Encourage your kids to have fun in the kitchen and make this your new hobby with the whole family!
When Jenna from Waitress the Musical sang, “you can tell a whole story with a taste,” she was absolutely right. Getting your kids to try out baking recipes with you is not only precious bonding time but a way to teach them creativity and important life skills, like following instructions, precision, and patience (not to mention comfort in the kitchen).
Finding time to bond with the kids through various activities like baking improves the overall vibe and relationship of the family. It is a fun substitute to common bonding activities like watching a movie or a Netflix series and the somewhat expensive bond of going to the mall for a shopping spree.
When your treats are pulled out from the oven and you get to bite into the taste of your hard work together, that’s a story of love sealed into their memories forever. There’s nothing like the habits and virtues you form together in the kitchen, and the following recipes are excellent ways to get started on them:
1. SUGAR COOKIES
Ingredients:
COOKIES:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
SUGAR FROSTING:
3 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tbsps milk
2 tbsps light corn syrup
½ tbsp vanilla extract
Gel food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)
It’s never a bad idea to start with cookies. They’re fun, easy to make, and easily rewarding! Most cookies are also made from the same basic ingredients of flour, baking powder, butter, and vanilla extract. The proportions and dough preparation are what determines one cookie type from another. For sugar cookies to come out soft and ready for decoration, the dough only needs to be mixed until the dry ingredients are well incorporated, chilled for 30 minutes (to give the cut-outs better definition), and baked at 350°F, 2-3 inches apart. Your kids will definitely enjoy cutting out cookie shapes, and decorating them with colored icing!
2. BANANA MUFFINS
Ingredients:
⅔ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
⅔ cup mashed ripe bananas (2 small)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Consider this the perfect rehearsal for creating soft buttery banana bread, except with minimal preparation and baking time. Just whisk mashed bananas (let your little one mash these to their heart’s content!) into a bowl of your wet ingredients. Add in the usual dry ingredients before mixing and filling into a greased muffin pan. Bake at 375°F for 17-20 minutes–or at least until a toothpick comes out clean. With the right measurements, it can really be that simple!
3. LEMONADE SCONES
Ingredients:
1 cup lemonade (fizzy)
1 cup heavy/ thickened cream
3 cups self-raising flour (2 tsps of baking powder per cup of flour)
As you can see from the ingredients listed, this is probably the quickest way to make a fluffy delightful scone! Instead of taking the time to rub butter into flour, you just have to dump self-rising flour, cream, and lemonade into a mixing bowl then you’re good to go! Once the dough is formed, don’t be afraid to work it with your hands. Let your kids go crazy with it like a ball of playdough. After the cookie-cutting portion, you simply brush the scones with milk or a lightly beaten egg and then bake until golden!
4. OATMEAL CREAM PIE
Ingredients:
OATMEAL COOKIES:
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups oatmeal
CREAM FILLING:
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
If you’ve done cookies and frosting before, this is one recipe where you can fully assign certain tasks to your kids. Someone can mix and bake the oatmeal cookie batter. Someone can whip an extra fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting at medium speed for five minutes. And finally, someone can pipe the frosting on the center of one cookie before gluing it to another. Voila! A labor of love.
5. PEANUT BUTTER BARS
Ingredients:
½ cup butter, cubed
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
If done carefully and with the right measurements, this recipe can be done in very few and simple steps. Your batter only needs 1) a slowly stirred mixture of melted butter and peanut butter, 2) the gradual addition of sugar and flour mixed in a separate bowl, and 3) a final beating with eggs and vanilla. Don’t be afraid to take turns mixing in the ingredients! 4) Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the baking pan. 5) Eat, eat, eat!
Baking any of the treats and desserts mentioned above is a great way to connect with the family. You can do this ever weekend right after all your weekly errands. Involve them in the preparation as well like maybe in choosing what to bake, buying and ordering the ingredients and other pre-baking tasks as well. Aside from baking and enjoying the delicious goods you made, you can even make a small business plan with your kids to sell them to your relatives and friends so that the kids will have an experience in making their own money to purchase whatever they may want in the future.
Once your kids are comfortable in the kitchen, there is no limit to what you can make together (or maybe even by themselves). If you put in the time to explore with them and find your particular tastes, you can even create your own recipes! What are you waiting for? Your beautiful life is only a few memorable recipes away.
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