Cooking has so many benefits for kids of all ages – it’s a chance to welcome guests, feed others, be creative, and also work on close reading skills, learn some scientific basics, and get in some practice at math and measurements. When kids cook they also become more adventurous eaters and build confidence, according to the New York Times.
Do your kids love being your kitchen helpers? Are they ready to take the reins and do some (lightly supervised) cooking on their own? Here are five really easy kid-friendly treats to bake that you’ll actually want to eat too.
BAGELS
As books like Bagels from Benny and The Bagel King have shown us, there are so many lessons one can learn from a simple bagel with schmear. Since making a perfect, traditional bagel is a simple but time consuming process, you can involve different members of your family at different times. Older children can work on their close reading and math skills by helping measure ingredients. Younger children can assist with rolling out dough snakes or shaping bagels. And everyone can join in when it comes time to topping—and tasting—the finished product.
If you’d like to try making traditional bagels like the ones shown in the video, try this traditional bagel recipe from Epicurious. If you can’t wait two days for your bagels to be done, use one of these quick recipes to make bagels in an afternoon:
BREAD-IN-A-BAG
You need bread for Shabbat dinner, your kids want to help, but you’re not about to set them up with your fancy stand mixer. This bread-in-a-bag is a simple, easy-to-follow recipe that gives little kids some sensory play and also helps expend some energy for kids who need to move before dinner. If your family loves this recipe, be sure to also try these 5 simple challah recipes.
BANANA “COOKIES”
When raw these cookies look like cooked oatmeal. When cooked, they still kind of look like cooked oatmeal, but they taste delicious.
Did you buy bananas and forget to use them again? Let your toddlers have fun mashing, smashing, and mixing them into “cookies.” You can cook and do a mitzvah by practicing bal taschit, not wasting needlessly.
The internet is full of variations on the banana cookie, but the basic recipe is two ripe bananas and two cups of oats. Mix together, pop in the oven, and you’re good to go. Kids can customize these with favorite mix-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips.
Here are a few versions to try with your family:
DUMP CAKES
We can thank the original dump cake maker for providing kids with hours of giggles over the ridiculous name of these easy desserts. While baking is usually a very precise science, these unfortunately named confections just require tossing ingredients in a big bowl and then putting everything in the oven. There’s pretty much no precision, no mixing, just, well, dumping. For novice bakers of any age, dump cakes provide a good kitchen-confidence boost. They’re very hard to mess up and always tasty. Here are 19 Easy Dump Cake Recipes.
2-INGREDIENT CUPCAKES
Who doesn’t love a cupcake?
This is more a hack than a recipe, but it’s fun for kids nonetheless. Did you know that you can swap the eggs, milk, and oil, in any boxed cake mix directions for a can of a carbonated beverage? Grab a box of a kosher cake mix like Duncan Hines, add a can of seltzer or soda, mix well, and then bake according to the directions. The best part? There’s no worries about anyone eating raw eggs if they lick the bowl afterwards.
MORE
EASY KID-FRIENDLY RECIPES:
Easy Challah Recipes to Make With Your Kids
5 Easy Rugelach Recipes Kids Can Make
The Tastiest Brisket You’ll Ever Have
A Basic Family Hummus Recipe
FOR PARENTS:
Teaching Kids Science Through Baking via Washington Parent
What Do Children Learn Through Cooking via BBC
July 27, 2018