes, snacks and breads. Most of the recipes have photos and they are beautiful! I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

A great cookbook for younger bakers. I wouldn't recommend this as a first baking cookbook for kids but for those with a little more experience, it would be great!

What a fantastic range of delicious, yet simple to make recipes. It has very clear, simple and easy to follow instructions to help guide you through each bake. I love that there’s a photograph of every single completed bake, so you know what you’re aiming for. There’s a chapter at the beginning, explaining everything you’re going to need, and why.

Thank you to Sixth&Spring and Netgalley for an eARC of this book to read and review.

The recipes look super creative and delicious! I can’t wait to try them out. The only thing is I wish that there were some more recipes that didn’t require so many tools!

This is a lovely cookbook with some great recipes that represent amazing figures in history. My daughter and I are excited to make many of these!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!