Baking with preschoolers

[applegingermint]

My 3yo adores baking and we bake something together usually twice at a weekend. Mostly biscuits and cakes but I’m a bit tired of chocolate chip biscuits which is the most requested recipe.

The point isn’t really the end product but rather something with lots of steps they can help out with (eg spooning in flour to help weighed).

Has anyone got any baking favourites that suit the chaos of baking with a little one?

What about home made pizza? Make a base, choose the toppings? A nice weekend treat?

Shortbread
Gingerbread men/women/shapes
Brownies
Blueberry muffins
These are all things my son loves baking. He's 12 now so doesn't need me anymore to help 🥺 I just clean up after!

My DD gets bored when baking so don't do it too often but do have a few things she likes.

Not baking as such, but my she likes to help me make pancakes.

We also do homemade pizza, but tend to buy the base and she does the toppings.

My mum makes sausage rolls with her too

What about trying an easy bread recipe?

Or something more desserty? Dd loves helping me make a trifle.

Puff pastry tarts, pinwheels (we use pesto and Parmesan) and twisted cheese straws.
My dd also loves making snails https://www.jusrol.co.uk/pastry-recipes/jammy-snails/ and in this weather, frozen banana pops https://www.peanutbutter.uk.com/recipes/frozen-chocolate-pb-banana-pops

Bread, cheese straws, rock cakes, mini quiches and pizza

Upsidedown cakes..

No decorating needed..

They can snack on the fruit while cutting/preparing

Just a basic sponge mix with a bit of weighing

Then you get the nice exciting theatrical part of turning it the right way up, which they always enjoy

This is a great idea! Thank you x

Thank you so much! The popsicles would be right up their street.

Jam "thumb print" biscuits (plain biscuits, then make a thumb print hole in the top and add a spoon of jam.

Cheese straws are great.

Rocky road - loads of fun bashing up the biscuits!

DD loved making sausage rolls with her grandma.

Gingerbread men (or any other cookie cute shape).

DD loved making cakes and then "decorating" them. I know some people would not have approved of me letting her decorate her own cake - with lopsided smarties and chocolate buttons and too much edible glitter - but my view was always that it was fun for her and safe and a good learning.

She also loved making pancakes - I would do the atual cooking.

We also used to melt chocolate and pour into moulds which was a huge highlight. 3 might be a bit young - but both DC used to love gently and careflly stirring the chocolate as it melted over the hot water.

Salad? She can rip the lettuce up, chop mushrooms, and lob some things in whole. Then measure a few ingredients and stir them up for the dressing. Homemade croutons could be good fun if you're up for it.

We used to love doing chocolate cornflake cakes at that age. Also had the advantage that little one could watch them harden without them being hot in an oven.

Mary Berry banana bread with chocolate chips is a good one, easy and very forgiving. My 4 year old can manage it with minimal help if I pre-weigh the ingredients for her! It also works well as cupcakes/muffin, if they enjoy the extra step of spooning into the molds

Scones
bread
pizza
falafel
hummus
burgers (using mince)
ice lollies