Cooking with your kids is an opportunity to educate and empower your little ones through hands-on activities. And the result? A flavorful spread of delicious, healthy snacks, desserts, and meals for your kids, friends, and the entire family.
As a sprinkle of inspiration, we’ve put together some easy recipes you can make with your kids at home using fresh local ingredients available at the Shady Maple Farm Market.
Quick, Quirky Bites
If you’re in between meals, and the kids are begging for a snack, we have your back. Here are several quick snack recipes you can put together with your littles ones to keep their bellies happy until dinner.
Fruit Fish
These healthy snacks will bring out the artist in your child. They’re a yummy snack for after school, at a picnic, or even for your child’s next birthday party. Did we mention these are also super easy to make? Simply slice up the fruit, divide it up into sections using egg cartons, and let the little ones design their own fish. Then, enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 apple sliced
- 6 mini foil baking cups
- Strawberry slices
- Cut grapes
- Kiwi sliced
- Banana slices
- Orange sections
- Fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons strawberry or blueberry cream cheese, softened
- Egg carton
Animal Face Toast
Sticking with the tasty and with a touch of creativity theme, animal face toast is a fun treat your kids can help prepare and enjoy snacking on. Toast a few pieces of sliced bread, then, with the designs pulled up on your phone or printed out on a piece of paper, instruct your littles ones how to design each face to their like. Or, let them be creative and come up with a new animal-themed design.
Ingredients:
- Cat Face
- Cream cheese
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Pretzel sticks
- Toasted bread slices
- Bear Face:
- Hazelnut spread or peanut butter
- Sliced bananas
- Blueberries
- Toasted bread slices
- Panda Face
- Cream cheese
- Hazelnut spread
- Toasted bread slices
- Monkey Face
- Hazelnut spread or peanut butter
- Sliced bananas
- Blueberries
- Toasted bread slices
Dinner Delights
A fun way to feed the whole family, these creative dinner ideas you can cook with your kids create the perfect opportunity to make lasting, delicious memories.
Taco Cheeseburgers
This recipe brings together two classic dinner dishes kids love. Taco cheeseburgers! While you shape and season the burger patties, your littles ones can have fun tearing the cheese and measuring out the salsa. Sear the edges of the burger patties for a crisp texture that pairs well with the texture of the taco. Top with some lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and salsa, and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons of chili powder
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- Kosher salt (a pinch to taste)
- 1 ½ pounds of ground round beef
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 4 slices of American cheese (halved)
- 8 corn (or flour) tortillas (or hard shells, if you prefer)
- 1 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 tomato (halved and thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup of salsa (or taco sauce)
- Sour cream (for serving)
French Bread Pesto Chicken Pizza
Use fully cooked chicken (we recommend using a meat thermometer – see recipe for details). Then slice the bread, and the kids do the rest. Let them layer on the cheese and top each piece of French bread pizza with chicken, pesto, and cherry tomatoes. Then place each one on a tray, slip the tray into the oven for another 10 minutes, remove and serve!
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
- Salt
- 1 (10-ounce) loaf of French bread (a baguette will also do)
- 1/3 cup of basil pesto
- 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes (halved, divided)
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
- Extra-virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese shavings, for serving (optional)
Sugary Sweetness
Saving the best for last, let’s take a look at a few of our favorite dessert recipes you and your kids can bake together. Here are some desserts that will have your kids grinning from ear to ear.
Raspberry and Cream Cheese Brownie Bites
Chocolate and raspberry, a perfect combo. This sweet treat offers plenty of opportunities for your kids to pitch in by mixing, filling, and stirring ingredients. Simply bake, top, and enjoy while you make amazing memories.
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
- 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate (broken into chunks)
- 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon of fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour
- Topping:
- ½ cup of whipped plain cream cheese
- ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
- ¼ cup of raspberry preserves
Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles
Sugar cookies are a staple during the holidays, or really at any time throughout the year. Almost universally, kids love stirring (and sampling) the dough, almost as much as they enjoy munching on the cookies once they’re done baking.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour (sifted or aerated
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 8 oz of unsalted butter (let sit at room temperature for an hour prior to mixing until softened – not melted)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
Conclusion
Cooking with your kids is about more than the food. It’s about making memories that last a lifetime. These fun, easy recipes are the perfect starting point to introduce your little ones to the joy of creating and tasting homemade treats.
Whether it’s crafting whimsical animal face toast or tackling taco cheeseburgers together, every moment spent in the kitchen can be an adventure filled with laughter, learning, and bonding. So, gather your ingredients, roll up your sleeves, and enjoy the delicious journey of cooking with your kids. Happy cooking!
