Cooking with pre-schoolers

[MummyDoIt]

Anyone got any quick and easy recipes that you can do with pre-schoolers? DS2 loves cooking but we're getting a bit tired of Rice Krispie cakes!

Why not get her to make sandwiches and cut them out with cutters into nice shapes?

My ds loves to cook and asked for a cookbook for xmas! We have made
Bran and sultana muffins
Banana Loaf
Sultana Bread
Muesli Slice
Fudge
Banana and Pineapple Cake
Gingerbread Men
Shortbread and
Brownies
All have worked really well.

is 2 too young for cooking?

no - not too young at all

Pick your recipe carefully (remember it might be eaten raw) and dive in - NB expect mess

I do mars' lemon drizzle cake with the dts, since its a case of just throwing everything in. I premeasure everything out, and they take turns to add the ingredients in.

they also like making cookies - lakeland do a huge tub of assorted cookie cutters for every occasion.

actually dt2(2) even helps me make curry! He loves sitting on the worktop next to the hob spooning in the ingredients!

muffins are great because you don't really have to mix very thoroughly. I often prepare the wet and dry stuff while ds1 is asleep and then he gets up and mixes it all together - he's only 2, so has attention span of a gnat, so that is pretty much all he wants to do - hasn't got the patience for all the measuring and whatnot yet.

you could also do pizza with them - let them put ham/sweetcorn/mushroom/cheese/whatever on top.

I think it's good to cook proper food with them - DD who's just gone four, likes most of the easy jobs like mashing potatoes, shaping fishcakes or bread rolls, as well as making cakes. I've got a really good recipe somewhere for a cake made entirely of cup measures, so they can do it themselves. Do you want me to look it out for you?

The cup measured cake sounds good. I'd love that one. Do you just use normal tea-cups?

I have just made scones at toddlers with my two

4 Tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of butter rubbed together
handful of either cheese or fruit.

They were fine and they children ate them.

No, it's American cup measures. I've just measured it and it holds 22ml of water (I used one o DS's bottles!) so any fairly large mug would be ok.

It's just a cup of butter, a cup of sugar, two cups of plain flour, 2 tspn baking powder and four eggs. Either whizz in the processor and bake at gas 6 until a skewer comes out clean or cream the butter and suggar, add the eggs, flour and baking powder, mix and cook.

ah great. i'm looking after my 2 yo cousin next week so will try it. think i will have to wait til ds is in bed though. he's only 19 months and not sure him and cooking would go well together.