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Masterchef Junior Bakes!: Bold Recipes and Essential Techniques to Inspire Young Bakers
From "America's most watched cooking show,"
MasterChef Junior
, comes a cookbook of 100 playful baking recipes inspired by MasterChef Junior's young chef contestants, plus plenty of tips, techniques, and step-by-step photographs to enchant bakers of all ages!
Like the dishes featured in the MasterChef Junior Cookbook, the 100 recipes in the MasterChef Junior Baking Book celebrate creativity, technique, and deliciousness, embracing simple to sophisticated and sweet to savory baked goods. Young bakers will learn how to cream butter for Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies; shallow fry dough for Glazed Jelly Doughnuts with Powdered Sugar; whip a silky chocolate ganache for German Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling; and knead dough for cheesy Garlic Knots. Packed with baking guidance and know-how, insider info from MasterChef Junior alumni, and photographs from your favorite show moments, home bakers of all skill levels will be excited to bake like a MasterChef.
Like the dishes featured in the MasterChef Junior Cookbook, the 100 recipes in the MasterChef Junior Baking Book celebrate creativity, technique, and deliciousness, embracing simple to sophisticated and sweet to savory baked goods. Young bakers will learn how to cream butter for Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies; shallow fry dough for Glazed Jelly Doughnuts with Powdered Sugar; whip a silky chocolate ganache for German Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling; and knead dough for cheesy Garlic Knots. Packed with baking guidance and know-how, insider info from MasterChef Junior alumni, and photographs from your favorite show moments, home bakers of all skill levels will be excited to bake like a MasterChef.
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2019
15 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 24, 2021
This coookbook is aimed at young fans of the show, ages 8-13, who want to learn to bake like the kids on TV. It's useful more for kids in the intermediate category of baking, like my niece, who know the basics and want to get fancy like the kids on TV. Fans of the Food Network's Kids Baking Championship and Great British Bake Off Junior (ahem not watching it illegally ... watch it on YouTube if they don't take it off) will love this book too. The book is also useful for adult bakers in the beginning/intermediate category, especially those whose kids watch baking shows and want their parents to bake something for them.
The book is full color with pictures from the show and of the recipes. Yummy!
It begins with an introduction to baking with tools, techniques, the baker's pantry (ingredients), before moving on to the actual recipes. The recipes are divided by category and they start with easy stuff: biscuits, muffins and other breakfast treats in section 1. I question some of the flavors and ingredients they have kids using. Most normal kids who aren't professional bakers already ("I'm 9 and I've been baking since I was 3! I have my own business selling cookies and cupcakes online/at the farmer's market, etc.). My younger niece will not be interested in sweet potato biscuits or poppy seed muffins. This first section also contains a Masterchef section on mastering muffins.
Section 2 contains cookies. Some easy like vanilla roll out cookies, and some hard like madeleines. Masterchef lessons include how to cream butter and meringue. There's also a section called Master This: Macarons and Home Challenge: Green Tea Macarons with Strawberry Coulis. The mini s'more whoopie pies sound really good!
Section 3 is Bars and Bites: brownies, blondies, bars and also sweet yeast dough recipes. Master This: Sweet Yeast Dough (I've had that one covered since I was 10). Home Challenge is glazed and sugared jelly doughnuts. This section makes me want to learn to fry doughnuts. Again I question some of the choices: Tahini and Apricot oat bars? for kids? Green tea icing? The maple whipped cream sounds good though as does chocolate cinnamon monkey bread!
Cupcake section contains some new variations on cupcakes I've never seen like orange spice. The Masterchef lessons include how to make ganache and decorating with sugar (caramel sugar work decorations-fancy!)
Like cupcakes, the section on cakes gets inventive. The Masterchef lesson is for making homemade dulce de leche. The most inventive recipes are one I (and most kids) won't try: pineapple-lychee upside down cake, quadruple ginger snack cake, chocolate-citrus olive oil cake with orange glaze and whipper ricotta (in fact I think my mom made that for my dad for his birthday last month and I did not like it but fussy niece #2 did!). Masterchef lesson #2 is build a better layer cake and Master This is for the easiest chocolate cake. I want to try apple butter bundt cake with cinnamon sugar! I already mastered chocolate cake and so has niece #1. Hers is moist and chocolatey.
Then we get more challenging in the Pies and Tarts section. My niece would like this. Her signature dessert is fig pie and here we have Rosemary and Fig Jam Tart. Master This: All-butter pie dough (my grandmothers used shortening. If I'm baking a pie I want it to taste like theirs). The pies section also includes hand pies, lemon meringue pie and tarts.
The next section is the one I've never tried and am always amazed that 9-12 year olds don't break a sweat over: Pastries and Fancy Desserts: cannoli, churros, cream puffs, etc. Master This is for sweet and savory Pâte à Choux. The Home Challenge builds on that to make croquembouche. The second Home Challenge is Chocolate Soufflé.
Then we have Custards, Puddings and Ice creams. I like the no-churn ice cream recipes and want to try one. This section includes fancy stuff like Panna Cotta, Crème brûlée, Flan and easy things like dark chocolate pudding. The Masterchef lesson is for tempering custards. There's a Master Recipe for no churn ice cream and a Home Challenge for banana split ice cream cake.
Breads & Snacks and Savory Pastries is next. I don't do savory but the recipe for pretzels looks do-able. Masterchef lesson: how to knead dough without a mixer, something I've been doing longer than I can remember, I don't know how to do it WITH a mixer. (I do both usually, mix until dough comes together and knead by hand). For those kids who have gluten intolerance, this section includes Gluten-Free Seedy Soda Bread.
Some of the recipes have extra tips and helpful suggestions for changing up the recipe for different flavors, frostings, or variations.
I think this is a great book for budding pastry chefs like my older niece but not so great for the average home baker used to box mixes or pre-made baked goods.
The book is full color with pictures from the show and of the recipes. Yummy!
It begins with an introduction to baking with tools, techniques, the baker's pantry (ingredients), before moving on to the actual recipes. The recipes are divided by category and they start with easy stuff: biscuits, muffins and other breakfast treats in section 1. I question some of the flavors and ingredients they have kids using. Most normal kids who aren't professional bakers already ("I'm 9 and I've been baking since I was 3! I have my own business selling cookies and cupcakes online/at the farmer's market, etc.). My younger niece will not be interested in sweet potato biscuits or poppy seed muffins. This first section also contains a Masterchef section on mastering muffins.
Section 2 contains cookies. Some easy like vanilla roll out cookies, and some hard like madeleines. Masterchef lessons include how to cream butter and meringue. There's also a section called Master This: Macarons and Home Challenge: Green Tea Macarons with Strawberry Coulis. The mini s'more whoopie pies sound really good!
Section 3 is Bars and Bites: brownies, blondies, bars and also sweet yeast dough recipes. Master This: Sweet Yeast Dough (I've had that one covered since I was 10). Home Challenge is glazed and sugared jelly doughnuts. This section makes me want to learn to fry doughnuts. Again I question some of the choices: Tahini and Apricot oat bars? for kids? Green tea icing? The maple whipped cream sounds good though as does chocolate cinnamon monkey bread!
Cupcake section contains some new variations on cupcakes I've never seen like orange spice. The Masterchef lessons include how to make ganache and decorating with sugar (caramel sugar work decorations-fancy!)
Like cupcakes, the section on cakes gets inventive. The Masterchef lesson is for making homemade dulce de leche. The most inventive recipes are one I (and most kids) won't try: pineapple-lychee upside down cake, quadruple ginger snack cake, chocolate-citrus olive oil cake with orange glaze and whipper ricotta (in fact I think my mom made that for my dad for his birthday last month and I did not like it but fussy niece #2 did!). Masterchef lesson #2 is build a better layer cake and Master This is for the easiest chocolate cake. I want to try apple butter bundt cake with cinnamon sugar! I already mastered chocolate cake and so has niece #1. Hers is moist and chocolatey.
Then we get more challenging in the Pies and Tarts section. My niece would like this. Her signature dessert is fig pie and here we have Rosemary and Fig Jam Tart. Master This: All-butter pie dough (my grandmothers used shortening. If I'm baking a pie I want it to taste like theirs). The pies section also includes hand pies, lemon meringue pie and tarts.
The next section is the one I've never tried and am always amazed that 9-12 year olds don't break a sweat over: Pastries and Fancy Desserts: cannoli, churros, cream puffs, etc. Master This is for sweet and savory Pâte à Choux. The Home Challenge builds on that to make croquembouche. The second Home Challenge is Chocolate Soufflé.
Then we have Custards, Puddings and Ice creams. I like the no-churn ice cream recipes and want to try one. This section includes fancy stuff like Panna Cotta, Crème brûlée, Flan and easy things like dark chocolate pudding. The Masterchef lesson is for tempering custards. There's a Master Recipe for no churn ice cream and a Home Challenge for banana split ice cream cake.
Breads & Snacks and Savory Pastries is next. I don't do savory but the recipe for pretzels looks do-able. Masterchef lesson: how to knead dough without a mixer, something I've been doing longer than I can remember, I don't know how to do it WITH a mixer. (I do both usually, mix until dough comes together and knead by hand). For those kids who have gluten intolerance, this section includes Gluten-Free Seedy Soda Bread.
Some of the recipes have extra tips and helpful suggestions for changing up the recipe for different flavors, frostings, or variations.
I think this is a great book for budding pastry chefs like my older niece but not so great for the average home baker used to box mixes or pre-made baked goods.
April 23, 2020
Authors MasterChef Junior and Christina Tosi (2019). Calling all young bakers - you may want to check out this collection of 100 recipes featured in the show MasterChef Junior Bakes! This collection offers 7 different categories of baking such as cookies, cupcakes, cakes and more. One of the highlights of this collection is how kid friendly it is. The font has character that appeals to a younger audience. The titles are in brick font with neon colors and the recipes are broken down by large, round font. In addition, the book is scaffolded in a way that provides children with accessible content: Introduction, Getting Prepared, Basic Techniques, The Baker’s Pantry and last, the recipes which have difficulty ratings. Each recipe provides the young chef with step by step instructions. They also offer a MasterChef recipe throughout the collection. These are focused sections that provide tips and tricks for things such as kneading dough without a mixer. Although it has real photos of previous MasterChef Junior competitors, one thing to consider is the number of photos. I figure it’s appealing to the fan, but I would have liked more photos of the recipes. Some recipes have no pictures, others only have one. Overall this is a good collection for a beginner baker who loves to get lost in baking. Target Audience: 7-12.
November 11, 2022
My son got me hooked on Masterchef and I've been slowly making my way through the many years of the adult competition TV series. I've never seen a youth version. As a beginning to intermediate baker I found this book delightful. It's inspiring that these young bakers can make this level of food creations. Sets a great bar. Chocolate lava cakes here I come.
October 23, 2024
An absolute blast of a cookbook! I enjoyed the great variety of recipes and ingredients in the book along with including recipes from previous Masterchef Junior contestants as well.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews