Three Very Simple Recipes for Kids

Cooking with children requires a special touch. You definitely need eyes in the back of your head to manage the situation. You also need a relaxed attitude, because fingers will be licked and flour will fall on the floor! Being well rested and indulging in a cup of coffee before the experience doesn’t hurt either – you’ll need patience and energy to be in the kitchen with a child!
An expert on working with kids in everywhere from the kitchen to the backyard, Elizabeth from Explore It has some great advice on bringing our kidets into the kitchen (without pulling our hair out or leaving with a desire to throttle our kids).

A few simple rules will help when approaching the kitchen with your little one:

1. Make a plan. If you have all your ingredients ready to me mixed, whipped and smashed, and all your gadgets close at hand, you’ll be able to find the kid in yourself and have fun with the experience.
2. Make it age appropriate. Don’t plan on making fondant flowers with your 4-year-old. Choose recipes that will appeal to their taste buds as well as their skill level – to limit the level of frustration for both of you.
3. Limit the options. If you open up your pantry to your child, pretty soon you’ll have 8 half-done projects in a very messy kitchen. Say to them “We’re going to make cookies today – do you want to add white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips?” Giving them the option will make them feel in charge and show them that cooking can be fun – but you will remain the chef in charge of your own kitchen!
4. Limit the steps. A good rule of thumb is to not have more steps than their age. Your 4 year old can only handle a recipe with 4 steps, while your 9 year old can handle one with 9 steps. This rule will help greatly when deciding how to set up (or plan) for the fun and in choosing the right recipe.

Just remember – there’s no harm in loving chocolate so much that you can’t resist licking it off your fingers, and sweeping the floor only takes a minute – so get in the kitchen and have some fun!

Here are a few of Liz’s go-to recipes for working with young children.

Eifel Tower Cookies     

These treats are – in one word – Brilliant. They hit all the marks. Young children will get some basic cooking (and math too!) experience making their own icing and then can be creative little engineers building the skyscraper of their dreams. The best part – they’re really yummy!
Ingredients:
Sugar wafer cookies
White frosting
(Optional) Ice cream
(Optional) Chocolate sauce

Directions:
Build an Eiffel tower on your plate using sugar wafers as your building blocks and frosting as your cement. You will need to cut some cookies into smaller shape so your tower stands.

Make a French (or Canadian!) flag by drawing one on paper using markers or crayons, then cut it out and tape or glue it to a half toothpick depending on how tall you want it to stand. Add flag to the top of the tower.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce if desired.

Ooey-Gooey Caramel Apples

While coating fruit in candy may not be an everyday solution to the problem of getting children to enjoy healthy foods, it certainly doesn’t hurt once in awhile. These Caramel Apples were a tradition in my house at Halloween but are equally good any time of year – especially in the early spring when we’re all a bit tired of eating this easy-to-find-in-a-Canadian-winter fruit!

Ingredients:
5 medium apples, washed, well dried
1 pkg. (340 g) Kraft Caramels
2 Tbsp. water 
Popsicle sticks

Directions:

1. Insert wooden pop stick into stem end of each apple. Cover large plate with waxed paper; grease paper with butter.
2. Cook caramels and water in large saucepan on medium-low heat until caramels are completely melted, stirring constantly.
3. Dip apples in caramel; spoon additional caramel over apples if necessary to evenly coat apples. Let excess caramel drip off. Scrape bottoms of apples; place on prepared plate. Refrigerate 1 hour
4. Use your microwave to make melting easy: Decrease water to 1 Tbsp. Microwave caramels and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 to 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Continue as directed.

For added sugar factor:
Prepare as directed, rolling bottoms of freshly dipped apples in in one of the following:
– 8 finely chopped Oreo Cookies
– 1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows mixed with 1/4 cup sprinkles
– OR, drizzle dipped apples with 2 melted squares semi-Sweet Chocolate.


Strawberry Shortcake

Even out of season, strawberries, coaxed to sweetness with a touch of sugar are a delicious treat. Especially when served over soft pound cake and topped with vanilla whipped cream.

Strawberry Shortcake is a perfect dessert to make with little ones as there are plenty of “jobs” to do, but no need for sharp knives or hot ovens. In my many years of cooking, with both children and adults, I’ve yet to come across someone who can resist the simple pleasure of a Strawberry Shortcake.

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh strawberries
¼ cup quick dissolve fruit sugar
1 loaf pound cake
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cut strawberries into quarters or small pieces, put in a large bowl.
2. Add sugar to strawberries and mix to coat fruit and dissolve the sugar. Set bowl of strawberries aside until ready to serve.
3. Slice pound cake into 1 – 2” slices – cut into fun and fancy shapes with cookie cutters if you like; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whip the whipping cream with a whisk until thick and fluffy (note: do not over-whip the whipping cream – it will turn to butter!!). Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar to the whipped cream and mix to combine.
5. Assemble your strawberry shortcake by layering strawberries on top of pound cake and then plenty of whipped cream on top!

All recipes and images supplied by Explore It! Inc.

Explore It! Inc. is a provider of co-curricular and enrichment programming in the GTA and York Region for children in kindergarten through grade eight. They offer everything from lunchtime and after school programs in schools to weekend courses and workshops, and even birthday parties and other special events. With over 90 programs in their repertoire, there is something to please every age, interest, and hobby.