Holiday Baking with Your Kids

There is nothing like fresh baked goodies from your own kitchen during the holidays. The aromas of delicious pies, cookies and cakes fill your home and the treats fill your tummy. What is better than baking these goods? Spending time with your children in the kitchen. Kids love to cook and bake. This holiday season, why not spend some quality time with your kids and teach them the joys of baking?

When you get ready to bake with your kids, there are several things you need to remember. You want to make sure that you are teaching your child to be safe in the kitchen, yet allow him or her to experiment and have a good time. When you teach your child to stay safe in the kitchen, you are teaching your child a skill that will last a lifetime. Here are some more tips that will help you and your child have a festive time in the kitchen this holiday season.

Gather up recipes: Before you begin, let your child help decide what you will make. Gather up some kid friendly recipe books and look through them together. Holiday magazines and colorful recipe books are good choices. If you have a younger child, he or she may enjoy looking at colorful pictures of cookies and cakes. If you are short on cookbooks, go to the local library and check out a few books. When you find an interesting recipe, mark it so you can go back later. In general, when you are cooking with kids, recipes with fewer ingredients will be easier and will keep their interest longer. You can also check the websites of food companies, such as Nestle, and Pillsbury to find easy-to-make recipes.

Make a list: Before you begin, check to see what ingredients you will need. Make a list and go to the grocery store. This includes checking for items like baking pans, foil, wax paper and spray vegetable oil. Nothing will be more frustrating to your child than getting excited to help in the kitchen only to find that you do not have everything you need. Get your child to help by calling out the ingredients you need and letting them find what you need.

Teach your child about safety: Younger children should be taught safety while in the kitchen. You should talk about the dangers of sharp knives and the hot stove and oven. Older children are capable of using knives and the oven. However, they should be taught the correct way to handle these things. Teach your older child how to correctly use potholders and oven mitts. If your younger child really wants to cut something with a knife, try a butter knife or a plastic knife, which should work well for things like pastry dough and cookie dough. You should also teach your child to put away and clean up as they cook. This save a lot of time and frustration later on.

Follow the recipe: Yes, when you are cooking in the kitchen with your child, it is best to show them how to follow a recipe. Kids who are old enough to read can read the recipe and steps out loud to you. Older kids can learn how to divide and multiply ingredients when you use a written recipe. Not only is baking for the holidays fun, but it is also educational.

Remember "Cookie 101": If you are baking cookies, there are a few things you can do to help ensure that your cookies will turn out delicious and not a disappointment to your child. First, remember that cookies always turn out better when you let the ingredients get to room temperature. You should always preheat your oven when you bake. This will help you avoid burnt cookie bottoms. Level all dry ingredients and pack brown sugar, if you are directed to do so. If you are making cutout cookies, place your dough between two layers of wax paper before your roll. This will help prevent sticking. After your cookies are done, always allow your cookie pan to cool before putting a new batch of dough on it. When your pan is too hot, your cookies will spread too thin. Last of all, never run a hot pan under the water. This will cause warping.

Share your treats: Always let your young cook be the taste tester when the treats come out of the oven. Then, after you have spent the day in your kitchen with your child making yummy holiday treats, make sure you share. Remember that you friends and neighbors would love some home made goodies. Also, your child will beam with pride if you give a few to his or her teacher at school.

When you remember these few helpful tips, you can be certain that your child will have a great time spending the day with you in the kitchen. Nothing says the holidays more than a few home baked goodies.