When I was younger, I used to love spending time in the kitchen with my mum and brother baking.
It seems I have always had a sweet tooth as my favourite treat was fresh-out-of-the-oven tarts with soft, buttery pastry and fruity jam.
I remember making all sorts when I was younger, from sickly sweet peppermint creams to cheesy homemade pizzas and the ever-faithful Cornflake cakes. However, I was usually only in it so that I could lick the bowl clean.
If you are at a loss for what to do this half-term, I thought I'd dedicate this Thursday Treats post to five recipes to bake with kids, without the need to resort to packet fairy cakes.
If you don't have any kids to hand, fret not! These treats are just as delicious for adults too. Go on, we won't judge...
Sam x
P.S Be sure to create as much mess and as many flour clouds as possible so that you can leave the clearing up to the Dads when they get home.
MARS BAR CRUNCH
This is an easy peasy recipe, yet one I always end up making for friends and family. There's no cooking involved and, since there are no eggs or flour, there's plenty of chance for kids to lick the bowl clean.
Although it's basically a posh Krispie cake, the Mars Bars add a fantastic richness to these bars and take it to the next level. Why not experiment and see what other chocolate bars you can make this with? I'm going for a Double Decker...
Ingredients:
3 Mars Bars
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
90g unsalted butter
One box of Coco Pops or Rice Crispies (you need enough to coat the mixture)
250g milk chocolate, melted (I also added an extra mars bar to this for added taste)
Method:
1) Line an 8x8 brownie tin. On a low heat, melt the Mars bars, syrup and butter together in a saucepan, or melt in the microwave on 30 second blasts.
2) Once melted, stir in enough cereal to coat the chocolatey goop and combine. Press the mixture into the lined brownie tin and leave to set.
3) Once cooled, melt the chocolate (and optional mars bar!) in the microwave in 30 second blasts, stirring in between. Top the crunchy Mars mixture with the chocolate, leave to set once more and then cut into squares. Easy peasy!
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH TRUFFLES
Oh my, do these taste good! Imagine the best peanut cookie dough you've ever tasted, encased with creamy, milky chocolate. Mouthwatering, right? These won't last for long!
Ingredients:
120g unsalted butter, softened
200g smooth peanut butter (best to use non-natural)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
300g dark brown sugar
315g icing sugar
One packet chocolate chips
For the topping:
200g chocolate (I used 100g milk and 100g dark)
Method:
1) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla extract and brown sugar until well combined.
2) Slowly add in the icing sugar (too quickly and you'll end up with a cloud in your kitchen!), mixing well until combined.
3) Stir in the chocolate chips, then roll into little truffle-sized balls, eating some in between...Leave to set in the fridge.
4) Once the truffles are solid, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second blasts, taking care to stir in between. Dunk the truffles in to coat, then leave to set and enjoy!
1) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla extract and brown sugar until well combined.
2) Slowly add in the icing sugar (too quickly and you'll end up with a cloud in your kitchen!), mixing well until combined.
3) Stir in the chocolate chips, then roll into little truffle-sized balls, eating some in between...Leave to set in the fridge.
4) Once the truffles are solid, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second blasts, taking care to stir in between. Dunk the truffles in to coat, then leave to set and enjoy!
NUTELLA GANACHE TRUFFLES
Yeah, you know my obsession with Nutella? It just got a whole lot bigger. I found this recipe on Butter Baking and it is de-lish!
Ingredients:
200g milk chocolate
280g nutella, preferably homemade (click here for our recipe)
Large pinch of salt
3 Digestive biscuits, crumbled
Topping:
3 Digestives, crumbled (optional)
Method:
1)Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second blasts, stirring in between.
2) Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the Nutella and salt, then stir in the Digestive crumbs.
3) Place the bowl of mixture into the fridge and leave to set for a few hours. Once set, roll teaspoons of ganache into balls, then roll in the biscuit crumbs if using.
4) Return to the fridge and leave until you're ready to eat!
3 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
You may remember my 3 Ingredient Nutella cookies I posted last month. Well, these are the peanut butter versions! Why not turn it into an all-American cookie by heaping a dollop of jam in the middle? There you go, easy Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies!
Ingredients:
1 egg
200g granulated sugar
260g peanut butter
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C, then grease and line a couple of baking trays.
2) Take a mixing bowl and beat together all the ingredients until combined. Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet, flattening them slightly. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes until light brown.
3) Leave the biscuits to cool slightly, before pressing your thumb into the centre of the dough. Fill the hole with a jam of your choice!
HEALTHY OATMEAL AND BANANA COOKIES
These are a great, healthy alternative to shop-bought breakfast cookies. They have a fantastic cookie topping, but the inside is moist and delicious, very much like banana bread. And with no butter and no dairy, these are perfect for kids with dairy allergies!
Ingredients:
1 mashed up, ripe banana
1 egg
120ml almond milk
4 tbsp honey
100g brown sugar
250g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb
180g rolled oats
1 packet chocolate chips
Large handful of raisins
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180C. Mix together the banana, egg and almond milk until combined, then whisk in the honey and dark brown sugar.
2) In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, then fold them in to the banana mixture until combined.
3) Scoop tablespoons of the dough onto greased and lined baking trays, then bake until golden and cooked through (this took around 12 minutes in my oven)
Ingredients:
1 mashed up, ripe banana
1 egg
120ml almond milk
4 tbsp honey
100g brown sugar
250g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb
180g rolled oats
1 packet chocolate chips
Large handful of raisins
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180C. Mix together the banana, egg and almond milk until combined, then whisk in the honey and dark brown sugar.
2) In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, then fold them in to the banana mixture until combined.
3) Scoop tablespoons of the dough onto greased and lined baking trays, then bake until golden and cooked through (this took around 12 minutes in my oven)
