Baking Class

September 1, 2017

Gr 2-6-This colorful baking guide offers detailed illustrated directions to help kids make a wide range of baked goods, including muffins, breads, cookies, scones, biscuits, pies, cakes, and cupcakes. Color photos accompany each step of every recipe, as well as several pages of baking basics that introduce common cooking terms, safety tips, and tools. The recipes are rated with one, two, or three rolling pins to indicate their level of difficulty. Along with the 50 recipes, the book features sidebars and extra pages of cooking tips and variations. For example, the recipe for "Silly Sticks" includes a sidebar that describes five other easy ways to use puff pastry, and the "Sweet and Simple Sugar Cookie" recipe is followed by four pages of decorating ideas and tips. While most of the recipes require the use of an oven, a few, such as "A Toast to You," can be made in a toaster oven, or in the case of the flour-free "Cocoa Cake in a Mug," even the microwave. The book also includes a table of contents and an index for handy reference. VERDICT This attractive and well-organized baking guide for kids will make a nice addition to most nonfiction collections, and a good gift for young baking enthusiasts.-Ashley Larsen, Pacifica Libraries, CA

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