Below are several different recipes that are as tasty as they are easy and fun for your kids to bake. You will have them in the kitchen with you to bake again and again.
1. Funfetti cookies
For this recipe you are going to have your kids get all of the sprinkles out of the cupboard. You are going to need all of the sprinkles that you have! These cookies are so much fun and gorgeous as well which will make them the perfect new tradition that your whole family will love to get in the kitchen for.
Dreamy pink, red, and white sprinkles for Valentines Day. Green, red, and white for Christmas. Shiny gold and silver on New Years and so on. They are a perfectly beautiful versatile cookie.
To make this sprinkle obsession cookie you will need:
1/2 cup butter- softened not melted
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 large egg- room temperature
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
(at least) 1/3 cup of whatever type of sprinkles make you happy
How to make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
line baking sheet with parchment paper
cream the butter with hand mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy
add in sugar and mix for another minute until creamy
add egg, vanilla, and milk. Beat into butter mixture until well-incorporated
take a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, immediately rolling into the sprinkles after
place on baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes
allow to cool on baking sheet for two minutes before moving to cooling rack to finish cooling
will last for 1 week at room temperature (if you and the kids can keep your hands off of them for that long)
2. Baked apples
Baked breakfasts and snacks never smelled or looked so delicious. This recipe combines the sweetness of baked apples with the protein and saltiness of oatmeal. You can top it off with maple syrup, caramel, yogurt, or whip cream for the perfect sweet and hearty treat. Each one of you and the kids can have your individual apple to break into and watch creamy oatmeal and caramel/maple goodness ooze out.
For this recipe you will need:
4 apples (whatever kind is your favorite)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup of any type of milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of raisins
Brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or caramel for garnish drizzle
Whipped cream or yogurt to dollop on top
How to make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together the oatmeal, milk, and cinnamon. Once mixed set aside for at least an hour to overnight
Slice the top of the apple off and remove the core
Mix the oatmeal mixture together with nuts and raisins
Fill the apples with the mixture. Push it down a bit so you can really fill the apple up
Put apples in a baking dish and add 1/2 inch of hot water to bottom of the pan
Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes
Serve immediately
3. Mason jar ice cream cakes
Just because you are in the kitchen baking with the kids, doesn't mean that you have to turn the oven on and worry about them burning their little fingers. This little treat is simple and sweet and more fun than anything!
To make these fun little ice cream jars you will need:
6-8 wide mouth jars. Make sure that you have the rings and lids so you can seal it properly
1 package of chocolate wafer cookies or oreos
1/2 cup of melted butter
Cookie ice cream (softened not melted)
Chocolate cherry ice cream (softened not melted)
Chocolate ice cream fudge sauce
How to make it:
Grab your cookies and let each of your kids have a turn at crushing them up into a really fine crumble
Melt the butter
Put all of the cookie crumbles into a bowl and pour the melted butter over it
Spoon the cookie mix into the bottom of the mason jars. Press the cookies down firmly to the bottom and freeze
Spread the softened cookie ice cream onto the frozen cookie "crust" and freeze again
Spread chocolate fudge sauce onto first layer of ice cream. you guessed it: Freeze again!
Spread softened cherry ice cream on top of frozen chocolate sauce
Put on the lid and- screw it tightly. FREEZE
Make sure you serve it up with a strong spoon and extra cookies just because so you get a perfect spoonful every time
4. Jello Poke Cake
This little blast from the past will give your kids a fun look at one of the best treats that you would have had during your own childhood. You may even be carrying on a tradition that you got to do with your parents as a kid and get to share that with kids of your own! If you know what a poke cake is, then you know that you are all in for a big treat.
For this pokey treat you will need:
1 box of white cake mix and all of the ingredients that are called for on the box just ass directed
1 3.4 ounce package of strawberry jello
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of ice cold water
1 tub of cool whip- just 8 ounces
How to make it:
Mix the cake mix with all of the ingredients called for on the box
After mixing the cake ingredients together, pour the batter into a pan that has been greased
Bake for about 45 minutes or for however long the box calls for
Take cake out of oven and use fork, spoon, straw, etc. to poke holes all throughout the cake
Mix boiling water and jello together, stirring until jello is completely dissolved. Then add cold water
Pour jello over entire cake so it can seep into the holes on the cake
Once completely cooled, add an even layer of cool whip over entire cake
Use some freshly sliced strawberries for garnish if you wish
5. Chewy ooie-gooie brownies
Every kid loves chocolate! It is in the universal language of children! This means that making the best brownies with your kids is going to be something that everyone loves to do together. Even the parents will probably have a hard time not licking the spoon as you mix it all together!
Ingredients that you need to make this chocolatey goodness:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold and cut into pieces)
4 ounces of chocolate cut into small pieces
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350
Line baking dish with foil or parchment paper
Melt butter in a saucepan, add in chopped up chocolate and stir quickly and constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is totally melted
Once melted, remove chocolate from the heat ,stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Then stir in the flour and salt
Beat this batter together very quickly and vigorously for about 30 seconds to 1 minute
Once completely mixed together, stir in the chocolate chips
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the center just barely jiggles
Now, all of the recipes above look great on paper and are sure to tarte amazing, but most parents are probably wondering how on earth it is possible to get their kids into the kitchen with them, bake together and make memories instead of all chaos being let loose!
Thankfully there are plenty of tips that you can use that will make the baking experience fun, memorable, and rewarding for kids and adults alike!
Use these tips to introduce your little humans to the baking world and you won't go wrong!
- Be prepared ahead of time
If you can, get into the kitchen before the kids and set out as many ingredients and tools as you can ahead of time. Cover the table with wax paper if you need to roll things out, get out cookie cutters, spatulas, spoons, bowls, mixers, and anything else you can think of. Once the kids get in the kitchen with you, you won't have extra hands to do everything, so getting ahead of it as much as possible will make the process much smoother.
- Don't be afraid to let them use your kitchen appliances
Yes. most appliances probably cost a pretty penny, but this means that they are more thank likely built to last and can handle getting a little beat up from time to time. Allowing them to not just watch but experience the thrill of making the mixers go around and around will give you and them a sense of pride in the work done!
- Let them have their own thing to decorate
Your kids are going to watch you decorating the cookies and the cakes and will want to get in on the action just like you! To avoid the stress and annoyance of trying to get them to leave your decorations alone or trying to get them to do it like you want it, make an extra batch of cookies or an extra small cake and let them go to town on their own things! This will allow them to express themselves and have pride in their work while you get to make treats that look beautiful! Everyone is happy and stress free.
- Strap in the littlest of the bunch
If your baking with a mixture of big kids and little toddlers, then you will need all the help that you can get. Strap the toddlers into their booster seat or high chair! This will keep them safe without you having to worry about them touching the stove or oven, and will give them their own little tray as a craft space which will make clean up for you much easier when the baking is done.
When it comes to getting in the kitchen and cooking with your little ones, it is never early to start. Baking helps your children learn and grow mentally. Baking together with your children teaches them to better control their fine motor skills and helps to encourage their bravery when it comes to trying out new foods ad flavors that may be in their limited comfort zone.
The best part of cooking with your kiddos will be the fact that they will get to experience first hand just how talented they are and how tasty their treats can be.
Baking with kids can be rewarding and something that everybody looks forward too! It is a tradition that they will remember and will pass down to their kids one day. All it takes is a little planning, and thinking outside of the box so that everyone can have fun and the treats are as tasty and beautiful as ever!