Easy Baking Recipes to Make With Children
Looking for something fun to do with your children? Why not keep them entertained with some baking? Don’t freak out straight away. We promise with some clever recipes that have the child proof stamp of approval it can be a fun activity that everyone can enjoy. Plus, there will be some yummy sweet treats to enjoy at the end, what’s not to love!?
We have pulled together our favourite, and tastiest, easy baking recipes you can do with your mini sous chef, plus our favourite products that makes baking with children fun for the whole family.
Rice Crispy Cakes
This one is an all time classic, but an absolute winner every time in our books. It’s super easy, involves no actual cooking and of course tasty! The hardest part is not eating all the mixture whilst you’re baking.
Ingredients
150g milk chocolate
100g butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
100g rice pops (we used Rice Krispies)
Method
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl with the butter and golden syrup and gently melt in 10-second bursts in the microwave, or melt it over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir until smooth, then take off the heat and stir in the rice pops, coating them gently with the chocolate until they are all completely covered.
Divide the mixture between nine cupcake or 12 fairy cake paper cases – it’s easier if you slide these into a muffin tin as it will help them hold their shape. Leave to set. If you want them to set faster, put in the fridge for 1 hr. And enjoy!
Flapjacks
The good old flapjack. It’s a firm favourite in most households and these ones can be ready in around half an hour so you can get down to the eating bit pretty sharpish.
Ingredients
250g porridge oats
125g butter
90g light muscovado sugar
90g golden syrup
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C /18-C fan / gas 6. Lightly butter a roasting tin or shallow cake tin (roughly 20x30cm)
Combine the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and heat gently until the ingredients are melted and dissolved. Take off the heat and stir in the oats and mix well.
Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth to the sides with a spoon or palette knife.
Bake for 30mins until golden.
Leave to cool for 5 mins then cut into portions. Leave to cool completely, then cut and remove from tin.
Chocolate chip cookies
Who doesn’t love a warm gooey cookie? Soft and chewy in the middle with a perfectly crisp outside. Nothing will win the crowd over like one of these chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients
100g granulated sugar
165g brown sugar
115g butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
155g plain flour
½ tsp baking soda
110g milk chocolate
110g dark chocolate
Method
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, and butter until a paste forms with no lumps. Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture.
Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula. Fold in the chocolate chunks, then chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Whilst they are chilling, pre-heat the oven at 180C / 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches (10 cm) of space between cookies and 2 inches (5 cm) of space from the edges of the pan so that the cookies can spread evenly.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges have started to barely brown.
Gingerbread Men
Yes they are tasty, but these can also be really fun to make. Let your little one get creative with the icing and turn their gingerbread men into fantasy characters, family members or their friends.
Ingredients
350g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
125g butter
175g light soft brown sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp golden syrup
Decorations (icing, sweets, edible balls/glitter etc)
Method
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon into a bowl of a food processor (you can use an electric hand mixer). Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
Lightly beat the egg and syrup together and add to the mixture. Pulse the mixture together until it clumps together. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and leave to chill for 15mins.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Then let the decoration begin!
Fairy Cakes
These easy fairy cakes are perfect for cooking with children and another one that they can have fun decorating at the end.
Ingredients
110g butter
110g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g self raising flour
102 tsp milk
Icing
300g icing sugar
2-3 tbsp water
2-3 drop food colouring
Decorations (sprinkles, glitter etc)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line 2 x 12-hole fairy cake tins with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract.
Fold in the flour, then add a little milk until the mixture is a soft dropping consistency and spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Set aside to cool.
For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir in enough water to create a smooth mixture at the desired consistency. Stir in the food colouring. Then decorate.
Favourite baking products
So you now have some recipe inspiration, but what about some fun child friendly products that makes baking with your little one’s really enjoyable.
Bib
Baking can be messy business so make sure your little one is wearing an apron or bib. We recommend the coverall bibs to make sure they are fully protected from any spills.
Step stool
Those kitchen work tops can be a little too high for your mini sous chef, so help give them a boost with the bumbo step stool so they can get involved with the mixing too.
Liewood Cake Pan
These super cute silicone cake moulds make baking fun for your little one with the cute animal shapes. Use the fairy cake recipe above to create animal sponge cakes with these Liewood cake pans.
Babmoov food prep kit
This Babymoov food prep kit is bursting full of fun and useful tools to help add a bit of a twist to baking with your little one. It includes heart and star cutters, melon baller, a crinkle cutter, spiral peeler, silicone cup moulds and a mini recipe book to get you started.
Little Dutch Weighing Scales
Get your little one involved in every aspect of baking in the kitchen by getting them their very own scales with the Little Dutch wooden Weighing Scales.
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