Cooking with your children can be much more than just an activity to fill a rainy afternoon. It’s a golden opportunity to teach them practical skills, while having a great time together. In this article, we’ll guide you through five easy and entertaining recipes, perfect for little hands. 

1 – Cookies 

For this first recipe, nothing beats the joy of making chocolate chip cookies. But before you get started, make sure you have a large bowl, a wooden spoon, a baking tray, greaseproof paper and quality child-friendly knives for cutting ingredients like butter. 

List of ingredients for around 20 cookies:

  • 225 g soft butter, cut into small pieces
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 300 g flour 
  • 1 sachet baking powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 200 g chocolate chips

Preparation steps: 

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until the dough is smooth.
  6. Add the chocolate chips and mix to distribute evenly.
  7. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie.
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden.
  9. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

2 – Homemade mini pizzas 

Let’s move on to the second recipe: homemade mini pizzas that your kids will love decorating.

For this, you’ll need a rolling pin to roll out the dough, a baking tray, small pizza molds if available, and of course, a spatula.

Ingredients for 6 mini pizzas:

  • 1 ready-to-use or homemade pizza dough
  • 200 g tomato sauce
  • 150 g grated cheese (preferably mozzarella)
  • Toppings of your choice: pepperoni slices, sliced mushrooms, diced peppers, sliced olives

Preparation steps : 

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the desired thickness, then cut out circles the size of small plates.
  3. Let the children spread the tomato sauce over each pastry base with a spoon.
  4. Encourage them to sprinkle on the cheese and add their favorite toppings.
  5. Place the pizzas on the baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the dough is crisp.
  6. Allow to cool before serving to avoid burning.

3 – Fruity smoothies

Looking for a fun, healthy activity to do with your kids? Why not make some delicious fruity smoothies together? Here’s how:

For this recipe, you’ll need a blender, glasses, spoons and a cutting board. As for the ingredients, let your imagination run wild! 

Here’s a suggestion to get you started: two bananas, a cup of strawberries, half a cup of blueberries and two glasses of milk or orange juice for the liquid base.

How to make a smoothie?

1. Start by carefully washing the fruit under cold running water.
2. Cut the bananas and strawberries into pieces. Children can help you put them in the blender.
3. Add the blueberries, then pour in the milk or orange juice.
4. Let the children press the blender button (under supervision) to blend everything to a smooth consistency.
5. Serve immediately to enjoy the freshness of the fruit.

4 – Assemble fruit skewers 

What better way to stimulate children’s creativity than with colorful fruit skewers? It’s time for a colorful and tasty activity!

What materials and fruit do I need?

You’ll need child-friendly skewers, a wide variety of fruits such as melons, grapes, apples, oranges and strawberries, as well as a cutting board and a small knife.

How to assemble the fruit skewers?

  1. Cut the fruit into cubes or fun shapes with the children. Melons can be cut with cookie cutters for added fun.
  2. Show children how to thread fruit onto sticks, alternating colors and textures to create an edible rainbow.
  3. Arrange the skewers on a platter and serve with a little yoghurt or chocolate sauce for dipping.

5 – Cupcakes 

Cupcakes are the perfect way to end this cooking workshop on a sweet and creative note. Follow these steps for cupcakes that look as good as they taste.

To get started, you’ll need cupcake molds, a whisk, bowls, and the following ingredients:

  • 200 g flour, 
  • 150 g sugar 
  • 100 g soft butter, 
  • 3 eggs, 
  • 1 sachet baking powder,
  • paper cases.

Preparation steps: 

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. In a bowl, mix butter and sugar until creamy.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  4. Add the flour and baking powder, and mix until the dough is smooth.
  5. Divide the batter between the molds and bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, let the children decorate them with icing and coloured sprinkles.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you’ve created precious memories in the kitchen with your kids! These activities are not only fun, they also help little ones develop cooking skills while spending quality time together as a family. 

Don’t hesitate to repeat the experience with other recipes and share them below!