How to introduce your kids to cooking and baking: Three easy recipes
18 September 2023, 10:54
Looking to introduce your kids to the kitchen with some fun and creative recipes? Look no further!
Promoted by Hartley's Jelly
Any parenting expert will tell you how important it is to get your kids in the kitchen with you, whether it's cleaning up, baking or cooking.
The process of learning a recipe and watching the ingredients work together can help children learn about science and creativity as well as form happy memories in the kitchen with you.
What's even better is that baking and cooking with your kids involves including sensory play naturally as it will encourage them to use their senses; feeling, tasting, observing, listening and smelling!
If you're looking to introduce your little ones to baking and cooking, we've put together three simple recipe ideas to get you started:
Fruit Jelly
Creating fruit jelly will help your children learn about the science of cooking and baking, and will make for a healthy snack after all the hard work is done.
We suggest using Hartley's Jelly for these creations as they offer a great range of different fruity flavours and sugar free options.
What you'll need:
- Jelly mould (you can use silicone ice cube trays or small cups)
- Hartley's Jelly Cubes (pick your flavour - or try out a few!)
- Boiling water
- Cut up pieces of your kid's favourite fruit (avoid fresh pineapple, kiwi or papaya fruit as this will prevent jelly from setting).
Step 1: Make up the Hartley's Jelly by following the instructions on the packet (if the little ones are helping out with this make sure you're careful with the boiling water.)
Step 2: Take your jelly mould or silicone ice cube tray and get your little one to place their favourite pieces into each one.
Step 3: Pour the jelly mixture into the moulds, covering the fruit pieces.
Step 4: Place mould in the fridge to set.
Need some help explaining to them how jelly goes from liquid to solid? When the jelly is mixed with the hot water, the protein within it dissolves. As the solution cools down in the fridge, the protein bonds together to make a solid!
Chocolate Crispy Cakes
Chocolate Crispy Cakes are delicious and so much fun to make – even for adults!
This recipe has a few more steps and a little more detail to it, but will make for a great task for you and your little one to complete as a team.
What you'll need:
- Baking tray
- Cupcake cases
- Mixing bowl and spoon
- 60g unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons golden syrup
- 100g milk or dark chocolate
- 90g Rice Krispies
- Your children's favourite treats to decorate on top
Step 1: Melt chocolate in the microwave in small bursts.
Step 2: Take out the bowl of chocolate and mix in the butter until melted, the syrup and then the Rice Krispies.
Step 3: Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases.
Step 4: Let your little ones use their imagination and creativity to decorate the cakes using their favourite treats.
Step 5: Place in fridge until cool.
Fruit Wands
Fruit wands are one of easiest and healthiest ways to get your kids creating snacks in the kitchen.
What you'll need:
- A range of fruit cut up into small shapes (strawberries, apple, kiwi, grapes)
- Wooden skewers
Step 1: If safe to do so, get your kids to cut up their favourite pieces of fruit using a kid-friendly knife.
Step 2: Work with your child to build a range of fruit wands, sliding pieces of fruit onto the skewers one at a time.
If you wanted to add another step to this, you can melt down white, dark or milk chocolate and let them dip the fruit lightly in it. Pop in the fridge until the chocolate sets and watch them eat their fruit without any complaints! Or you can try natural yoghurt to create a healthier option.