Mumbai baker tries out recipes from a children's cookbook by Shivesh Bhatia

He is a 26yearold baker and digital content creator who loves styling and photographing his cakes as much as he loves working the oven Selftaught Shivesh Bhatiarsquos only regret is that he wishes he had started baking sooner ldquoI started at 16 but I felt I lost out on so many years I see young kids who are doing a great jobmdashit makes me happyrdquo Itrsquos what prompted the Delhi resident to put together a book of interesting recipes that would encourage kids to get into the kitchen pick up the whisk bake and discover the passionAndheri resident Caydn Louzado making recipes for friendsmdashthe two and four legged onesmdashfrom A Cookbook for Special Days Special PeopleA Cookbook for Special Days Special People Rs 799 released recently Itrsquos a beautifully illustrated book with 50 kidfriendly recipes His brief to Delhibased visual artist and design mentor Maitreyee Namjoshi was to keep it as vibrant as possible but at the same time let the sketches reflect details texture and depth For instance in the nobake mango cheesecake recipe the colour and texture of the puree keeps changing at different steps based on the ingredients added to it giving it a more realistic feel similar to what yoursquod see if you looked at pictures ldquoAs a seasoned baker one assumes everyone knows cooking and baking terms So when Maitreyee asked questions I realised that illustrating it for kids was a good way to help those who are starting on this journeyrdquo Bhatia tells middayShivesh BhatiaThe book is divided into special days spread over 13 months From Hot Chocolate Day in January and Holi in March to World Emoji Day in July yes therersquos a poop emoji vanilla cupcake recipe in here to Christmas in Decembermdashthere are corresponding recipes that also rely heavily on seasonsldquoWhen I started baking it was always for special occasions like a birthday or rakhi I realised that to encourage kids to pick up an activity like baking special days are a great place to start It allows them to look forward to something outside of their daily schedule While picking the days we went through the calendar and shortlisted those we thought would be important for kids like chocolate or pet days where they could make something for a pet or even a stray We also wanted to introduce them to seasonal produce so therersquos a reference to World Mango Day toordquoEmoji poop cakelsquoFor an art student like me the sketches added to the appealrsquoWe asked Andheribased tween baker Caydn Louzado to select a few recipes and try them in his kitchenldquoI think the book is very thoughtfully put together and well laid out The use of seasonal produce as well as reference to festivities makes it interesting Most of all I love the pictorial depiction of the entire process It makes you want to cook The illustrations are magical Being an art student I had to take a second and third look at how well they were being depicted The recipes are easy to understand which is important for the success of a recipe book for kids since it helps you nail the steps just as the chef intended it to be I will share these with my building and school friends since we are all on a WhstsAapp group I also have an Instagram page with a small following of 450 and I hope to put up a story and tag ShiveshrdquoPeanut Butter Puppy BiscuitsGrowing up Louzado always wanted to have a dog but couldnrsquot ldquoI love dogs and wanted to bake these doggo cookies for my neighboursrsquo pets I didnrsquot have to go looking for ingredients as everything I needed was already available at homerdquo he addsIngredients1 cup whole wheat flour12 tsp baking powder14 cup natural peanut butter 2 tbsp mashed banana12 cup water14 cup whole wheat flour for dustingTake a microwavesafe cookie rack and put parchment paper on itLouzado used special bone shaped cookie cutters to make the biscuits interesting for his furry friendsIn a bowl add in whole wheat flour and baking powder Use a spatula to mix these two together In the same bowl add in peanut butter mashed banana and water Use your spatula to bring the dough together The dough might be a little sticky but that is okayOnce combined use your hands to make a big ball of dough Dust a generous amount of whole wheat flourmdasharound 14 cupmdashon your kitchen counter and transfer the dough ball on it Flatten the ball a little by pushing it down with your hands Then take a rolling pin and roll out the dough till itrsquos 14rdquo thick You can add some more flour if the dough starts to stick to the kitchen counter or the rolling pinNext use a cookie cutter in a shape of your choice to cut out individual cookies from the rolledout doughRemove the excess dough from the edges and place each cookie on your cookie rack Put these in the microwave and cook them for 34 minutesLet the biscuits cool down completely before giving them to your furry friendNo baked oatmeal and raisin cookiesldquoMy dad constantly tells me to bake healthy eats since thatrsquos the need of the hour I thought that I should make this recipe so that I can also inspire other children to eat healthy The process was fun because the recipe is so so easyrdquo says LouzadoIngredients14 cup raisins12 cup peanut butter34cup rolled oats14 cup honey12 tsp cinnamonLine a trayplate with parchment paper In a microwavesafe bowl add peanut butter and honey Heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds and then use a spoon to mix the two Put the bowl in the microwave and heat again for 15 seconds In the peanut butterhoney mixture add in oats raisins and cinnamon Using a spatula mix everything until all the dry ingredients are fully covered with the peanut butterhoney mixture With the help of two spoons scoop out small balls of the cookie batter on the trayplate lined with parchment Lastly freeze the shaped cookies for 20 minutes