Want to get the kids interested in cooking and baking?
Cultivating your child’s curiosity about cooking, food, baking, and even eating will help them find out if this kind of thing might become a hobby one day.
Even if they don’t develop a love of cooking or baking, in the early stages it can be beneficial to have them help make some of their food – this can help combat fussiness, among other things.
Try some of these cool recipes – supplied by Bub Hub Forum members – for easy salads, desserts, and baking for kids.
Simple Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 can of good quality tuna in oil, drained and flaked
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- A handful of baby spinach leaves (optional)
- Juice of 1 lemon (dressing)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Combine all ingredients – make sure that you open the tuna can for the kids to ensure that they stay aware from any sharp edges.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 can of chickpeas, washed and drained
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 tbsp of spring onions, chopped
Dressing
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Combine all ingredients – really easy for the kids to help – just supervise the chopping!
- Chill for 30 mins and serve.
Pear Dessert
Ingredients:
- 6 large pears, or 1 large can of halved pears if you can’t get fresh ones
- 2 tablespoons of caster sugar
- 1 cup of raspberries
- 1 cup of plain flour
- 1/2 cup soft brown sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Vanilla ice cream to serve
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190C.
- For fresh pears, peel, quarter, and core the pears.
- Cut the pears into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Put the pears into a large saucepan and sprinkle the sugar over.
- Add 1 tablespoon of water, cover, and bring to the boil.
- Once boiling, turn heat down to around medium/low, and heat for 10 mins with the lid still on, stirring occasionally – you want the fruit to end up tender, but not limp and smooshy.
- Drain the pears – keep what you drain in a small dish to the side.
- Transfer pears to a suitable sized, oven-safe dish.
- Sprinkle the berries over the top of the pears.
- Combine the flour, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until the mix sort of looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- Sprinkle it over the top of the berries.
- Bake for around 25 minutes until the top flour/sugar/butter mixture is golden brown.
- Serve with ice cream, and tip a bit of the drained juice over the top.
Honeycomb Mousse
Ingredients:
- 150 ml cream
- 300 grams of dark or milk chocolate, chopped/broken up
- 3 eggs – separated
- 2 Crunchie bars / honeycomb bars, smashed up and crumbled
Method:
- Pour the cream into a heavy based saucepan over med heat.
- Remove from the heat just before it begins to boil.
- Add the chocolate pieces, stirring until the chocolate has melted.
- Pour into a large mixing bowl, and let it cool for about 10 mins.
- Using beaters, add the egg yolks into the mix and beat for around 2 minutes. It will start to thicken and you should stop at the consistency you like.
- Put the egg whites into a clean bowl and whisk until white peaks form (as though you are making meringue).
- GENTLY fold whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture, and then transfer into a bowl (one large, or several single serve sizes)
- Refrigerate overnight to set.
- Serve with sprinkle crunchie bars bits over the top!
Muesli Bubble Bars
Ingredients:
- 50g butter
- 250g packet marshmallows
- 2 cups rice bubbles
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pepitas
Method:
- Lightly grease an 18 x 28cm slice pan and line bases and sides with baking paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter and marshmallows. Heat on low for 5-6 minuntes, until melted and smooth (supervise well as the butter and marshmallows will get very hot).
- In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
- Add marshmallow mixture to the bowl (parents help here).
- Working quickly, mix well, and press into prepared pan. Using a wet spatula, flatten the top.
- Chill for 2-3 hours or until firm.
- While still in pan, cut into bars.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Berry Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 cup rolled (porridge) oats
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/3 cup of caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup self raising flour sifted
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 & 1/3 cups of mixed frozen berries (this can vary depending on how much you want to use)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Put muffin cases in muffin holes (should make about 14-16 standard size ones).
- Mix the yoghurt, oats, oil, caster sugar, and egg in a bowl.
- Gently stir in the sifted flour, and baking powder.
- Gently fold in berries.
- Spoon the mix into the cases and bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown.
- Serve to hungry kids – so easy to do with little ones, and really difficult to stuff up!
French Toast
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tbs of butter
- 4 slices of day-old bread (fresh is too soft and falls apart in cooking)
- Cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top to serve
Method:
- Mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla in a bowl.
- Melt half the butter in a pan.
- When the butter starts to bubble, quickly dip a piece of bread into the bowl and let it soak.
- Count to 4, turn over, pick it up and let the excess run off.
- Put bread in pan.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, when it is golden, flip it over and do the other side.
- Add more butter as you are cooking to the pan and repeat.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and serve!
These ideas are wonderful for a quick snack, a family dessert, or made in bulk for future busy times. Check out more great activity ideas in our Things to Do Hub.
Image credit: wavebreakmediamicro/123RF Stock Photo