Top Children's Baking Recipes for Days Inside

With all of us spending more time indoors, it is the perfect time to tackle some activities which would not usually have the time for. Baking is a great activity to get stuck into, not only do you end up with some tasty treats, but it can be a lot of fun for the whole family. From chocolate cornflake nests to slightly more advanced cupcakes and cookies, we have put together a selection of our favourite children’s baking recipes to fill your days inside.

Usually, when you think of baking at home with the children it may be a little daunting; it can be time consuming and messy however now with us all spending more time indoors it is the perfect time to do some baking with your kids. Not only is it a fun activity that the whole family can do together but it can also help teach the kids some cooking and baking skills which they’ll use later in life. We’ve included a selection of our favourite children’s baking recipes which are suitable for a variety of ages.

Chocolate Egg Nests

Seen as though Easter is just around the corner, we thought this one was necessary. You can always swap the eggs out for another decoration such as smarties or M&M’s if you can’t get your hands-on eggs or fancy making these at another time. These chocolate treats are super easy to make and don’t take much time either.

Ingredients

225g Milk Chocolate (of your choice)

2 tbsp Golden Syrup

50g Butter

75g Cornflakes or Shredded Wheat

36 Mini Eggs (enough for 3 on each nest)

Method

First of all make sure to line a bun tray with 12 paper cases. Then, melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water; make sure that an adult does the melting! Once it is all smooth and melted, remove from the heat and gently stir in the cornflakes or shredded wheat; whichever you prefer! Now simply spoon the mixture into your bun cases and place 3 eggs in the centre of each. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour until they are set completely.

Hedgehog Rolls

These BBC Good Food Hedgehog Rolls are super cute and the perfect way to get your kids into baking bread; a great skill to have.

Ingredients

500g Brown Bread Mix (or, you can make your own if you prefer)

25g Butter

Flour for dusting

12 Raisins

6 Flaked Almonds

Method

Follow the instructions on the bread mix and mix with the butter as instructed. Leave to rest for 5 minutes and then knead for 5 minutes. Let the children do the kneading until they get tired. Now cut the dough into 6 pieces and dust the surface with flour. Have the children roll the dough into balls before moulding the balls into hedgehog shapes (without spikes for now). Place them on a baking sheet and cover with a damp tea towel. Let them rise for an hour and pre-heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Now you can make the spikes using scissors, make sure to supervise younger children with scissors. You can then use raisins for the eyes and an almond for the nose! Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and there you go!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Muffins are a baking staple and a great treat for the whole family! This easy recipe can be adapted to make more or less as you like and if you want double chocolate you can swap out some flour for some cocoa powder!

Ingredients

2 Eggs

1 tsp Baking Powder

80g Sugar

300g Self-Raising Flour

150g Chocolate Chips

225ml Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

Start by preheating your oven to 200°C and lining 12 muffin cases if you are making the exact recipe. Next, mix together your flour and baking powder before rubbing in the butter; the mixture should have the texture of breadcrumbs at this point and can be a great part for the children to get involved with. Next stir in sugar and chocolate chips, try not to eat them all first! Now, in another bowl mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla. You can now add the mixtures together before spooning the batter into the muffin cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Let them cool before moving to a cooling rack.

Oreo Cheesecake

Cheesecake is actually a pretty simple thing to make and great fun for the kids to get involved in. You can adapt this cheesecake recipe to use different flavours and biscuit bases. You can choose whatever cream cheese you wish; mascarpone is a little sweeter so often used for cheesecakes however standard cream cheese works well too and this recipe is fairly sweet already.

Note: You will need 3 packs of standard Oreo’s for this recipe.

Ingredients

For the Base:

24 Oreos

60g Butter (melted)

For the Filling:

450g Cream Cheese

100g Icing Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

400ml Double Cream

12 Oreos (crushed)

Topping:

6 Oreos (chopped)

Method

Start with the base. Add 24 Oreos to a blender and blend until you have fine Oreo crumbs. Then move these to a bowl and mix with the melted butter until the crumbs are coated. You can add more butter if you think it is necessary. Next line the bottom of a 9 inch cake tin (one where the edges come away is best) with baking parchment and scoop the Oreo mixture into the tin. Firmly press the mixture into the tin to form one even layer and place in the fridge.

Add the cream cheese to a bowl and beat with a whisk until smooth. Next, add the vanilla extract and sugar and mix together. In another bowl whisk the cream until it forms ‘stiff peaks’. This can take a while so take it in turns will your kids if you aren’t worried about a little mess! Add the cream to the cheese mixture and gently fold it in before adding the roughly crushed Oreos. Next, remove your base from the fridge and pour the filling onto the base and spread it out until there is an even later. Add your chopped Oreos for the topping and push into the filling only slightly. Cover the tin and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.

Rocky Road

Rocky road is a great treat to make with the kids as it requires no baking time. You can add whatever you like into rocky road, so get creative! We’ve included a basic recipe with some fun additions but feel free to pick and choose your own fillings. If you add additional fillings you might want to adjust the amount of biscuits and marshmallows to accommodate.

Ingredients

200g Digestive Biscuits (or, your favourite biscuits)

135g Unsalted Butter

2 tbsp Golden Syrup

200g Chocolate (dark chocolate works best, but this is personal preference)

100g Mini Marshmallows

Optional

Maltesers

Popcorn

Dried Fruit

Cherries

Honeycomb

Smarties or M&M’s

Method

Begin by greasing and lining an 18cm x 18cm tin with baking parchment. Next, crush the biscuits by place them in a freezer bag and crushing with a rolling pin until they are roughing crushed. Leave the bag to one side.

Now, melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure to stir constantly, until smooth and remove from the heat. Once the chocolate has cooled enough, you can have your children mix in all your chosen ingredients until it is all covered in chocolate and then pour your mixture into the tin and chill for at least 2 hours. It can then be removed from the tin and cut into pieces.

Not only is baking a great way to spend some time with the family but it is a great way to teach your kids a new skill; even better, you can eat lots of treats at the end!