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Baking with children is a fun way to pass the time at home — plus, everyone gets to share some delicious treats at the end.
But baking doesn’t have to take all day, or make a big mess. In fact, we’ve got some recipes that are practically fool-proof, and perfectly safe to bake with the help of young children. As an added safety-precaution, keep children away from the oven and the stove and carefully guide them as they help with the mixing, the pouring, the decorating and, of course, licking the bowl!
Let’s take a look at the top ten recipes that make baking with children a breeze.
What it is:
Whip together a moist, chocolatey cake in under 5 minutes — yes, that includes baking time. This recipe is ideal for children because it’s simple, quick, and doesn’t involve any hot pans or hand mixers.
What you’ll need:
How to start baking with children:
Add the dry ingredients to a large mug and mix them together — be sure to enlist the help of eager little hands to help with this step. Crack an egg over the top and lightly stir so that the yolk breaks apart (this part is best for adult hands to handle). Then, hand over control of the mixing spoon again to the chef-in-training to mix in the wet ingredients together. Combine the wet and dry ingredients well. Lastly, add the chocolate chips, mix well, and cook on “high” in the microwave for 3 minutes. Remember to let it cool before you serve it to the children!
Original recipe – Kidspot Kitchen
What it is:
One of the easiest child-friendly recipes you can find, considering how decadent and delicious the final outcome is. You only need three ingredients to make it happen, and it’s a guaranteed hit with the little ones.
What you will need:
How to start baking with children:
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Place 9 cupcake liners on a tray and set aside. Now, have your little helper mix all three ingredients together (and give a hand if you need to). Scoop the mixture into the cupcake liners, about ¾ full. If you demonstrate carefully, young hands can help with this part too. Bake for 20-25 minutes before you leave them to cool.
Original recipe – Kidspot Kitchen
What it is:
The lightness of a deliciously baked cake combined with the fruitiness of a great apple-pie. It’s a winner with the children, it’s easy enough to create, and the results are always tasty.
What you will need:
How to start baking with children:
Help the children to sift together the flour and sugar while you prepare the butter by getting it soft enough to mix. Next, break the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles crumbs, and then add the egg. The children can help to press about half of this mixture into a greased and lined 20cm round tin. Add the apple pie filling, before the letting children sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the top to form the crumble. Bake at 180C for 40 minutes, and cool on a wire rack. Dust with castor sugar before you serve it.
Original recipe – Best Recipes
What it is:
The chocolate chip cookie needs no introduction — it’s a classic family favourite. This version is even simpler and quicker than most, making it ideal to tackle with the help of your junior bakers.
What you’ll need:
How to start baking with children:
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Combine the cream, butter, sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Add in the egg, flour and salt and then stir in the chocolate chips. Let your young helper do the stirring — they can mix away until they get tired. Then, you and the children should use spoons to scoop the mixture into balls and place the balls on a baking tray, keeping enough space between the balls for them to spread without touching each other. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes before placing them on a cooling tray. When they’re cool, serve them with milk, tea, or cocoa.
Original recipe – Kidspot Kitchen
What it is:
It’s creamy, it’s rich, it’s packed with potassium and it’s easy enough for children to create with a little guidance.
What you will need:
How to start baking with children:
Heat your oven to 180°C. Melt the sugar, butter, caramel and chocolate together until smooth – it’s best for the adults to handle this part. Once it has cooled a little, the younger baker can help by adding the eggs and folding in the flour and banana. Then, everyone can now pour the mixture into a lined 20cm square tin. Finally, invite the little hands to add a few blobs of caramel to the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, and let cool.
Original recipe – Olive Magazine
What it is:
A tea-time must-have! Jam tarts are a classic to enjoy as a snack, and they’re simple enough for baking with children.
What you will need:
How to start baking with children:
Combine your flour, the chilled and diced butter to breadcrumbs. This is easier when you use a food processor. Your little helper can help by pressing the buttons.
Add golden caster sugar and mix before adding your 2 egg yolks and grated orange rind. Ask your young baker to add the ingredients to the food processor for you, but be careful to keep it unplugged at this point. Add a splash of water so that you can get a doughy consistency. Preheat your oven to 190 degrees. Roll out the pastry and show the children how to stamp out circles using an upside down cup or a cookie cutter (they should be big enough to fit 2 × 12-hole jam tart tins). Bake for 15 minutes, then show the children how to add small spoonfuls of jam to each and bake for 5 mins. Serve and enjoy!
Original recipe – Olive Magazine
What it is:
It’s the easiest no-bake recipe for delicious flavourful lemony slices. The children will love the mixing and the simplicity of this creation. Plus, it’s packed with vitamin C.
What you will need:
Base
Icing
How to start baking with children:
Line a 20 x 30cm plastic airtight container with baking paper. Little hands can help you to mix the biscuits and coconut together in a large bowl. Add all other base ingredients and combine well. Press it into the container (children are great at this part) and let it cool in the refrigerator. To create the icing, combine all the ingredients into a bowl and get your helper to mix them together. Spread it over the mixture that you already have in the container and refrigerate again until you’re ready to serve it. Cut into squares, serve, and enjoy.
Original recipe – Best Recipes
What it is:
We call it the impossible pie because it’s impossibly easy to create and impossibly delicious. It’s also interesting how well it forms a crust over the top without any help. It’s a fool-proof recipe and it’s child-friendly.
What you will need:
How to start baking with children:
Little helpers, at the ready for mixing! Combine all of the ingredients together and mix well (make sure to tell the children how important this task is). Pour the mixture into a greased pie tin. Bake in the oven at 170C for 1 hour or until firm. Allow it to cool before you serve it and marvel at the simplistic wonder of the recipe.
Original recipe – Best Recipes
What it is:
With three simple ingredients, you can put little hands to work and create deliciously flavourful and chewy almond biscuits. When children can almost make this whole recipe themselves, they’ll be even more proud of the delicious results.
What you’ll need:
How to start baking with children:
Preheat the oven to 200°C and ask your little helper to stand ready with a mixing spoon. Combine all three ingredients – it might be difficult for younger arms to mix the batter smoothly, so give a hand where it might be helpful. Next, carefully spoon the batter onto a baking tray into little balls. Small hands can use a fork to flatten the balls slightly. Demonstrate slowly and carefully how it’s done, and it will be a breeze for both of you. Bake for 10 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Original recipe – Kidspot Kitchen
What it is:
There’s no granulated sugar in this one, but it’s sweet enough to satisfy anyone’s candy craving. This recipe is also vegan, and free from any artificial ingredients or preservatives. It’s a healthier treat option, and the children love these raspberry balls too. Plus, they’re so easy to make!
What you will need:
How to start baking with children:
With the help of your trusty little kitchen helper, add coconut and raspberries with the maple syrup to your food processor. Blend the ingredients until the mixture holds its shape when pressed together. Show your little chef how to roll the mixture into little balls before you place them on a tray lined with baking paper. Freeze them for one hour. In the meantime, the fun part starts: melting the chocolate. Add your chocolate to a bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, enabling the steam from the water to heat the bowl without touching the chocolate. Once melted, use a toothpick to pick up each frozen ball and dip it into the chocolate, enabling the extra chocolate to drip off. Once they’re all done, cool them so that the chocolate can set.
Original recipe – Best Recipes
Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.
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The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
