New York Time's "The Best Cookbooks of 2023"

James Beard Award-winner for Emerging Voice 2024

James Beard Award-nominee for Baking and Desserts 2024

A sweet baking book of fantastically imaginative remixed Filipino American dessert recipes, plus essays on the Filipino American experience by baker-fundraiser Abi Balingit.

When the pandemic started her lonely work-from-home life in 2020, Abi Balingit channeled all her energy into the one thing that brought her joy: baking. In her tiny, dimly lit, shared kitchen, she produced hundreds of “pasalubong” (souvenir) boxes filled with especially creative treats that blended the Filipino treats and Western style baked goods she grew up with. Each time, she’d sell out within hours and donated the proceeds to support her community in need.

Now Abi shares some of these cult-favorite desserts with Mayumu (which means “sweet” in one of the 8 major languages in Philippines), an incredibly fresh baking book of 75 recipes that span from the never-before-seen, incredibly inventive flavor combinations that Abi dreamed up, to the more familiar, classic Filipino favorites:

Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookie
Strawberry Shortcake Sapin-Sapin (Rice Cakes)
Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cakes
Matcha Pastillas
Melon Chicharron Crumble
Halo-Halo Baked Alaska

Throughout, essays following Abi’s heritage and self-discovery introduce the flavors and experiences that have shaped her life, from visiting the motherland and her parents’ birthplace in Pampanga, Philippines, to California where she grew up and went to school, to her current home, Brooklyn, NY. This beautiful book is a celebration of the Filipino American experience, perfect for home bakers wanting both nostalgic and excitingly new recipes.