These simple spooky sandwiches are the perfect addition to a ghoulish feast for Halloween.

We've made these ones with ham, beetroot coleslaw and ketchup and shaped them as coffins. Halloween can be an overwhelming barrage of sweet things, so these are a nice savoury addition. You can make them even healthier by using brown bread (which even looks a bit more like a wooden coffin). This recipe makes 20 sandwiches, perfect for kids' parties or Halloween celebrations. If you have guests with different dietary requirements, they're easy to adapt as well. Use cheese instead of meat or make the bread gluten free as needed. 

Ingredients

• 1 large loaf of 50/50 bread
• 50g butter, softened
• 100g beetroot coleslaw
• 10 slices ham, torn
• 4 tbsp ketchup

Method

1. Lightly butter each slice of bread and cut out spooky shapes from each slice.
2. Spread half the bread shapes with beetroot coleslaw and top with torn-up ham and the same shape bread topper. Fill a piping bag with ketchup and cut off the end to pipe RIP on the coffins.

Top tip for making spooky sandwiches

These sandwiches are packed with beetroot and ham but you can use your little ones favourite filling instead.

Can I make my own beetroot coleslaw?

Yes, it's really easy. Simple grate a carrot and a peeled, raw beetroot. Toss in a bowl with a couple of finely chopped spring onions. Add a tablespoon of plain yoghurt and a small squeeze of honey to sweeten. Or swap the yoghurt and honey for a tablespoon of mayonnaise.

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You can whip these Halloween biscuits up in under half an hour, and then take your time to decorate them - or leave it to the kids.

There's nothing like some baking to get them in the mood for the spooky season and these Halloween cookies are both delicious and incredibly easy to make. Actually almond biscuits in disguise - they have a lovely sweet and nutty flavour when you tuck into them and can be decorated as the kids see fit. Plus, the dough is super soft and easy for little hands to mould. Households with nut-allergy sufferers can substitute the ground almonds for flour here, so as not to miss out on the fun.

Ingredients

• 100g (3½oz) butter
• 100g (3½oz) caster sugar
• 1 medium egg
• Finely grated rind of ½ a lemon
• 150g (5oz) plain flour, sifted
• 60g (2oz) ground almonds

For the decoration:

• Icing sugar
• Food colourings
• Chocolate strands or chips

Method

1. Set the oven to Gas Mark 4/180°C/350ºF.
2. Soften the butter with a wooden spoon, then beat in the sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg and lemon rind, flour and ground almonds.
4. The dough is very soft, so dust the work surface with flour. Roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches and cut out shapes with cutters.
5. Place the shapes on baking trays and bake about 12-14 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
6. To decorate: Make up icing with sifted icing sugar and water. Leave some white icing in the bowl and colour the rest of it in separate bowls with the black, orange and green food colourings, or whatever colourings you have. Let the children ice the cookies, spreading it on with a palette knife, or piping patterns on using icing tubes. Finally, decorate the biscuits with chocolate strands and chocolate drops.

Watch how to make our Halloween cookies

Top tips for making Halloween biscuits:

If you don't have cutters, form the mixture into 4 rolls about 1.5cm (½in) wide. Cut each roll into 4 pieces and make whatever shape you like.

What do children learn from icing biscuits with you?

Baking with kids is helpful for motor skills with pouring, mixing and kneading. But it also helps for communication and social skills. It also improves children's interest in food and trying new things.

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These bonfire cupcakes have a rich chocolate sponge and are topped with orange buttercream and Matchmakers chocolate sticks. 

We’ve given our classic cupcake recipe a Guy Fawkes night makeover with adorable mini campfire decorations. This simple but effective decoration will be a big hit with kids and adults but don’t worry if you can’t find Matchmakers chocolates, we have some clever ingredient substitution ideas.  

Ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 25g cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp milk
• Grated zest from one orange
• 1 box of chocolate orange Matchmakers

For the buttercream:

• 110g unsalted butter, softened
• 440g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• Red and orange food colouring

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Put 12 muffin-sized paper cases into a muffin tin.
2. Add the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, eggs, milk and orange zest into a large bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk until combined.
3. Spoon the mixture into the cases, filling them about halfway, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Put the softened butter into a mixing bowl and give it a whisk to break it up and soften it even further. Weigh the icing sugar into another bowl. Start by sifting just a small amount of icing sugar into the mixing bowl to join the butter; the equivalent of about 2tbsp. Whisk the icing sugar into the butter. Carry on adding the icing sugar in stages and whisking after each addition. This prevents it from spraying out of the bowl and covering you and your kitchen in icing sugar!
5. Once all the icing sugar has been incorporated into the butter, pour in the orange juice. Add it slowly as you may need a little more or less to bring the buttercream together.
6. To colour the buttercream take a cocktail stick and dip it into the red food colouring. Use it to draw a line down the inside of a piping bag. Then do the same with the orange food colouring, but draw the line down the other side of the piping bag. Add the buttercream to your piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
7. Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes then carefully break the Matchmakers in half and place them around the ‘flame’.

Top tips for making bonfire cupcakes

It's that time of year, when kids are wondering who is Guy Fawkes and you're wondering how to make a cupcakes more seasonal and fun. Our bonfire cupcakes are your answer, and for a more intense coloured ‘flame’, divide the buttercream between the two bowls and colour one orange and the other red. Fill the piping bag with alternate teaspoonfuls of each buttercream then pipe onto the cupcakes and finish with chocolate Matchmakers. If you’d like more tips and tricks to make these cupcakes, continue reading below.

This recipe uses an all-in-one method but it’s important to combine the ingredients quickly. The best way to do this is by using an electric hand mixer. 

You could make our chocolate cupcake recipe and top with the campfire decorations if you like. Alternatively, our mini cupcakes are a great option for parties and these rainbow cupcakes always go down well with kids. 

Kids will love creating these Halloween marshmallows - they can be ready in as little as half an hour or you can spin it out into an afternoon's fun.

Those searching for Halloween food ideas need look no further than these spookily sweet Halloween marshmallows. We've taken the classic marshmallow pops and given them a twist, turning them into creepy characters like Frankenstein, a mummy, a pumpkin and a ghost - which are sure to stand out in your Halloween feast. These are perfect for making with kids in the kitchen as no cooking is needed. With our recipe making 16 cake pops and taking around 30 mins to prepare and decorate.

Ingredients

• 16 large marshmallows, to make 4 of each Halloween pop
• 16 lollipop sticks
• 75g white cooking chocolate (15g for ghosts, 30g each for pumpkins and mummies), chopped

For Frankenstein pops:

• 40g green candy melts
• 10g vermicelli sprinkles
• 2 or 3 pretzels
• black writing icing

For ghost pops:

• 85g white fondant
• 16 chocolate chips, for eyes

For pumpkin pops:

• 35g orange sprinkles
• black writing icing

For mummy pops:

• 35g white fondant
• 16 chocolate chips, for eyes

Method

1. Insert the lollipop sticks into each marshmallow. Your child can happily do this task while you melt the white chocolate, either in a microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until melted, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
2. Melt the green candy melts in this way in a separate bowl. They will harden very quickly, so make the Frankenstein pops straight away.
3. To make the Frankenstein marshmallow pops: Pour the vermicelli sprinkles onto a plate. The vermicelli will be Frankenstein's hair.Carefully break up your pretzels. Try to get a few short pieces, as they will be the bolts in poor Frankenstein's neck!Your child can dip 4 marshmallows into the melted green candy, but make each Frankenstein one at a time as the candy will set very quickly. Make sure the marshmallow’s top and sides are completely covered. Tap the lollipop stick gently on the side of the bowl a few times to allow the excess candy melts to fall back into the bowl.Dip the top of the marshmallow in the vermicelli. Attach the pretzel bolts by gently pushing into the sides of the marshmallow. Use the black writing icing to add eyes and a stitched up mouth.Leave to set, preferably standing in florist’s foam or in a mug.
4. To make the ghost marshmallow pops:Use a rolling pin to roll out the fondant to about 1mm thick. To avoid a cloud of icing sugar, roll fondant between two sheets of greaseproof paper or cling film. Your little helper can now use a 2 ½ or 3 inch round cutter to cut out 4 circles of fondant.Ask your child to dip the top of each marshmallow into the melted white chocolate.Carefully drape a circle of fondant over each marshmallow and adjust to resemble a ghost.Your child can finish the ghosts by adding chocolate chips for the eyes. Use a little more melted white chocolate as glue.Leave to set, preferably standing in florist’s foam or in a mug.
5. To make pumpkin marshmallow pops:Pour the orange sprinkles into a plate.Your helper can submerge each marshmallow into the melted white chocolate. Gently tap the lollipop stick on the edge of the bowl so that any excess chocolate can fall back into the bowl.Now your child can roll the chocolatey marshmallow through the orange sprinkles, making sure that the marshmallows are completely covered in sprinkles.Use black writing icing to add triangle-shaped eyes and mouth to the pumpkin pops.
6. To make mummy marshmallow pops:Ask your helper if they can use a rolling a pin to roll out the white fondant to 1mm thick. You can then take over to slice the fondant carefully into thin strips with either a pizza slicer or a sharp knife.Your child can now move onto dipping the marshmallows into the white chocolate. Make sure that the tops and sides of the marshmallows are completely covered. Wrap the strips of fondant around the chocolaty marshmallows in all directions; they are not meant to be perfect!Lay them on a piece of greaseproof paper to set. 

Top tips for making Halloween marshmallows:

You could wrap your decorated marshmallows up and sell them at a Halloween bake sale or give out as party favours at the party.

How long do Halloween marshmallows last?

Halloween marshmallows do not keep very long. They will continue to look great, but the marshmallows will harden and go stale in in a couple of days, so it's best to make these no more than a day or two in advance of when you want to eat them.

How do I display my Halloween marshmallows?

Marshmallow pops are easier to display than cake pops as they are a lot lighter, so they don't fall over as much. Professionally made one are usually displayed by inserting the stick into a styrofoam block. If you don't have one of these, you can use a cardboard or paper box, with holes poked in the top using a metal skewer.

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Our ghost biscuits are far from ghoulish and are ready to eat in around half an hour.

These Halloween cookies are an easy spooky season bake - perfect for whipping up when you're short on time. Our recipe gives you eight tasty biscuits in just 32 minutes. And kids are sure to love the decorating step: giving these ghosts some delicious chocolate chips for eyes. Pop into their lunchbox for a fun October afternoon treat or bring a plate to a Halloween party. These also make a great alternative to sweets when dishing out goods for trick-or-treating.

Ingredients

• 90g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 200g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100g white chocolate, chopped
• 60 chocolate chips (approximately)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Ask your helper to grease the baking tray with a little butter or to line with a piece of greaseproof paper.
2. The first part of this recipe is to make the biscuits, so grab a mixing bowl and weigh in the sugar and butter. The butter needs to be lovely and soft as it will make it easier for your child to mix.
3. Use either a wooden spoon or electric whisk to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. It will take longer with a wooden spoon but my little boy is suspicious of my noisy mixer. Choose whichever is easier for you and your child!
4. Once the butter and sugar mixture is suitably light and fluffy, add in the beaten egg. Carry on mixing until all the ingredients are combined.
5. Now weigh the flour and baking powder into your mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to carefully mix the flour into the butter and egg mixture. It is a fairly firm mixture, so you may need to lend a helping hand.
6. Flatten the dough with your hands, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for around 1 hour.
7. Once the time is up, take the dough from the fridge, unwrap the cling film and use a rolling pin to roll it out on a floured worktop. The dough should be the thickness of a pound coin, about 3mm.
8. You can use a cutter to cut out your biscuits but I just cut them by eye, using a table knife. This may be why some of our ghost biscuits are short and fat while others are on the tall and thin side.
9. Place the shaped biscuit dough on to your lightly greased baking trays and cook in the oven for between 8 to 12 minutes. The biscuits should be pale – you don't want a 'sunburnt' ghost.
10. Once the biscuits are cooked leave them on a wire rack to cool. They will be cold in less than half an hour and ready to decorate.
11. Place the white chocolate in a small microwaveable bowl and melt in the microwave, using short sharp blasts of heat, stirring in between.
12. When the biscuits and white chocolate are cool, your child can have great fun decorating. They can either dip the biscuits into the chocolate or spoon the chocolate over the biscuit.
13. Place the ghost biscuits onto a piece of greaseproof paper. Your little helper can now add the chocolate chips for the eyes. Leave your wonderful spooky ghosts to set.

Top tips for making ghost biscuits:

Make sure you allow time for the biscuits to cool before adding the melted chocolate - otherwise the chocolate won't stay put, causing a right kitchen mess.

How can I make these biscuits more quickly?

If you want to cheat a bit, use a packet of plain rectangular biscuits instead of making your own. Nice biscuits are ideal, or Waitrose Essential Shortcake Biscuits.

How can I stop my biscuits sticking to the baking tray?

A silicon baking sheet is a brilliant option here. They're cheap to buy from cook shops, and can be reused again and again. They stop almost anything from sticking the baking tray.

How can I stop my biscuits spreading as they bake?

Cold ingredients are essential for biscuits. To get the right consistency, make sure to chill the dough well before cutting the biscuits out, and again before cooking them. You can even pop them in the freezer for an out to really chill them.

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Cheesy broomsticks are brilliant if you're looking for a savoury snack amongst all those Halloween sweeties. 

Made with only 3 ingredients, these clever little treats are so easy! The kids are going to love making them and eating them too. Serve with vegetable dips and sauces. This recipe makes 12 broomsticks in a batch, but double the quantities if you'd like to make more. These are so simple to make, and they only take 10 mins to whip up - with no cooking required. Make them as a spooky snack this Halloween and let the kids have a bit of fun with them.

Ingredients

• 6 slices Dairylea cheese
• 12 pretzel sticks
• 12 chives

Method

1. Carefully slice each Dairylea square in half. Cut ‘fringing’ three-quarters of the way up each piece of cheese to create the bristles.
2. Wrap a slice of cheese round the end of a pretzel stick and carefully separate the bristles. Secure the cheese to the pretzels with chives.

Watch how to make these cheesy broomsticks

Top Tip for making cheesy broomsticks

These broomsticks are best served on the day they're made. Store in the fridge.

What can I serve these cheesy broomsticks with?

These make a great speedy treat for kids, but if you want to make a whole meal with a spooky theme, why not serve them with ghost sandwiches, which are almost as simple. Just make any sandwich using white bread, then stamp them into shape using a ghost cookie cutter. Add eyes with a bit of marmite, applied with a toothpick.

What's a healthy Halloween treat to give kids?

Use a black marker to draw jack-o'-lantern faces onto a bag of satsumas. They're still a healthy snack, just with a little special spooky twist.

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These clever witches’ fingers are the perfect addition to your spooky spread and each one is only 54 calories. 

Whether you’re throwing a Halloween party or you’re looking for a fun activity to make with kids, these witches’ fingers are an excellent choice. You’ll need eight ingredients, most of which you probably already have in the cupboard and 10 minutes to prepare the dough. 

Ingredients

• 100g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 225g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 45 blanched almonds, halved
• 5 tbsp strawberry jam, preferably smooth

Method

1. Using an electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar until pale. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk again. Sift in the flour and baking powder, and mix to form a soft dough. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 45 portions and roll each piece into a finger shape. Press the back of a knife into the dough to make knuckles. Lightly press an almond onto the dough where the nail would be, then remove it again. This is just to leave a little dent for later. Put on lined baking trays and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Bake for 10-12 minutes until pale golden, then remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
4. Once cooled, spoon a little jam onto the nail base and top with an almond. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Top tips for making witches' fingers

To make the fingers look even spookier, you can dip the ends in jam to make them look severed. You could also add a couple of drops of green or purple food colouring to give them a more ghoulish twist. For more inspiration and tips, continue reading below. 

For this recipe it’s best to use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar. Doing it manually will take much longer and requires a lot of elbow grease! If you like your devices to be very versatile, we love the look of the 2-in-1 blender and mixer from Ninja.

We have lots more Halloween food ideas including these adorable rice Krispie pumpkins. Once you’ve carved your spooky pumpkins, be sure to read our guide on what to do with leftover pumpkin so nothing goes to waste!

These no-bake marshmallow crispy bites are a sticky, delicious treat to make with little ones.

Cooking with kids is a great way to get them interested in foods and trying new things. This recipe is about as easy as you can get for baking with little ones, but the results are still delicious. We've broken this recipe down into steps for mum or dad to complete, and ones you can let the little ones loose on. With only three ingredients, this is a good holiday project that doesn't need much planning or spending in advance. And they're a party staple, so if there's a celebration coming up, make some of these to share around. 

Ingredients

• 45g butter
• 300g marshmallows
• 180g sugared crispy cereal

Method

1. Mum or Dad: Grease a tray pan with a little oil. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the marshmallows and cook gently until they are completely melted. Stir constantly before taking the pan off the heat. Pour into a large clean bowl.
2. Child: Add the cereal to the bowl and mix using a plastic spoon.
3. Mum or Dad and child together: Press the mixture into the tray. Flatten the top and allow to cool completely before the adult cuts them into squares.

Top tip for making marshmallow bites with your kids

Stir through chocolate chips or sprinkle them over for an extra treat. For a rainbow effect, top with some hundreds and thousands.

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Microwave fudge is so easy to make and it only needs three ingredients. 

This is a great recipe to make with kids because it's so quick and easy - then you just have to wait for it to set for a couple of hours. You can use milk chocolate if you prefer, or make two batches - one white and one milk. Alternatively, you can get the kids to cut out the fudge with cookie cutters, into shapes like flowers and decorate with Smarties or Skittles. You don't need any special equipment for this recipe - no sugar thermometer or anything: just a microwave to cook it.

Ingredients

• 300g white chocolate
• 150g condensed milk
• 1 drop vanilla extract

For optional decoration:

• 25g melted white chocolate
• small handful sweets such as Skittles, M&Ms or sprinkles

Method

1. Take an 8 inch square baking tin and line it with baking paper or cling film.
2. Ask your child to break up the chocolate into a medium-sized microwaveable mixing bowl.
3. Place the bowl of broken up chocolate into the microwave and heat on 50% power in 30-40 second intervals, stirring in between.
4. Once the chocolate has melted and is smooth, pour in the condensed milk. Stir the chocolate and condensed milk together and place the bowl back into the microwave and heat again, on 50%, for just 10 seconds.
5. Take the bowl from the microwave and quickly add the drop of vanilla extract, then give one final stir.
6. Immediately pour the mixture into the lined baking tray. You will see that the chocolate mixture is already starting to firm up! Use the back of a spoon to gently guide the fudge into the corners of the tin.
7. Place a piece of baking paper or cling film over the top of the fudge and use your fingers to smooth the surface of the fudge. Make sure that the surface is level, then place into the fridge to set for 1-2 hours.
8. Once the fudge is set, you can take it from the fridge and leave it to come back up to room temperature before attempting to cut into shapes.
9. Your child can have great fun using their favourite cookie cutter. Use the extra melted white chocolate to glue on the decoration. We made white chocolate fudge flowers and used skittles for the centres.

Top tip for making microwave fudge

If you're making this as a grown up gift, you can make milk and white chocolate fudge, then arrange the square in small boxes, alternating white and brown like a chess board.

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This easy chocolate brownies recipe makes 24 brownies that are only 159 calories per piece. 

You can enjoy these brownies as an afternoon treat, package them up for your lunch box, or serve them with ice cream for a stress-free dessert. The recipe makes 24 brownies but it’s easy to scale up if you want a bigger batch. We have used a 15cm square tin as it makes it easier to cut into portions but you could use a round tin and cut the brownie into thin wedges if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 200g dark chocolate, we like at least 85%
• 100g unsalted butter, very soft
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 large free range eggs, beaten to mix
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 60g plain flour
• 60g cocoa powder

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Break up the dark chocolate into chunks and put into a heatproof bowl. Put the bowl on top of a saucepan filled with a quarter or less of water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the base of the bowl. Turn the heat up on the hob at a low temperature and simmer the water. This will melt the chocolate in the bowl. Continue to stir until all the chocolate has melted. Do not have the heat up too high otherwise, it will burn the chocolate. Alternatively, you can melt chocolate in the microwave.
2. Leave to cool until needed but don't let the chocolate set as you need it to be melted to add to the brownie mix.
3. Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of a food mixer and beat until fluffy.
4. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time and ensure you beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla essence.
5. Spoon the cooled melted chocolate into the mixture then mix it thoroughly. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and gently fold together.
6. When completely combined, spoon the mixture into a greased and lined 15cm square tin and spread the mixture evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula.
7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the chocolate brownies are firm to the touch but still a bit fudgy.
8. Remove the tin from the oven and set it on a wire cooling rack. Leave the chocolate brownies to cool completely before cutting them into pieces. Store the brownies in an airtight container and eat within 4 days.

Watch how to make our easy chocolate brownies recipe

Top tips for making this easy chocolate brownies recipe

As the brownies cool in the tin, they will continue to cook a little from the residual heat. They will firm up once completely cooled but for the easiest cutting experience, we recommend chilling in the fridge for an hour or two before slicing. 

When melting chocolate, whether in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water, we like to use a glass bowl such as this one from Pyrex.

Try our vegan brownies next if you’re looking for some plant-based baking inspiration. You might also like our gluten free brownies or these tasty peanut butter brownies instead.

This recipe for chewy, golden, oaty cookies is designed to be done with kids.

Oat raisin cookies make a great cook-a-long bake to do with children. It's a lovely activity to fill an hour or two in the school holidays. Plus it gives young chefs a real sense of achievement when they get to eat their creations. Unlike our classic oat cookies, we've broken the steps for this recipe down into ones Mum or Dad will need to complete and ones the little chefs can perform. This recipe makes two dozen small cookies - perfect for a party. Alternatively, you could split the dough into half and make just two giant cookies. Once they're baked you can use chocolate writing icing to write a birthday or congratulations message on the cookie, to make an edible card.

Ingredients

• 175g self-raising flour
• 75g porridge oats
• 50g raisins
• 175g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 175g butter
• 2 tbsp golden syrup

Method

1. Mum or Dad: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease 2 large baking trays.
2. Child: Put the flour, oats, raisins, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
3. Mum or Dad: Put the butter and golden syrup into a pan, stirring until the butter has melted and made a glossy sauce. Pour into the mixing bowl.
4. Child: Stir everything in the bowl together gently. If cool enough, you can use your hands to make a big ball of dough.
5. Mum or Dad: Put the dough onto a work surface and divide into about 24 pieces.
6. Child: Shape each piece into a ball, and flatten until 2cm thick.
7. Mum or Dad: Arrange on the baking trays, not too close to each other. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown and firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Top tip for making oatmeal raisin cookies

Swap the raisins for chocolate chips and toss in a handful of chopped nuts at the same time, if you like.

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Chocolate chip cookies

A lovely, gooey, stodgy bite made from peanut butter, dried fruits and nuts - and no added sugar at all.

Peanut butter cookie dough is one of our easiest recipes. Plus it's a lovely, healthy treat. With just three ingredients, it's easy to knock these up in double-quick time (you don't even need to put them in the oven). In fact, they're probably ingredients you'd have in your store cupboards anyway. Unlike our classic peanut butter cookies, these are raw. No cooking required whatsoever - you just pulse up the ingredients in a blender. The result is a low sugar, sweet and protein-packed treat that's great for grown-ups or kids.  This recipe makes about 10 cookies in 10 minutes.

Ingredients

• 140g no added sugar peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
• 90g raisins
• 2 tbsp nuts, such as peanuts or mixed chopped nuts

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined. The mixture will come together to form a ball.
2. Carefully tip the mixture into a small bowl and use your hands to divide it into 10 portions. Roll each piece of dough between your hands to form a ball. Place the balls of dough onto a plate or piece of baking paper. If you wish, you can use the back of a fork to press down into the dough to create a simple pattern.

Top tip for making peanut butter cookie dough...

If you're not keen on peanut butter, you could try almond butter or almond and coconut butter instead. These have a sweeter, milder flavour.

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Chocolate chip cookies

Sugar cookies

Snickerdoodles

Our wholewheat chocolate chip cookies require seven ingredients and take only 10 minutes to cook. 

Unlike our easy chocolate chip cookies, which use regular plain flour in the ingredients, this recipe uses wholemeal flour. This gives a subtle but delicious flavour and an extra boost of fibre too. You only need seven ingredients and we’ve used margarine which makes the cookies dairy-free. 

Ingredients

• 200g wholemeal flour
• 50g dark muscovado sugar
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g margarine, softened and cut into cubes
• 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
• 60g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks

Method 

1. Put the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla extract and margarine in a food processor and pulse until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and yolk and pulse until combined.
2. Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and sprinkle over the chocolate chunks. Bring together with your hands, then divide into 20 balls.
3. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Gently flatten each ball with the palm of your hand, then put on a baking tray lined with baking parchment – spread well apart (you may need 2 trays). Chill in the freezer for 10 mins, then bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool on the trays for a few minutes then cool completely on a wire rack or enjoy while warm with a glass of cold milk.

Watch how to make wholewheat chocolate chip cookies 

Top tips for making wholewheat chocolate chip cookies

If you want to be extra healthy, why not swap out the chocolate chips for raisins instead - they're just as nice and sweet.

For this recipe we recommend using a food processor. If you’re yet to invest in one, read our Ninja 3-in-1 food processor review to discover its full functionality. Ninja 3 in 1 food processor which was tested for us by freelance journalist and Goodto’s parent tester Grace Holliday.

For a less chewy and more traditional cookie recipe, try our sugar cookies recipe next. You might also like these simple vanilla cookies or this Snickerdoodle recipe is one of our most popular bakes. 

These Angel Delight cookies are quick, cheap and easy to make with kids and will be on the table in 45 minutes.

Our easy chocolate chip cookies are one of our most popular recipes but these Angel Delight cookies are bursting with flavour. We’ve used the banana flavour but feel free to experiment with other combinations. The strawberry Angel Delight could be paired with white chocolate chunks.

Ingredients

• 100g butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 sachet of banana Angel Delight
• 70g fudge, chopped into small pieces

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Line your baking trays with sheets of greaseproof paper.
2. Now it's time to bring in your budding little chef. You can ask them to help weigh the sugar and butter into a good sized mixing bowl. Make sure the butter is super soft as it will make it so much easier for your helper to work with.
3. When the butter and sugar have combined into a light and fluffy mixture it is time to carefully mix in the egg.
4. Now it is time to turn your attention to the plain flour and baking powder. Carefully add to the mixing bowl to join the rest of the ingredients. You may find it a little less messy if you start off the mixing process. After a minute of mixing, you can let your child take over and they can continue to mix until all the white flour has disappeared into the mixture.
5. Now for the really fun part: collect the packet of banana Angel Delight and pour the entire sachet into the mixing bowl. Your little one can happily mix the Angel Delight powder into the other ingredients while you chop the fudge into small pieces. Carefully add the chunks of fudge to the mixing bowl and give one final mix.
6. The mixture is fairly firm so it's quite easy to shape into cookies with a spoon and fingers. We gathered up spoonfuls and placed heaped piles on to the awaiting trays. Then we used our fingers to press our cookies down a little. Leave a little space between your cookies as they will spread in the oven.
7. Place your baking trays into the pre-heated oven and leave to cook for 12 to 15 minutes. When the cookies are ready they should be lightly golden brown but still soft in the centre. Leave to cool on the trays for a few minutes to firm up and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Top tips for making Angel Delight cookies

Anneliese says: “My son has a fascination for eggs and loves to help crack them. If your helper is keen to get in on the egg action, it might be an idea to crack it into a separate bowl so any stray shell can be easily picked out.”

A sturdy, large mixing bowl is important for any keen baker and we love this classic design from Mason Cash.

Our sugar cookies recipe is another fun bake to make with kids. These vanilla cookies can be cut to whatever shape you like and these Snickerdoodle biscuits are a classic American treat.

Our Maltesers biscuits use seven ingredients and bake in just 15 minutes

If you love our easy chocolate chip cookies, you’ll enjoy this Maltesers alternative. Kids can help weigh the ingredients, crush the Maltesers and shape the dough into balls too. These are the perfect bake for keeping little ones entertained and there’s a tasty reward for their hard work too! 

Ingredients

• 121g Maltesers pouch
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g soft light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 250g self-raising flour
• 25g malt drinking powder, such as Horlicks

Method 

1. Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan, Gas 3). Line 2-3 baking trays with baking paper, or you can use one baking tray and bake the cookies in batches.
2. Put the Maltesers into a sandwich bag and remove all the air. Smash into crumbs using a rolling pin. Set aside
3. Put the soft butter into a large mixing bowl; add in the caster sugar and soft light brown sugar. Use an electric whisk to beat the ingredients together. Keep whisking until the butter and sugars combine and the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour, malt drinking powder and crushed Maltesers to the mixture and this time use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix everything together. The mixture will seem on the dry side to start with but don't worry; it will come together, just keep stirring.
5. Gather up handfuls of cookie dough, each about the size of a golf ball and shape into a rough ball. Place onto the lined baking trays. Don't be tempted to press the dough down; just leave it as it is.
6. Place the baking trays into the oven for 14-16 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Smaller cookies will of course cook faster than larger ones. The cookies should remain pale, with only the slightest hint of colour and will still feel soft when you remove them from the oven.
7. Leave them to firm up on the baking tray for about 5 minutes. Once the cookies are firm enough to move, transfer them over to a wire rack to cool completely.

Top tips for making these Maltesers biscuits

You can save time by using a food processor to whizz the Maltesers up. It’s a little extra washing up and not as hands-on for the kids but it is quicker and you get more consistent results. 

If you want to make the process as quick and easy as possible, be sure to use an electric mixer when beating the sugar and butter together. 

Our sugar cookies recipe is perfect for making with kids too. You might also like these vanilla cookies which you could bake ahead and then let them ice them. For another chewy recipe, Millie's cookies are a great choice. 

Cute little biscuits in the shape of their favourite beasts, these animal cookies are sure to be a hit with the kids.

These biscuits have been created by Annabel Karmel, one of our favourite kids' cookery writers. Her recipes are always as simple as possible, so there's really very little that can go wrong. And they're always popular with children, who can help with the mixing, rolling and cutting too. You can cut these into any shapes you (or your small people) fancy, and decorate them as you like. Sheep are nice and easy because most of the icing is white, so there's no need to use food colouring. Plus we love the slightly shifty look these chaps have, as though they've been caught trying to get into next door's field. This batch makes about a dozen biscuits, and they'll keep for a few days in a tin, once they're cooled.

Ingredients

• 45g butter, softened
• 70g soft light brown sugar
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 large egg yolk
• 170g plain flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp salt

To decorate:

• 125g icing sugar, sifted
• Writing icing

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the golden syrup and egg yolk until just combined. Sift over the flour, ginger, bicarbonate of soda, and salt, and stir in with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Put the dough on a piece of cling film and pat into a disc about 1cm thick. Wrap up and refrigerate for 1–2 hours until firm.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Roll out the dough between two pieces of baking parchment until about 3mm thick. Cut out the animal shapes, and use a palette knife to transfer them to baking trays lined with parchment. If the dough becomes too soft, then lift it, still on the parchment, on to a baking tray and pop in the freezer for 5–10 minutes to firm up.
3. Bake the biscuits for about 12 minutes until puffed and just turning golden around the edges. Leave them to cool on a wire rack.
4. Make the icing by mixing the icing sugar and 1 tbsp water. Pipe the icing into the cookies to decorate.
5. Draw on faces and other features using writing icing squeezed from a tube.

Top tip for making animal cookies

Try flavouring these cookies with other things like cinnamon or lemon rind, instead of the ginger.

You might also like: 

Chocolate chip cookies

Sugar cookies recipe

Peanut butter cookies

Flat chocolate eggs decorated with gooey marshmallow and crushed Mini Eggs, these rocky road Easter eggs are cheap to shop for and easy to make. 

You only need four ingredients to make 6-10 eggs (depending how large you cut them). If you have other things in the cupboard to use up - a couple of smashed up digestives or a handful of sultanas - toss them in. This is a great Easter recipe for kids, and we've highlighted all the areas where little chefs can help out. One of the things we love about this recipe is that you make the rocky road, then cut out the egg shapes from it. This means you will have a few off-cuts at the end. They're perfect for little helpers to have a go at tasting.

Ingredients

• 350g white chocolate
• 15g unsalted butter
• 150g marshmallows
• 100g Mini Eggs
• Sprinkles (optional)

Method

1. First line a 12 x 9 inch baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Place this to one side while you make the rocky road.
2. Place the Mini Eggs into a freezer bag or sandwich bag and seal. Your little helper can now enjoy bashing the Mini Eggs with a rolling pin.
3. Ask your child to help weigh the white chocolate and then break it up into squares. There is quite a lot of chocolate to get through, so you may have to assist.
4. Once the chocolate is all broken up into squares, transfer it to a microwaveable bowl and add the butter. Place the bowl into the microwave and heat in 20 second intervals on high, stirring in between. If preferred, you can melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water.
5. Once the chocolate and butter has melted, tip the marshmallows into the bowl. Stir quickly before pouring the mixture straight onto the lined baking tray. Use the back of the spoon to level the surface as best you can, making sure that the mixture is in one thin, even layer. Don't worry if it doesn't quite reach the edges of the tin!
6. Your little helper can now sprinkle the crushed chocolate Mini Eggs over the chocolate and marshmallow mixture. Lightly press in the Mini Eggs. If you are using the sprinkles, now's the time to add them!
7. Place the rocky road straight into the fridge to set for 1 hour or so.
8. Once the rocky road has set, take it from the fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature. This will make it easier to cut into shapes. Cut out the egg shapes with your cutter. There's no reason why you can't use different sizes.

Top tips for making rocky road Easter eggs

These rocky road eggs will easily keep for up to a week... though they are unlikely to last that long.

How can I make it easier to cut these rocky road Easter eggs?

You may find it easier to cut through the rocky road if you wipe a little oil over the edges of the cutter before you cut with it.

Can I use milk chocolate to make these rocky road Easter eggs?

Yes, use any kind of chocolate - even the recently released rose chocolate if you want to make pink eggs. In fact, why not make a selection of different shades of eggs, topped with different colour mini eggs?

Can I use leftover Easter egg chocolate to make these rocky road Easter eggs?

Yes, this is a great way to use up leftover Easter eggs. They melt down well and are even nicer once you've added in the rocky road extras.

You might also like...

• Rocky road ice cream
• Rocky road brownies
• Rocky road cake

Easter nests but made with one of our favourite chocolate bars.

You only need four ingredients and twenty minutes to make these Mars bar Easter nests. Leave them to cool and set over the next two hours and you will have a dozen tasty treats. They make great teatime options for kids (and big kids) or a nice lunchbox treat. Alternatively, they are excellent at bake sales because they are cheap to make but a little bit more exciting than traditional Easter nests made from plain chocolate. Mars bars add a sticky, caramelly texture that makes them just irresistible. They're easy to make with the kids as well. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or a cool place for up to three days.

Ingredients

For this Easter recipe you will need:

• 4 Mars bars, chopped
• 75g butter
• 150g Shredded Wheat, crumbled
• 150g bag chocolate eggs

Method

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Melt the Mars bars and butter in a large pan over a gentle heat, stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and mix in the shredded wheat until completely covered in the chocolate mixture.
2. Put spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking tray and make a slight dip in the centre to create a nest. Fill with the chocolate eggs. Leave to set until ready to eat.

Top tip for making Mars bar Easter nests

Mars bars are a great chocolate bar for this recipe as they melt down into a really smooth, sticky goo. You can try the same technique with other bars too - Snickers for an extra crunch of peanuts, or Milky Bars for a white chocolate version.

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Easter nests

Cornflake cakes

Chocolate cornflake nests

Layers of moist, chocolatey sponge, a dense, gooey filling and blanket of solid chocolate over the top, all decorated with smashed Creme Eggs.

These Creme Egg cake bars are such a great Easter treat to serve up. If you're making them for kids, you can get them involved too. Why not put them on egg smashing duty for the topping. Alternatively, if you're serving up to grown-ups, try adding some Baileys to the icing for an extra boozy hit. This recipe makes between 9 and 12 bars, depending how small you want to make them. It only takes 50 minutes to prepare and cook them, but you will need about 2-3 hours in total, including chilling time for the different layers. These bars are great to take on picnics or as a snack while you're out on a walk. They're also a good option for selling at bake sales.

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 200g butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 125g plain flour
• 75g cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 medium eggs
• 9 mini Creme Eggs

For the filling:

• 300g icing sugar
• 2 tsp golden syrup
• 1 tsp orange extract
• orange food colouring

For the topping:

• 200g milk chocolate, chopped
• 12 mini Creme Eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and line a 24cmx24cm tin with greaseproof paper, making sure you have some all around the sides to be able to pick the cake out of the tin after baking.
2. Mix all the sponge cake ingredients except the Creme Eggs together in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk.
3. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 10 mins. Carefully remove from the oven and push 9 Creme Eggs randomly into the sponge. Bake in the oven for another 5 mins.
4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the side before lifting out with the greaseproof paper and popping onto a wire rack to cool further. After 30 mins, put the cake back into the tin and press the sponge down firmly, making sure the sponge is touching every corner of the tin. Put in the fridge to cool for 30 mins.
5. Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing the icing sugar, golden syrup and orange extract in a bowl with 60ml water. Split the icing into two bowls - a third in one, two-thirds in the other. Add the orange food colouring to the smaller bowl and mix in to create an orange, yolky colour.
6. Take the cake out of the fridge and pour the plain icing mixture on top of the sponge, making sure it touches the greaseproof paper and is evenly spread. Add the orange filling in dollops, then use a skewer or a cocktail stick to create a swirled, marble effect.
7. Leave to set in the fridge for 1 hr.
8. For the topping, melt the chocolate in the microwave by heating it in 10 second bursts, stirring in between each burst until the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool slightly before pouring on top of the icing layer.
9. Crush the 12 mini Creme Eggs and scatter on top to decorate. Leave to set in the fridge for a further 30 mins, cut into slices and serve.

Top tip for making Creme Egg cake bars

Try different flavours for the filling. You could try caramel icing with crushed Caramel Eggs on top.

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Creme Egg recipes

Creme Egg brownies

Creme Egg Scotch egg

This Creme Egg rocky road is a chocoholic's dream Easter treat - melted chocolate, biscuity crunch, gooey marshmallows and plenty of Creme Eggs.

It's so quick and easy to make, too. You'll only need 20 minutes to put it together, then leave it to set in the fridge for an hour and you're ready to go. You can speed up the setting time by putting it in the freezer for the first 20 minutes, then ten minutes in the fridge. Don't leave it in the freezer too long before serving or you'll get ice crystals on top. This is a great recipe for people who don't like baking - there's no hard and fast rules. You can add or remove anything you like to the recipe (apart from the melted chocolate that holds it all together). And you don't have to be precise or neat - in fact, the messier it is, the better it looks.

Ingredients

• 450g white chocolate
• 100g biscuits, broken into pieces (we used gingernut biscuits)
• 50g mini marshmallows
• 16 mini Creme Eggs, crushed or halved

For the decoration:

• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp orange food colouring
• 4 squares milk chocolate, melted, or 1 tbsp Nutella

Method

1. Line a 21cm x 21cm tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Put half of the chocolate into a large microwavable bowl, and melt in the microwave on a low heat, stirring every 10 seconds until melted. Add the rest of the chocolate and stir to melt slightly. Give it a few more seconds in the microwave until fully melted. Leave to cool for 5 mins.
3. Pour the biscuits and marshmallows into the chocolate, add 8 mini Creme Eggs and save the rest of decoration. Mix until all the ingredients are covered in chocolate.
4. Pour into the tin and decorate with the rest of the Creme Eggs.
5. For the decoration: To make the orange icing, mix the icing sugar in a bowl with the orange food colouring and 1 tsp water then drizzle over the rocky road. Drizzle over the melted chocolate or Nutella.
6. Pop into the fridge and leave to set for about 1 hour. Cut into pieces using a warmed knife.

How to make Creme Egg rocky road

Top tips for making this Creme Egg rocky road

We've made this rocky road with white chocolate, which looks amazing and gives a sweeter taste that we love alongside the Creme Eggs. If you prefer, you can swap the white chocolate for milk or dark instead. They all work really well.

Why is my rocky road crumbly?

If your rocky road is crumbling as you cut it, it's likely that it's simply too cold to slice properly. Store it at room temperature, rather than in the fridge, and use a warmed knife to slice it. 

You might also like...

• Rocky road ice cream
• Rocky road brownies
• Rocky road cake

Our Rolo cookies use six ingredients and take 25 minutes to make from start to finish.

This delicious twist on our easy chocolate chip cookies uses Rolos for a moorish, indulgent caramel flavour. To give them a sophisticated finish you could scatter with a pinch of sea salt flakes but they are equally delicious as they are. 

Please note the nutrition for this recipe is based on 16 small cookies. 

Ingredients

• 115g unsalted butter, softened
• 115g light soft brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 225g plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 12-16 Rolos

Method 

1. First of all, lightly grease your baking tins , we like a 16-hole mini muffin tin. Heat your oven 170C (150C fan, Gas 3).
2. Weigh the softened butter and sugar into your mixing bowl. Beat the ingredients together until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the egg and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Weigh in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to bring everything together.
4. Use your hands to gather up small handfuls of dough. Roll the dough into a ball, between your hands, then place a ball into each hole in your tin.
5. Cook for 10 minutes and just before the cookie cups come out of the oven, open up the packets of Rolos and have them laid out, ready to use. The cookie dough will start to firm up as soon as it comes out of the oven, so you will need to be prepared.
6. Once out of the oven, push a Rolo into the middle of each one, straight away. The cookie cups will be very hot so be careful! Leave the Rolo cookie cups in the tin to cool. If you touch the Rolo centres before they are cold, they will collapse and lose their shape.
7. When the Rolo cookie cups are cold and the centres have set, take out of the tin and enjoy!

Top tips for making Rolo cookies

You can use a 12-hole bun tin but the cookies will be a little larger and the calorie count will be higher. If your hands get sticky during the shaping of the balls, dust them with a little extra flour. 

Whenever you’re baking it’s important to weigh your ingredients accurately. We like these digital scales as they give a clear, near-instant reading.

You might also like this sugar cookies recipe. Our vanilla cookies are delicious decorated with icing and these Snickerdoodle cookies take just 25 minutes to make. 

Probably the cutest way to serve up pancakes ever - kids just love these fun pancake bunnies.

This recipe uses Scotch pancakes. The smooth batter makes for a nicely even-coloured rabbit, and it's easy to control the sizes of the head and body. Alternatively, you could use American pancakes, or even our classic pancake recipe if you prefer. Bunnies make a great treat for Pancake Day or Valentine's Day. This recipe serves one, but it's really easy to multiply everything up to make it for more people. You can even get the kids to help put together their own bunnies. Cut out the ears and feet in advance, and your small people can help to arrange them on their plate.

Ingredients

• 3 pancakes
• 2 pieces of banana
• 2 strawberries
• Melted chocolate
• Whipped cream

Method

1. Take one Scotch pancake and cut out 2 ears and 2 feet for the bunny.
2. Take one small Scotch pancake and place on the plate along with bunny ears. Add a large Scotch pancake and pop on the feet.
3. Add bananas for the bottoms of the bunny's feet.
4. Slice strawberries in half and cut out a triangle shape at the top of each strawberry to make love hearts.
5. Create the bunnies toes with melted chocolate in a piping bag.
6. Finally add a dollop of cream for the bunny's tail. Serve.

Top tips for making rabbit pancakes

You can use shop-bought Scotch pancakes for this recipe if you prefer. Use a full size one for the body, and trim a second one to make a slightly smaller circle for the head.

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Banana pancakes

American pancakes

Blueberry pancakes

Make your pancakes into a work of art with this pretty lace pancake method.

This isn't so much a pancake recipe, as a method for cooking them that makes them even more exciting. They look so pretty, but they're actually really easy to create. All you need is a squeezy batter bottle, and then you can let your creativity flow. Make them in any shape you like. We've styled ours up in a heart-shape for the romance of it, but you can do circles, spirals, or even Easter eggs. Need some extra inspiration? Watch our step-by-step video. The basic recipe we've used here is our Scotch pancakes recipe, because it makes a lovely smooth batter, but if you prefer, you can use a classic pancake recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 quantity of scotch pancake batter
• 50ml milk

Method

1. Start by making up some scotch, we’ve used our classic scotch pancake recipe but added 50ml of milk to it to make it easier to draw with.
2. Next, add the batter into a squeezy sauce bottle with a narrow nozzle and make sure the lid is secured tightly. Heat a large frying pan on a medium to low heat (too hot and the batter will burn before you've had time to draw out your design). Using your bottle make a small heart shape in the centre of the pan and then make a bigger heart around the outside of the smaller heart.
3. Add a line of semi circles with the pancake batter around the bigger heart, but don’t fill them in. Then zigzag the batter in the space between the two hearts to make a lace effect.
4. Once you’ve finished the lacing, flip the pancake over to make sure both sides are cooked.
5. Carefully remove the pancake from the pan and place onto a plate – you can stack up several lace pancakes to make a lacy stack.

Top tips for making lace pancakes

Switch things up a gear by splitting you pancake batter into two bottles and mixing in a few drops of pink food colouring into one of them. Now you can make two colour lace works.

Drizzle your pancakes whatever toppings you like - melted chocolate, chopped nuts, maple syrup, lemon juice and caster sugar or cream all work well.

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Banana pancakes

American pancakes

Blueberry pancakes

Who doesn't love pancakes? And this bacon pancakes recipe is a great way to level-up your brunch game with a delicious savoury treat. 

Bacon and pancakes is the perfect combination. While we recommend making this recipe with American pancakes for the classic pancake stack-look, a traditional pancake recipe will work just as well. The ultimate way to enjoy the weekend, this recipe is so simple with just a few ingredients required. If you're looking to add something a little extra, cook up some scrambled eggs to top off this tasty pancake dish.

Ingredients

For the pancake batter:

• 1 quantity of Scotch pancake batter
• 50ml milk
• 12 bacon rashers

Method

1. To make the pancake batter: You’ll need to make up some scotch pancakes batter to start, we’ve added another 50ml of milk to make it easy to pour.
2. To make the bacon: Fry off 12 rashers of bacon in the pan to the desired crispiness. Or add the rashers to a baking tray and put them in the oven for between 10 to 20 minutes. Serve.

Top tips for making bacon pancakes:

If you like your bacon extra crispy, opt for streaky bacon in the supermarket. The fat on the rashers will crisp up as it fries for an additional crunch. If you like your bacon softer, go for back bacon.

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Potato pancakes

Sweet potato pancakes

Banana pancakes

We've seen rainbow cakes and rainbow bagels, so now it's time for rainbow pancakes.

These rainbow pancakes are so easy to make, all you need is a little patience to do each of the separate colours. Unlike our classic pancake recipe which makes a thin French-style crêpe, these make thick, American pancakes. They are much better for stacking, and you can fit between two and four of one colour in a large frying pan simultaneously. Much quicker than cooking one at a time. To keep the stack together, we've sandwiched our pancakes with chocolate spread, but if you prefer you can use peanut butter, marshmallow fluff or even just melted chocolate. If your kids love pancakes (and rainbows), these make a really brilliant birthday breakfast treat, with a candle stuck in the top.

Ingredients

• 1x portion of American pancake batter
• Food colouring: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple
• 60g butter
• Nutella, peanut butter, melted chocolate or marshmallow fluff, to sandwich together (optional)

Method

1. Make up a large batch of pancake batter (we made 3 batches of our American pancakes batter). Split into 6 portions.
2. Colour each portion of batter with a little food colouring. Add small drops to the batter until you have the desired colour.
3. Melt a little butter in a frying pan. Cook in ascending order, for 2-3 mins on each side - so purple first, then blue, so you can arrange the rainbow straight from the pan.
4. Sandwich the pancakes together with either melted marshmallow, Nutella or melted chocolate.

Top tips for making rainbow pancakes

Instead of dusting with icing sugar, you could spritz the pancakes lightly with spray on coconut oil, then pour rainbow hundreds and thousands over the top instead.

Once you mastered cooking the different batters, you can try making some batter art with your rainbow batters. Decant the batter into squeezy batter bottles, topped with a dispenser. Add a tiny dollop of batter to the pan. Surround it with a thin ring of another colour, so the batters meet. Add a third ring in another colour to the outside. You will need to work quickly so that the batters are all cooked at the same time. Flip very carefully so as to disturb the colours as little as possible, and serve with the side you cooked first upwards (it tends to be the neater one).

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Banana pancakes

American pancakes

Blueberry pancakes

One of our favourite treats in miniature form, topped with chocolate spread and arranged on sticks like the sweetest kebabs ever.

These mini pancakes are such a treat. They're simple to make but they look so pretty - kids and grown-ups love them. Although they are great for Shrove Tuesday, we especially like making these when British strawberry season has started. This means the fruit is at its sweetest and juiciest. These are great at kids parties, or to have on hand after a barbecue. Children really like helping to put the skewers together, though be warned: it's a messy job. This recipe should make enough for 4 skewers - one per person. It's a good idea to count your pancakes before you start assembling them, so your can make sure the skewers are even. If you prefer thinner and more regularly sized pancakes, try our classic pancake recipe.

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100ml milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 300g strawberries
• 100g Nutella

You will need:

• About 4 wooden skewers

Method

1. First make the pancakes. Measure the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Give these dry ingredients a little stir to combine.
2. Measure the milk into a measuring jug. If you have an eager helper, they may want to crack the egg (get them to do it into a bowl first, in case of stray bits of shell). Add the egg to the milk, along with the vegetable oil. Give the wet ingredients a whisk to break up the egg, then pour into the flour.
3. Use a balloon whisk to mix all the ingredients together, until the mixture becomes smooth. Leave to stand for a few minutes.
4. Wash and hull the strawberries, but leave them whole.
5. Grease a frying pan lightly with a little vegetable oil. Preheat the pan over a medium to high heat.
6. Spoon a little pancake batter into the pan - between 1-2 tsp at a time. The batter is thick, so it should hold its shape while cooking. Don't use too much or they will spread and end up too large for the skewers.
7. Cook the pancake batter until tiny bubbles begin to form on the surface of the pancakes. Then flip the pancakes over to cook the other side, for approximately 1 minute, until they turn light golden brown. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
8. Once the pancakes are cool enough to handle, you (or your little helper) can spread a little Nutella on top of each one.
9. To make up the kebabs, alternate between the Nutella-covered pancakes and strawberries as you push them onto the skewers. Keep all the pancakes with the Nutella side facing upwards, so they look pretty. You may wish to snip the sharp end of the skewers if you're serving them to kids.

Top tips for making mini pancakes

Unlike larger pancakes which (though they can be stored) are best eaten straight away, these mini pancakes are so small they don't really get tough, so you can make them a few hours in advance and serve them up as pudding.

If you want your mini pancakes to be all the same size, you can cook them in a small metal cookie cutter, placed in your frying pan. This method does take a while though.

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Banana pancakes

American pancakes

Blueberry pancakes

If your kids love helping out in the kitchen this is the perfect pancake recipe for them.

These buttermilk blueberry pancakes are perfect for making with little ones - even toddlers can have a go. We've split the recipe down into steps children will be able to manage. The rest will probably need mum or dad to work a little magic. We find step three - plopping the blueberries into the batter - is a favourite bit even with very young children. Obviously, a chef's hat is required, and possibly some blueberry testing along the way. This is a great Pancake Day recipe, but there's no need to save it for then - really it works for any weekend breakfast. If you want a more grown-up take, check out our classic blueberry pancakes recipe.

Ingredients

• ½ vanilla pod
• 1 egg
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 300ml milk
• 75g sugar
• 25g butter, melted
• 150g blueberries
• Honey, to serve

Method

1. Mum or Dad and child: Weigh and prepare the ingredients for the pancakes together.
2. Mum or Dad: Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds from the inside. Melt the butter.
3. Child: Crack the egg into the bowl and pour the prepared ingredients into the bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon. Gently stir in the butter and blueberries.
4. Mum or Dad:: Heat a large non-stick frying pan and grease lightly with oil. Drop large tablespoons of mixture into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Child: Carefully flip each pancake over with a spatula. Cook until golden. Put two or three on a plate and drizzle over honey before eating.

Top tips for making buttermilk blueberry pancakes

Don't discard that precious vanilla pod. Keep it in a jar of caster sugar and it will flavour it to make vanilla sugar.

Fussy eaters might find whole blueberries too much, but cutting them into quarters - or even smaller, can make them more palatable. Feel free to use whatever fruit your children prefer though. Any berries or chunks of peeled apple work well.

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It's the ultimate festive decadence for kids. A whole house made of biscuits and sweets - and this gingerbread house recipe makes it easy.

Golden brown spiced biscuit walls, little windows laced with snowy white icing, and colourful sweets everywhere - kids can't resist a gingerbread house, and most adults can't either. This is a perfect festive project. You can make things even easier by buying a house cutter set, which will provide you will the exact dimensions you need. But if you don't have one, just measure carefully and use a template cut out of baking parchment. Take things slowly - gingerbread dough really benefits from being left to cool in between stages. Chill before rolling out and again before cooking.

Ingredients

• 90g clear honey
• 175g soft dark brown sugar
• 60g butter
• 350g plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1tsp ground ginger
• 1tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 medium egg
• 500g packet royal icing sugar
• selection of sweets, to decorate

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. To begin making your gingerbread house pieces, melt the honey, sugar and butter in a pan over a gentle heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger and spice into a bowl. Add the cooled honey and egg, and mix together to form a dough.
3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out the house using cutters, or use paper to make your own template. You will need four walls (two squares and two squares with a pointed side that will make the gable ends of the house) and two rectangles for the roof for a basic model. Take the front section of the house and cut out the door and windows. Put the pieces of dough onto a lined baking tray and bake for 12-15 mins or until slightly browned. Leave to cool, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
4. Make up the royal icing and fill a piping bag. Pipe around the door and windows, then pipe ‘tiles’ on the roof. Leave to set.
5. Pipe down the sides of the house and roof to stick them together. Stick sweets of your choice on the house with icing to decorate – and don’t forget the chimney. Dolly mixtures, Smarties, M&Ms and sprinkles all work really well when decorating a gingerbread house because they are so colourful.

Top tips for making this gingerbread house recipe

Don't skip the chilling stages as it's a chance for your gingerbread to settle and relax, meaning it will hold its shape better when you bake it, and be less likely to crack. The longer you can leave it the better. We suggest a minimum of 2 hours chilling. You also want to make sure when rolling out your dough you roll it quite thin: the thicker the dough the stronger the chance of it cracking.

If you're cutting out windows and doors, cut them fully out, but them leave them in place in the dough. This will mean they keep their shape perfectly. Press the cut outs out as soon as you take the gingerbread out of the oven, before it cools and hardens.

The key ingredient to help keep your house together is royal icing - it is the glue that holds everything firm, as well as being a pretty, snowy decoration. Don't be stingy with it - make more than you need not less. You can always use any extra to decorate the plate for a snowy effect. Also make sure the icing isn't too runny, or things will get messy. Have a look at our guide on how to make royal icing to help you achieve the perfect consistency.

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The kids aren’t always a fan of classic Christmas pudding, but these Christmas pudding muffins are a fun alternative and just as festive. 

Just like a piñata, these muffins contain an exciting surprise for little ones. Packed full of sweets like Smarties, Haribos, or Maltesers. The chocolate flavoured cakes are decorated to look just like Christmas pud. Thankfully they take just a fraction of the time to prepare. This child-friendly recipe is perfect for getting little helpers involved.

Ingredients

• 225g plain flour
• 55g cocoa powder
• 2tsp baking powder
• 115g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 250ml milk
• 6 tbsp sunflower oil or you could use 85g butter, melted and cooled
• Little sweets to fill your pinata cakes
• 75g white chocolate
• Cherries, fondant or writing icing for the red berries and green holly decoration

You will need

• A 12 hole muffin tin. You can either grease the tin or line it with paper cases - don't use your favourite paper cases though, as they will be peeled off after baking.

Method

1. First of all preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
2. Pass the muffin tray to your child and ask them to pop a paper case into each hole. Otherwise, to save paper cases, you could get them to grease with a little butter - entirely up to you!
3. Weigh the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, then sift into a mixing bowl, this will be your dry bowl. My little boy is easily distracted and kept turning to look at things whilst holding on to the sieve. Every time he turned he took the sieve with him; thankfully this a very child friendly recipe and losing a few grams of flour on the floor didn't really matter!
4. Weigh the sugar into the dry bowl and give it a little stir.
5. Now we can move our attention to the wet bowl. If you are feeling brave, you could let your child crack the eggs into a large jug or bowl. My little boy actually did a great job, but I had to grip my hands together to stop myself from interfering!! Pass a fork to your little one so they can give the eggs a bit of a beating, then help them to measure in the milk and oil (or melted butter if using). I think it is best to help at this point, unless you don't mind an oily flood!
6. Mix the wet ingredients together while your child makes a well in the centre of the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon - my little boy loved doing this!
7. After pouring the wet ingredients into the bowl I took a step back and watched my boy gently and very SLOWLY mix everything together. It is unlikely that your child will over mix but keep a keen eye to be sure they are gentle; lumps are good, we want lumps (for a change)!
8. Now for the bowl to muffin tin transfer! This is a very drippy mixture, so blobs are bound to find their way down the sides of the tin and worktop! Try not to help too much at this point as children love to do the last bit as they will feel like they did it ALL by themselves!
9. Now you can take over and place the muffin tin into the oven. Leave the muffins to cook for about 20 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch.
10. Once out of the oven, leave the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. When the muffins are cold you can move on to the decorating part.
12. Weigh out the white chocolate into a microwavable bowl and give short sharp blasts in the microwave until melted. Leave to one side to cool.
13. Now the next part you will have to do, unless your child is sensible with knives. There is no way my three year old can be trusted, so I took over and cut deep circles into each muffin with a sharp knife (a table knife would work just as well). Pull out the thick circles of cake and let your child fill each hole with as many sweeties as they can fit in! You may have to remind them not to eat too many as they go along! Place the cake that you just cut out back over the sweets and push down firmly.
14. Use your white chocolate to drizzle over the top of each muffin, then decorate with your choice of either cherries, sweets or fondant.

Top tips for making Christmas muffins

You can use wrapped and unwrapped sweets in this recipe. As the sweet treats inside the muffins aren't included in the baking process but rather the decorating process afterward, you don't have to worry about melting chocolate or sweets inside the muffins.

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These gorgeously golden gingerbread mummies are ready in just 45 minutes.

Our Halloween gingerbread mummies recipe is so simple. It's quick to whip up, only requiring a gingerbread person shape cutter and some piped icing to create that 'mummy' effect. Plus, these Halloween cookies are perfect if you've got lots of people to feed, as it makes 30 gingerbread mummies in just one batch. Let the kids get creative with decorating using icing and Smarties. Or give them red writing icing and chocolate sprinkles to make these treats even spookier.

Ingredients

• 350g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2tsp ground ginger
• 100g butter
• 175g soft light brown sugar
• 3tbsp golden syrup
• 1 medium egg
• 400g white icing sugar
• Decorate with icing pens and Smarties

Method

1. To start your halloween gingerbread sift flour into a mixing bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and ginger. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.
2. Gently warm the syrup in a glass bowl in the microwave for 15 secs. Add the egg, whisk together and pour onto the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until clumps form, then mix with your hands to make a smooth dough.
3. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough to about the thickness of two £1 coins. Cut out shapes using biscuit cutters and place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out more shapes until all the dough has been used.
4. Heat the oven to 190C, gas 5. Bake the biscuits for 10-15 mins. Cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool and harden.
5. To decorate, mix the icing sugar with 3-4tbsp water and pipe all over the biscuits to create a mummy effect. Finish off by using coloured icing for the mouth and eyes - or, round sweets like Smarties and Skittles.

Top tips for making gingerbread mummies:

Let the kids help with handy disposable piping bags. It'll cut down on the washing up too.

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Gingerbread men recipe

Gingerbread house recipe

These sweet mini square Christmas cakes make a wonderful alternative to mince pies. Keep some on hand for guests, or pop a few in a box to give as a gift.

Mary Berry’s delicious Christmas cake recipe makes an excellent base. We’ve gone for simple decorating designs with miniature gingerbread men and delicate snowflakes, but the options are endless. Use edible glitter and silver dragees to add a touch of sparkle, or buy ready-made festive cake toppers in your favourite designs.

Ingredients

• 1 classic Christmas cake
• 1tbsp apricot jam
• 2 x 1kg packs marzipan
• 2 x 500g packs white ready-to-roll fondant icing
• 2 x 500g packs blue ready-to-roll fondant icing
• 25g pack Organix mini gingerbread men

You will need:

• Snowflake plunger cutters
• Ribbon

Method

1. Make the cake in an 18cm square cake tin, triple-lined with baking parchment, and bake according to recipe instructions. Once cool, cut into 16 smaller cakes of equal size.
2. Brush each cake with the jam mixed with 1tsp water, then cover with marzipan, smoothing the sides and trimming the edges. Roll out the white fondant and cover 8 cakes, smoothing and trimming again. (Use the white fondant trimmings to make the snowflakes). Repeat with the blue fondant to cover the remaining cakes.
3. Decorate with gingerbread men, snowflakes and ribbon.

Top tip for making these mini square Christmas cakes

Try red cakes with mini Santas or green cakes with reindeer decorations too.

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Our mummy blogger, Anneliese, says that kids love these unique baked bean muffins. 

In this baked bean muffins recipe, our creator has used just seven ingredients that any baked bean on toast fan will already have in the cupboard and the fridge. As Anneliese herself says, "Each one of these baked bean muffins is filled to the brim with baked beans and the cheese bursts through in each and every bite! Such a quick recipe to make with children - and they can feel proud to have made their own lunch from scratch."

Ingredients

• 160g self-raising flour
• ½tsp baking powder
• 120ml full-fat milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 45g butter, melted
• 220g can of baked beans in tomato sauce
• 60g mature cheddar, grated

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
2. You could either ask your child to grease the muffin tray liberally or they could use muffin paper cases instead. If you use paper cases don't use your best ones as they would be wasted on a savoury muffin.
3. Ask your little helper to sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, a little at a time. My boy absolutely loves this job; I think he would happily sift flour all day long!
4. Place the butter into a small microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave until the butter has melted. Put the bowl to one side while you turn your attention to the milk and egg.
5. It can be quite tricky for young hands to pour milk from a heavy milk bottle, so some assistance will be required here. You can pour the milk into the measuring jug together!
6. If you have a keen egg cracker, then grab a small bowl and let your child crack in the egg. When it comes to picking out the shell, they can revel in the slimy gooey mess. My boy makes lots of “ewww” noise with a big smile on his face! Once any shell has been extracted they can give the egg a quick whisk with a fork.
7. Using a wooden spoon or balloon whisk, make a well in the centre of the flour, then pour in the milk, beaten egg and melted butter. Children will love stirring the muffin mixture and the great thing is that lumps are to be encouraged; it only needs to be mixed until just combined. An overworked mixture will result in a tough, dense muffin.
8. Open the can of baked beans for your helper. They can use a spoon to scoop out the beans and sauce into the mixing bowl. Just take a moment to be sure there are no sharp edges to the tin. While they are busy you can get on with grating the cheese.
9. Stir the baked beans and grated cheese into the mixture, being careful not to over mix. Your little one can now spoon the orange tinted mixture into the awaiting muffin tin.
10. Place the tray into the hot oven and leave the muffins to cook for approximately 20-25 mins. The muffins will not rise a great deal due to the baked beans but should lift to the tops of each muffin hole and turn a rich golden colour.
11. Once cooked take from the oven and tip out on to a wire rack to cool.

Top tips for making baked bean muffins:

The cheese is a real essential in this recipe so if you're looking to vary up the ingredients, use a different cheese each time you make these. While we recommend a Stilton for those with a taste for stronger flavours, Red Leicester cheese is also a great alternative.

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Banana muffins

Chocolate muffins

Prepare and bake these delicious little apple and sultana muffins in just 30 minutes.

These delicate mini muffins are a great options for adding to packed lunches or taking as snacks for a picnic or a day out. They are a sweet treat, infused with ginger and cinnamon for a lovely hit of warm spiciness. They're perfect for baking with little ones - you can mix them with a spoon instead of a stand mixer if your kids like to give things a stir. Baking with kids is a great way to get them more interested in the food they eat and encourage them to try new things. Unlike our classic apple muffins recipe, Annabel Karmel’s version is made with dessert apples, for a sweeter taste.

Ingredients

• 125g butter, softened
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 200 ml milk
• Quarter tsp salt
• 225g plain flour
• 1tbsp baking powder
• Half tsp ground ginger
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 150g dessert apples, peeled and grated
• 75g sultanas
• A little Demerara sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Measure all of the ingredients into a free standing mixer and whisk until combined. 
3. Spoon into the cases. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake for about 20 to 22 minutes until well risen and lightly golden.

Top tips for making apple and sultana muffins

Swap the sultanas for some chopped glacé cherries if your kids aren't fans of raisins.

When you press your finger lightly on the top of a muffin it should spring back slightly if cooked.

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• Baby food recipes
• Annabel Karmel recipes

Ideal for packed lunches, picnics, or party food, these corn muffins are so simple to make at home taking just 20 minutes to prep.

These tasty corn muffins are flavoured with Cheddar cheese. Unlike our sweetcorn muffins, these muffins with ham and infused with a hint of Dijon mustard. These corn muffins are also made with quick-cook Polenta grains, also known as cornmeal. This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients

• 100g mature Cheddar cheese
• 125g quick-cook Polenta grains (cornmeal)
• 175g self-raising flour
• 2tsps baking powder
• 150ml milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 rounded teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 4tbsps sunflower oil
• 100g sweetcorn, drained
• 1-2 slices of ham, torn into small pieces

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Ask your child to put a paper case into each hole of the muffin tin while you coarsely grate the cheese onto a plate.
2. Grab a large mixing bowl (this will be your dry bowl) and get your child to add the polenta, flour and baking powder into the bowl. (My little boy was a little worried when we added the polenta as we use it in place of sand for indoor play. - I don't think he liked the idea of sandy muffins)!!
3. We want the muffins to be cheesy, so scrape the cheese into the dry bowl and ask your little one to give everything a good old mix to combine!
4. Now for the wet bowl (or you could use a measuring jug). You may need to help with this part, depending on how old your child is. The milk, eggs, mustard and oil have to be measured into the wet bowl. I'm sure the little people won't need any help when it comes to beating the mixture together with a fork! My little boy has been able to whisk with a fork since he was less than 18 months old, so don't be afraid to let even the youngest child have a try (however try to avoid the fork going into the mouth as raw eggs aren't good for their tummies).
5. Pour the milk mixture into the polenta mixture and stir until just mixed. Lumps are fine; in fact they are seen as a positive in a muffin mixture. Add the drained sweetcorn and the ham. If you have a ham lover like me watch your child like a hawk as they tear up the ham and there might not be much left for the muffins.
6. Try to avoid helping your child as they add dripping blobs of mixture to the awaiting paper cases. It will undoubtedly end up all over the tray as well as the cases; just keep smiling! Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes until they are well risen and golden brown.
7. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool down. The muffins are best served warm and spread with butter. They are best eaten the day they are made. However, if you remove the paper cases from any leftovers they freeze really well. I just warm them through before serving.

Top tips for making corn muffins

You can use turkey, beef, or chicken slices instead of ham if your child prefers

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Cheese and ham muffins

Raw brownies are one of the essentials to add to your list if you're following a raw diet or want to incorporate more natural foods into your day-to-day eating plan.

Raw brownies are made up cacao powder and Medjool dates along with sesame seeds, orange juice and maple syrup. This makes them not only entirely made up of natural ingredients but also significantly healthier than regular brownies, which are full of sugar and butter. People often refer to these raw brownies as 'energy balls' and with good reason, as just one of these balls will keep you going for a couple of hours before lunch or dinnertime.

Ingredients

• 120g sesame seeds
• 120g pecan nuts or any nuts of your choice
• 120g Mejdool dates
• 4-5tbsp raw cacao powder (you can substitute the raw cacao powder with cocoa powder but you may need to add a little more. Add to your personal taste).
• 4tbsp freshly-squeezed orange juice
• 1tbsp of maple syrup (optional)

Method

1. First of all you will need to locate your food processor. I found mine at the back of the kitchen cupboard covered in a fine layer of dust. A quick wash and we were ready to go!
2. The food processor does a lot of work in this recipe but we still want our little helpers to do as much as possible. With this in mind, ask your child to weigh all of the ingredients into small bowls, so that they will be easily at hand when required. Weighing the sesame seeds was an interesting experience, I think we will be finding the tiny little seeds in the kitchen for quite some time.
3. When it comes to weighing the dates, we weighed ours before we extracted the stone. It is easy for your child to remove the stone from the middle of the dates. They can do this with their fingers - it's a sticky but a fun job for them to do.
4. Ask your helper to pour the sesame seeds and nuts carefully into the food processor. Pulse your processor until the nuts have turned into a fine crumble, the same size as breadcrumbs. Be sure not to over blitz the mixture or the nuts will form a paste!
5. Next your little assistant can add the stoned dates, cacao powder, orange juice and maple syrup.
6. Give the mixture another good whizz in the food processor. All the ingredients will combine and should form into a sticky but firm mixture.
7. Remove the sharp blade from your food processor and then set your child to work! They can grab small amounts of mixture with their hands then roll them into neat balls. The brownie bites can be rolled in more cacao powder, cinnamon or coconut if liked, but we kept ours plain.
8. The brownie bites look really cute when placed into petit four cases, if you have any going spare.
9. We stored our brownie bites in the fridge because we think they taste even better when chilled but they will keep well in an airtight container for up to a week.

Top tips for making raw brownie:

If you're finding that your raw brownies aren't sticking together quite as well as they should, add 15g of peanut butter to your overall mixture and try to roll up the mixture into balls again. While not a completely natural or raw ingredient, peanut butter is still healthy and full of protein and good fats.

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Raw cookie dough

These cute farm animal cupcakes are by celeb chef Annabel Karmel who specialises in recipes to make with kids.

This easy farm animal cupcake recipe includes how to make three different animals; pigs, dogs, and sheep. Annabel says: “To decorate the cakes you will need: marshmallows, biscuits, chocolate buttons, colourful sweets, and tubes of writing icing. Not forgetting some food colouring for the pink pig cupcakes.”

How to make farm animal cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 110g caster sugar
• 110g soft margarine
• 110g self–raising flour

For the icing:

• 110g butter, softened
• 250g icing sugar, sifted
• 1tbsp water
• Food colouring

Recipes from My Favourite Recipes by Annabel Karmel (published by DK, £8.99)

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 1

To make this cupcake recipe, heat the oven to 180˚C/ 350˚F/Gas 4. Beat together the eggs, vanilla, caster sugar, margarine, and flour.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 2

Line a bun tin with paper cake cases, and half fill each case with the cake mixture.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 3

Bake for 18–20 minutes. When done, the cakes will rise up, turn golden in colour, and spring back when pressed.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 4

For the icing, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar. Then beat in the water. If you’re making the pigs add a few drops of red or pink food colouring for pink icing.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 5

To make the marshmallow sheep, spread a thick layer of butter icing over the top of the cupcakes.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 6

Stick on marshmallows – large for heads, halved for ears, and mini ones for woolly coats. Use writing icing for glue.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 7

To make puppy cakes, stick biscuit ears on icing and use chocolate buttons and sweets for eyes and noses.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 8

To make piggy cakes, stick on a nose made from a large marshmallow and ears made from slices of marshmallow.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 9

Draw the faces on your animals using writing icing squeezed from a tube.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 10

This is what the puppy cakes will look like once decorated.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 11

This is what the piggy cakes will look like once decorated.

Farm animal cupcakes: Step 12

And finally what the sheep cakes will look like once decorated.

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Hummingbird Bakery’s vanilla cupcakes recipe

Animal cupcakes

These colour in cupcakes are made using white modelling paste, edible art pens and circle cookie cutters.

Whip up a batch of these easy colour in cupcakes in just five steps. We’ve used our basic cupcakes recipe, but you could opt for other flavoured cupcakes instead or even readymade ones. Cupcake decorating expert, Victoria Threader used Food Doodler Edible Pens to decorate these cupcakes.

How to make colour in cupcakes

Ingredients

• 150g of white modelling paste for the toppers
• Edible Art Pens - eg Food Doodler Edible Pens
• 68mm circle cookie cutter

Colour in cupcakes: Step 1

The night before – Roll the white modelling paste out to 2mm thick and cut 12 x 68mm circles, leaving them to air dry overnight.

Colour in cupcakes: Step 2

Make a batch of cupcakes using our basic cupcakes recipe, allow to cool and top with our vanilla buttercream.

Colour in cupcakes: Step 3

While you are waiting for the cupcakes to cool, draw pictures with the black edible marker onto the white toppers. Don’t worry if you are not good at drawing, it’s pretty easy to do this by tracing an image and then using a blunt toothpick to outline the design onto the icing. The children might like to draw their own pictures too.

Colour in cupcakes: Step 4

Get the children to colour the pictures with the edible pens.

Colour in cupcakes: Step 5

Add the finished coloured toppers to the iced cupcakes.

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Carrot cake cupcakes

The kids are going to love making this banana butterfly fairy cakes by celeb chef Annabel Karmel.

These delicious butterfly fairy cakes are infused with ripe bananas and topped with rich caramel icing made from Dulche de Leche. These fairy cakes are perfect for making with kids in just seven easy steps. Drizzle with melted chocolate and serve. Annabel Karmel says: 'These little cakes can be eaten plain, or covered in my sweet and sticky caramel topping – they’ll be a flyaway success' Store your cakes in an airtight container and eat them within three days.

How to make butterfly fairy cakes

Ingredients

For the banana butterfly fairy cakes:

• 1 large banana
• 110g butter
• 110g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3⁄4 tsp vanilla extract
• 110g self-raising flour

For the caramel icing:

• 85g cream cheese
• 40g unsalted butter
• 85g Dulche de Leche
• 40g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

Butterfly fairy cakes: Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/Gas 4. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper cases. Peel and mash the banana. Set it aside.

Butterfly fairy cakes: Step 2

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, a little at a time, beating thoroughly.

Butterfly fairy cakes: Step 3

Then add the banana to the butter mixture and stir it in, then sift the flour over the mixture and fold this in.

Butterfly fairy cakes: Step 4

Fill the paper cases with the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes, or until risen and springy to the touch.

Butterfly fairy cakes: Step 5

For the icing, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Then beat in the Dulche de Leche and icing sugar.

Butterfly fairy cakes: Step 6

To make butterfly wings, slice off the tops of the cakes. Cut them in half, dust with icing sugar, and draw on the wings with writing icing. Pipe on the caramel icing and pop the wings on top of it.

Butterfly fairy cakes: Step 7

And there you have your finished banana butterfly cakes.

Recipe from My Favourite Recipes by Annabel Karmel (published by DK, £8.99)

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Basic cupcake recipe

Chocolate cupcake recipe

Our animal cupcakes are created using a handful of clever ingredients including biscuits, chocolate buttons and sweets. 

This cupcake recipe is perfect for kids parties or if you want a fun afternoon activity to enjoy with little ones. The cakes can be baked ahead and you can use shop-bought icing to save time if you like. Please note the nutritional information is based on the cupcakes and buttercream but does not include the decorations as this will vary depending on your design and preference. 

Ingredients

• 125g butter or margarine (at room temperature)
• 125g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 125g self raising flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs

For the buttercream:

• 100g soft unsalted butter
• 225g icing sugar sifted superfine sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp milk
• ½tsp vanilla essence

To decorate a teddy bear cupcake:

• Chocolate frosting
• Chocolate buttons
• Mini chocolate Digestive biscuits
• White and red jelly beans
• Black Writing Icing

To decorate a frog cupcake:

• Green food colouring
• White chocolate buttons
• Green jelly beans or Smarties
• Green Writing Icing
• White Writing Icing

To decorate a piggy cupcake:

• Pink food colouring
• Pink marshmallows
• Mini candy coated chocolates such as Smarties
• Pink Licorice Allsorts

To decorate a marshmallow sheep:

• Large white marshmallows, cut in half and then one half into quarters
• Mini white marshmallows
• Black Writing Icing

To decorate a cat:

• Yellow M&Ms or Smarties
• Black Writing Icing
• Yellow Licorice Allsorts

To decorate a panda:

• Chocolate Buttons
• Brown M&M’s or Smarties
• White Writing Icing

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Line a muffin tin with 10 paper cases.
2. Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest, flour, baking powder and eggs into the bowl and beat in an electric food mixer until smooth.
3. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.
4. Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Whilst the cupcakes are baking you can prepare the icing. Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar, the milk and a few drops of vanilla essence. You can divide the icing into a few bowls and colour with a few drops of food colouring depending on the animals you want to make. For chocolate icing add a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder.
6. Once the cakes are cold, swirl some of the icing on top of the cakes and decorate them to look like animals using the sweets, writing icing and mini cookies.

Top tips for making animal cupcakes

You could use shop-bought cakes and buttercream to save time if you like. For more tips and time-saving tricks, continue reading below. 

Put all the cupcake ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it do all the work while you prepare the decoration ingredients. If you’ve been considering buying one for a while, read food editor Jessica Dady’s KitchenAid stand mixer review. 

For more cupcake inspiration the kids will love, check out our rainbow cupcakes and ice cream cupcakes. These mini cupcakes are also very cute and perfect for little hands and appetites!

Our yogurt cupcakes can easily be made with children and only take 20 minutes to cook. 

This cupcake recipe uses yogurt to keep the sponge delicious and moist. There is a hidden jammy centre and a simple vanilla frosting on top. This recipe makes 16 cupcakes and each cake is 508 calories. 

Ingredients

For the yogurt cupcakes:

• 175g golden caster sugar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 150ml natural yogurt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 75g unsalted butter, melted
• 6tbsp raspberry jam

For the topping:

• 500g butter, softened
• 500g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• green fondant icing sugar paste, to make leaves (optional) 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan, Gas 5). Line a muffin tin or tins with 16 paper cases.
2. Put the caster sugar into a large mixing bowl and sift in the flour.
3. In a jug, mix the yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract and melted butter. Once combined, pour into the sugar and flour and mix briefly.
4. Divide the batter between the baking cases and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until well-risen and springy to the touch.
5. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack. When cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to cut a hole out of the centre of each cupcake and fill with jam, until level with the top of the cake. Snack on the offcuts of cake.
6. For the topping, beat the butter with the icing sugar and vanilla extract, then put into the piping bag with a star nozzle attached.
7. Pipe a swirl onto each cake, starting in the middle. If using, cut out leaf shapes from the green fondant icing, then use to decorate each cake.

Watch how to make yogurt cupcakes 

Top tips for making yogurt cupcakes

Consider topping the cupcakes with some fresh fruit instead of the green fondant leaves if you like. You could also colour the buttercream if you like. For more tips on how to make these cupcakes continue reading below. 

To achieve the swirl of rose-shaped icing on top of the cakes it is recommended that you pipe the icing. If you don’t like the idea of single-use piping bags, consider investing in a reusable one. This kit also comes with a selection of different nozzles. 

You might also like our vanilla cupcake recipe which is similar to this one but uses a classic batter with just butter, sugar, eggs and flour. For something a little richer you should make our chocolate cupcake recipe which also has a chocolate buttercream. These mini cupcakes are also a lovely option for picnics, parties or simply to share with loved ones. 

Our chocolate chip fairy cakes are made with white chocolate chips and are filled with mascarpone and raspberry jam.

This white chocolate chip fairy cakes recipe makes 10 cakes baked in just 20 minutes. These delicious mascarpone and raspberry jam filling add a great addition to these fairy cakes and pair perfectly with the white chocolate. We’ve topped ours with buttercream and hundreds and thousands but you could serve simply as they are.

Ingredients

For the cakes:

• 100g self-raising flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g Stork margarine (or softened butter)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1tbsp milk
• 100g white chocolate chips

For the filling:

• 150g mascarpone
• 65g raspberry jam

For the decoration (optional):

• Buttercream icing
• Hundreds and thousands sprinkles

Method

1. You will need 10 muffin sized paper cases and a 12 hole muffin tin. First of all you will need to preheat your oven, so set it to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Add all of your cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk by hand with a wooden spoon or with an electric hand whisk.
3. When you are happy that the cake batter is smooth and well combined, spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
4. Place the muffin tray into the hot oven. Leave the cakes to cook for approximately 20 minutes, until the cakes are well risen and golden brown.
5. Once the cakes are cooked, take the muffin tray from the oven, take the cakes out of the tray and leave them to cool on a wire rack.
6. While the cakes are cooling make the filling. Simply weigh the mascarpone and jam into a bowl and mix to combine. It is a soft mixture, so don't expect it to thicken up as much as buttercream.
7. When you are happy that the cakes are cold you can use a knife to cut out a circle from the top of each one. Fill each hole with the filling and top with the cut out piece of cake.
8. Finish your fairy cakes with a swirl of buttercream and sprinkles. Or simply dust with icing sugar.

Top tips for making chocolate chip fairy cakes

Swap the white chocolate for milk or dark chocolate chips instead. You could also leave the filling out if preferred.

Please note the nutritional information doesn’t include buttercream for decorating as this is optional.

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Fairy cakes recipe

Easy cupcake recipe

Love Maltesers and white chocolate? This Maltesers traybake is a must. Crushed Maltesers and Rice Krispies are stirred through smooth melted chocolate then topped with a thick layer of white chocolate - and decorated with even more Maltesers. Perfect for making with children, this easy no-bake recipe is quick to make, easy to slice and all too easy to eat.

Ingredients

• 200g milk chocolate
• 75g unsalted butter
• 2tbsp golden syrup
• 185g Maltesers
• 60g Rice Krispies

For the topping:

• 200g white chocolate
• 45g Maltesers

Method

1. Line a deep 8inch square baking tin with cling film or baking paper. Make sure the edges of the cling film or baking paper hang over the edge of the tin as this will make it easy to remove the Maltesers bars from the tin later on.
2. Weigh the milk chocolate, butter and golden syrup into a medium sized microwaveable mixing bowl. Heat the ingredients on a low setting such as 30% in 20 – 30 second intervals, stirring in between. It will take around 5 minutes in total for the ingredients to melt but it's worth taking things slowly, as chocolate can easily burn. However, if you prefer, you can set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
3. Once the chocolate mixture has melted, leave it to one side while you prepare the other ingredients. To avoid mess and to speed things along, you can use a food processor to blitz the 185g of Maltesers, however, your little helper will probably want to bash them with a rolling pin instead! If crushing the Maltesers by hand, simply place them into a freezer bag (don't forget to seal it!) and use a rolling pin to bash the Maltesers into fine crumbs.
4. Pour the Maltesers crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture and then weigh in the Rice Krispies. Your child can use a wooden spoon to combine everything together.
5. Tip the chocolaty mixture into the awaiting tin. Your helper can now use their hands to press the mixture firmly into the tin. Place the tin into the fridge to set for about 30 mins.
6. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave, on a low setting, stirring at 15-20 second intervals. Again, you can always heat over a pan of simmering water if you prefer.
7. Once the white chocolate has melted, take the Maltesers mixture out of the fridge. Pour the smooth melted chocolate over the surface and use a table knife to spread it into all the corners. Pick up the tin and drop it, back onto the worktop, not from a great height! This will level the surface and get rid of any air bubbles.
8. If you have managed to resist eating the remaining Maltesers, now’s the time decoratively to dot them into the white chocolate - OR now’s the time to crush them with the rolling pin then sprinkle over the top of the white chocolate. Pop back into the fridge to set for another 30 mins.

Top tip for making this Malteser traybake

Swap the white chocolate for dark instead for an extra luxurious twist.

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Pick 'n' mix sweetie cake

Chocolate drip cake 

Want to get the kids in the kitchen? They'll love making this Smartie chocolate cake - a simple sponge, topped with chocolate icing and Smarties.

This cake will take 20 mins to bake plus cooling time and serves up to 12 people. Just like our Mary Berry's chocolate cake, we've made ours with chocolate icing, but you could swap this for Nutella if you prefer.

For this recipe, you will need approximately 90g of Smarties to cover the cake. Or, you could try decorating with other treats - as we have done in our pick 'n' mix sweetie cake recipe - such as like M&Ms, Maltesers, and Skittles.

Ingredients

125g butter, at room temperature 175g golden caster sugar 175g light muscovado sugar 2 medium eggs 200g self-raising flour 60g cocoa powder 1 level tsp baking powder 250ml plain yogurt

For the icing:

300g golden icing sugar, sifted 2 level tbsp cocoa powder, sifted 15g butter

How to make a Smarties chocolate cake

Step 1

Put the butter into a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to soften it. Add the caster and muscovado sugars and mix together with an electric mixer, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Tip them into the creamed mixture and mix again. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and yogurt. Mix together until smooth.

Step 2

Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into the 2 lined tins. Bake for 20 mins, until the cakes are well risen and shrinking away from the edges of the tin. Wearing oven gloves, carefully remove the tins from the oven. Push a cocktail stick into the centre of the cake: if the stick comes out clean, it is cooked. If it's sticky, continue to cook the cakes for a few more minutes. Flip the cakes over, out of their tins, on to a wire rack to cool. Leave for 30 mins to cool completely.

Step 3

Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl. Put the butter into a cup and pour 3-4tbsp hot water on to it. Stir to melt the butter. Pour into the icing sugar and stir together until smooth. Spoon half of the icing on to one of the cakes and spread over the surface with a palette knife. Top with the other cake.

Step 4

Lift the cake on to a cake stand. Spoon on the rest of the icing and spread over the cake with a palette knife.

Step 5

Arrange the sweets on top of the cake in a heart design in the centre and a circle around the edge.

Step 6

There you have your finished hearty Smartie chocolate cake.

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These golden, crunchy chicken dippers are made with crushed Cornflakes with a hint of sweet paprika. 

Serve our homemade Cornflake chicken dippers with a three-ingredient dipping sauce made with soured cream, Philadelphia, and chives. These goujons are so simple to make in just four easy steps, which makes them a great option for making with children as seen in our featured video.

Ingredients

• 250g chicken mini fillets
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 1tsp sweet paprika
• 1 egg, beaten
• 150g cornflakes, crushed
• 2tbsp sunflower or light olive oil

For the dip:

• 50ml soured cream
• 50g Philadelphia
• few snipped chives, optional

To serve:

• mashed potatoes
• baked beans or any veg you like

Method

1. Trim the chicken into equal finger-sized portions. Mix the flour and paprika together and spread onto a plate. Put the egg into a bowl and beat it with a splash of water. Spread the cornflakes onto a separate plate.
2. Dip the chicken in the flour, next coat with the egg, then cover completely in the crushed cornflakes. Set aside, well covered, in the fridge until you want to cook.
3. Heat the oven to 200C, gas 6. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Once hot, add the chicken and fry for 3-4mins each side until golden and crispy. They will cook more evenly if you do this in batches. Arrange the chicken on a baking tray, lined with baking parchment, and finish cooking in the oven for around 5 mins.
4. Meanwhile, cook or heat any veggies. Mix the soured cream and Philadelphia and serve in a little pot alongside the chicken and any veg.

Top tips for making Cornflake chicken dippers

We’d recommend serving these Cornflake chicken dippers with mashed potatoes, baked beans, and vegetables of your choice.

This recipe uses mini chicken fillets but you can just opt for chicken breasts and cut them into thin strips instead.

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Chicken nuggets recipe

Joe Wicks’ katsu chicken nuggets

This weetabix cake is an ingenious invention that’ll transform your favourite morning meal into a tasty teatime treat - and is a great way to use up leftover bananas.

This cake is a healthier option than your usual cake recipe thanks to the addition of Weetabix. The fibre-rich cereal is balanced out with a mixture of fruit including apricots, sultanas and mashed banana, which reduces the amount of sugar you need to use. In the video below mummy blogger Anneliese Giggins, shares her tips on making this with children - with the help of her two year old son.  Depending on how thickly you cut the slices, this delicious loaf cake will serve around four to six people.

Please note: the nutritional information provided for this recipe is calculated as a whole recipe and not per portion, jar, or person.

Ingredients

• 2 Weetabix, crushed
• 275ml milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 ripe banana
• 300g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g sultanas or raisins
• 50g dried apricots
• 50g glacé cherries, halved

You will also need

• 2lb loaf tin, greased with butter and lined with greaseproof paper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F/Gas mark 3.
2. Locate your loaf tin, then ask your child to grease it with a little butter. Thank your little one for doing such a great job, then turn your back and quickly wipe the butter around the tin a little more evenly. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to size and line the base of the tin.
3. We shall start with crushing up the Weetabix. I promise that your child will squeal with delight when doing this. Place the Weetabix into a large mixing bowl and ask your little one to crumble them into little pieces. It might be a good idea to be sure that children hold their hands down into the bowl while they do this. My little boy did it with his hands level with his head and bits shot all over the place.
4. Now to add the milk. I know how much my boy likes to say “whoosh”, so I measured the milk into a jug and let him pour it on top of the Weetabix. The mixture looks very runny at this stage but, after just a few moments, you will notice it start to thicken as the Weetabix absorbs the milk.
5. Crack the egg into a small bowl and pass to your child with a fork so they get the joy of lightly beating it. Now they can pour the beaten egg into the mushy mixture.
6. If you are using a particularly large bowl it might be easier for small hands if you ask them to mash the banana before adding to the Weetabix mixture. It won't make any difference which way you choose to do it. I admit that the mixture does NOT look very appetising at this point; I think I can leave it to your imagination as to what it resembles. I promise it gets better!
7. Measure the sugar, flour and mixed spice into the bowl and mix. My little boy started off very enthusiastically but soon his arms grew weary and I was asked to take over... It is a fairly stiff mixture but it can withstand a firm mix.
8. Lastly, add the dried fruit. I used a mixture of sultanas, dried apricots and cherries but you can use whatever dried fruit takes your fancy. Stir in the fruit and mix until combined with the rest of the ingredients.
9. Now the cake is made, all that is left is to transfer it to the tin. I held the bowl above the tin and my boy used a spoon carefully to assist the mixture’s short journey.
10. Place the tin into the oven and leave to cook for 1¼ to 1½ hours, until golden brown firm to the touch and a skewer or knife comes out clean.
11. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Top tips for making weetabix cake:

You could replace the Weetabix with any of your favourite cereals to experiment. Or add some chocolate drops into the mixture for some extra sweetness.

Our porridge oatmeal bars are only 153 calories per portion making them a great breakfast option or if you need a post-workout energy boost. 

These porridge oatmeal bars are a healthier alternative to flapjacks but have lots of the same ingredients. Mummy blogger Anneliese Giggins wrote the recipe for these porridge oatmeal bars and says they are a fabulous option for kids. 

She explains: ‘I find weekday breakfasts a tad stressful. Attempting to get out of the door to pre-school is enough to send my blood pressure sky high. Breakfast cereal or toast is left half eaten and my little boy goes to pre-school with hardly anything in his tummy. Not good! I believe breakfast bars to be the way forward. They are so easy for my boys to eat. Plus, they are packed full of nutritional goodness and provide plenty of energy to get the boys through to snack time. Some homemade breakfast bars tend to fall apart when sliced, so I came up with these porridge bars and they hold together beautifully. The bars have an almost cake-like texture - an added bonus.’

Ingredients

• 130g rolled oats
• 5 dried apricots
• 25g dried cranberries
• 30g raisins or sultanas
• 20g chopped mixed nuts (optional)
• 15g sunflower seeds
• 10g pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 300ml milk
• 1 large egg
• 1-2 tbsp runny honey (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4) and line the base and sides of a 23cm x 23cm square baking tin with greaseproof or parchment paper.
2. Combine the oats, apricots, cranberries, raisins, nuts and seeds in a large mixing bowl.
3. Sprinkle over the ground cinnamon, then give everything a good mix.
4. In a jug or bowl, mix the milk with the egg, honey and vanilla extract. Whisk briefly with a fork so that everything is combined.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly. Don’t worry if it looks very wet. Leave the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to allow the oats to absorb the liquid.
6. Transfer the mixture to your prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until the mixture is set and golden in colour.
7. Leave the porridge oatmeal bars to cool completely then once cold slice into bars.

Top tips for making porridge oatmeal bars

Not only are these oaty porridge bars great for breakfast on the run but they are also very handy for those of us watching our weight as they contain no added sugar or butter. We have lots of advice if you want to get the kids involved when making these bars and can also help if you’re not sure at what age your little ones can eat nuts and seeds. 

We recommend storing the porridge oatmeal bars in an airtight container once baked but to take them on a picnic you might like to use a Beeswax wrap instead of clingfilm. It is better for the environment and less bulky than tupperware. 

Porridge is cheap and easy to make but for a more exciting breakfast, make our healthy flapjack recipe. Alternatively, our granola bar recipe is inspired by the flavours of the popular breakfast cereal but makes a delicious treat which can be enjoyed in the afternoon. 

Build-your-own tarts make a really simple lunch, easy dinner or brunch and great for when you want to cook with kids. You can buy your favourite pizza toppings and mix and match to make so many different flavour combinations on the ready-made puff pastry base.

You can get the kids to help by choosing which toppings they like and adding their own. They're also really quick to make as they only take up to 15 minutes in the oven so you can have dinner on the table in 20 mins - which, let's face it, is an absolute dream when you've got a million other things to do!

Ingredients

• 320g ready-rolled puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• 8tbsp pizza sauce

Topping ideas:

• 100g grated mozzarella
• 4tbsp sweetcorn
• 2 pineapple rings
• ½ red pepper, sliced
• 3 slices ham, torn
• Small handful basil, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C, gas 7. Unroll the pastry and stamp out any shapes you like. With a knife, gently score a 1cm border around the edge of each shape.
2. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little egg and bake for 10 mins, until lightly golden and puffed.
3. Spread a little pizza sauce over the centre of each and top with any combination of your favourite toppings, plus extra cheese.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Top with basil and serve.

Learn how to make these simple low-sugar malt loaf bars in just a few simple steps.

Our low-sugar malt loaf bars are easy to make at home. It's always nice to include a little treat in your child’s school packed lunch. However, cakes and biscuits are a big no-no. Thankfully, these low-sugar malt loaf bars are here to save the day!

Malt extract is used as a natural sweetener, while wholemeal flour adds some extra fibre. The resulting loaves are sticky, squidgy and full of flavour; a perfectly healthy, lunch box treat! Each bar is packed with sultanas and a hint of mixed spice.

If you want to turn these bars into a dessert treat, how about serving them warm with some creamy homemade custard? The family are going to love sharing these malt loaves.

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• 100g plain wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 225g sultanas
• 175g barley malt extract
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 150ml cold black tea

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C, gas 2. Grease the individual holes of a mini loaf tin, or place greaseproof mini loaf cases onto a baking tray. Alternatively, you can grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
2. First of all, weigh the plain flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, mixed spice and sultanas into a large mixing bowl.
3. Measure the malt extract and honey into a small saucepan and place over a low heat. As soon as the mixture becomes runny, take it off the heat. Don't let it boil!
4. Pour the cold black tea, beaten eggs and malt mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon and mix to combine.
5. The mixture will be very runny, but don't panic, that's just how it should be! Spoon the mixture into the mini loaf tins/loaf cases or into a 2lb loaf tin. The mixture will only rise a little as it cooks, so fill your cases or tin ¾ full.
6. Place your malt loaves into the pre-heated oven and leave to cook. The mini loaves will take 45-50 minutes to cook, the 2lb loaf will take between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf, comes out clean.
7. Leave the malt loaves to cool in the tin for around 10 minutes and then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Try to resist eating them straight away. Leave them overnight and they will be lovely and sticky by the morning!

If you’re looking for a fun activity to make with the kids this weekend then you’ve found it right here. Our Pinterest-inspired edible marshmallow play dough makes the best cooking project to try with little ones - they won’t be able to get enough of rolling, shaping and of course eating this lovely stuff.

Edible marshmallow play dough is a really fun project if your looking for things to do with the kids and only takes five minutes to whip up. Give it a go, they'll love it!

Made from just 4 ingredients it takes moments to make and even really young children can help easily by rolling and kneading the mixture once it’s cooked. You’ll need a microwave to puff up the marshmallows with but other than that only basic kitchen equipment is needed, like a nice mixing bowl and a couple of spoons. You can colour your edible marshmallow play dough any way you like but we like the pretty pastel versions of pink, yellow and blue. Once you’ve given the recipe a go hand the kids a rolling pin each and some cutters and let them get to work stamping out some shapes. If things get a little bit sticky then just dust the surface with a bit more corn flour. Ready to have a go? Follow our simple recipe below for how to make this edible play dough!

Unlike when you make a play dough recipe traditionally at home, the best thing about this recipe is that it doesn't matter if the dough ends up in your kids' mouth - because it's edible! So make sure you have rolling pins and plenty of cutters to hand, for playing with the dough once you've made it!

Ingredients

• 20 white marshmallows
• 10tsp corn flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3tbs coconut oil
• Food colouring

Method

1. Add your marshmallows, cornflour and coconut oil to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl.
2. Heat them in your microwave for 30 seconds on a high setting, until the marshmallows are puffed up and have grown in size.
3. Once the mixture has cooled for a couple of minutes mix with a spoon to bring the ingredients together.
4. Next, dust your surface and hands with corn flour and tip the mixture out onto your work top and give it a good knead. Once it has come together fully add a few drops of food colouring and combine until you get an even colour.
5. Give children rolling pins and cutters and let them have fun making shapes.