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Baking with the Kids?: Here are 5 Tips for Making Beautiful (Fuss-Free)Treats

Simple, Elegant and Kid-Friendly, Too! These treats are made with only 5 ingredients you can easily find in your every day cupboard.

Let’s face it! Baking with your kids can be fun, but it can also be timely, too. Not to mention the mess and a not-always-so-pretty results. We’ve all seen those lumpy, mis-shapen cookies (that only a mother could love). And whether or not they taste good, it’s not always elegant or appetizing to say the least. So why not make a “no-bake” treat, that’s simple & elegant — and kid-friendly, too! And you can literally make it in minutes. This treat has only 5-ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your own cupboard (and if you haven’t tried PB2 (powdered peanut butter) yet, here’s a tasty reason you may want to have it on hand.)

So if your looking for the scoop on keeping it simple-in-the-kitchen with your school-age kids, look no further than this energy bite (see recipe below). It’s definitely kid-friendly, but it’s elegant, too!

Here are 5 Tips for Baking with Your Kids:

  1. Read a recipe not once, but twice. Be sure you have all the ingredients on hand. There’s nothing worse than having to stop in the middle (of making something) to go shopping. If you’ve got it all planned, you can do your prep/baking and get it done within a reasonable time.
  2. Always, always always set your kitchen stage. Line the counter with newspaper or a cheap plastic disposable table cloth, pull out a tray to set up your ingredients, give each kid an apron and a towel. And yes, dress the part, too. When you have an apron with a towel looped over the tied belt of your apron, it’s easy to wipe up a spill.
  3. Make it a joint adventure. Have your kids read the ingredients out loud as you are measuring them up. Having the ingredients set up makes the process much easier than measuring as you go. This way your kids can do what they love best — pour, mix, assemble.
  4. Choose tools that simplify the process. I highly recommend a mini ice cream scoop. It’s fun for the kids, it’s less messy than rolling balls with their hands and it keeps the perfect shape for a bite-sized treat. It’s perfect for scooping muffin batter into mini muffin tins (another great tool), baking cookies and serving up energy bites.
  5. Clean as you go. While your kids are assembling ingredients, gather the tools (bowls, cups, spoons) that have been used and wash them immediately. That way you’ll have less work to do after the baking is done.

 

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored. The two products mentioned in this post (PB2 and Swerve) are simply ingredients I enjoy and keep on hand.

19 Responses

  1. OMG yes. These are perfect! I hate to say it, but my kids make such a mess in the kitchen that I hesitate to bake with them. Now, I can. I’m sure they’ll love these, too!

    1. Thank you Abby! Glad you like. There will always be messes – for sure – but much less and easier to clean up this way.

  2. Haha! These tips are the gold standard and I never follow them!! I’m always grabbing things out of cupboards as I go – I can’t seem to get myself pulled together hah! But I think with baby on the way, maybe when I have the littles with me I’ll be more organized (I’ll have to be!).

    1. Congrats Stacey! I found I really had to pull my act together after I had my twins or I wouldn’t survive. Seriously! And yes, even knowing and practicing these (and other ‘sage advice’) doesn’t mean it’s always perfect – but we do our best to stay on top of things.

    1. Thanks – I remember being an aunt to little ones. Now all my nephews/nieces are practically adults. lol! But now I’ve got my own little ones. : )

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Lauren O’Connor, MS, RDN, RYT, is a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian, yoga enthusiast, and founder of Nutri Savvy Health. As a health writer, recipe developer, and private practice dietitian, Lauren promotes a plant-based diet, with minimal effort and maximal nutrition. She shares her love of creativity in the kitchen with her twin daughters who enjoy the art of cooking.Â