Looking for easy baking recipes to make with the kids? These 5 easy baking recipes for kids are perfect for children of all ages and are great fun to make at home.

Chocolate Muffins

Who doesn’t love Chocolate Muffins ! Light, easy and delicious. they are very quick to make and ideal for younger bakers.

Servings: Makes 12

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What you’ll need

1 muffin tin and papers

Ingredients – Chocolate Muffins

• 200g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 2 level teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 150g caster sugar
• 200ml – 220ml buttermilk (or natural yogurt)
• 75g butter melted
• 150g dark chocolate broken into pieces or chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb and cocoa powder into a large bowl, add the sugar, chocolate and salt.
3. Beat the egg in a little bowl and add the melted butter and buttermilk.
4. Add the milk mixture to the flour and mix together quickly ( do not over mix ! ). you should still see bits of flour.
5. Fill the muffin papers almost to the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until well risen and firm.
6. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes – Chocolate Muffins

Best eaten on the day.

You can use sour cream in place of the buttermilk or natural yogurt.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies – 5 easy baking recipes for kids

These chocolate chip cookies are a classic. Easy, delicious and a great easy recipe for the children !

Servings: Makes 20 large cookies.

What you’ll need

• Trays lined with baking parchment.

Ingredients

• 6oz plain flour
• 6oz butter, soft
• 5oz light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 4oz dark chocolate chips (or chopped up chocolate)

Method – Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Preheat oven 180 C / 350F / Gas 4.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy – you can use a food mixer or an electric hand whisk or a wooden spoon – then gradually beat in egg and vanilla.
3. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl and fold into the mix.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and chill for 20 minutes.
5. Roll into small walnut size balls, flatten a little and bake on trays lined with baking parchment.
6. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes – cool a little before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

Looking for an alternative. Try these Chocolate & Banana cookies

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Swiss Roll

A classic Swiss Roll is always a favourite. Very easy to make and lovely with Strawberries and Cream in the Summer or simply with Jam at any time of the year.

Servings: 6 – 8

Cooking time: 15 minutes

What you’ll need

• 1 x Swiss roll tin 9″ x 14″ or 12″ x 8″ lined and greased

Ingredients – Swiss Roll

• 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 75g caster suagr
• 75g self raising flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

To Fill:

• Jam or fresh raspberries / strawberries
• 300ml whipped double cream (optional)

Method – Swiss Roll

1. Preheat oven to 190°C
2. Put the eggs in a bowl with the sugar and beat with an electric whisk (or use a food mixer) until light and fluffy and doubled in volume.
3. The mixture should form a figure of 8 on the surface. This will take 5 minutes or so.
4. Sieve the flour on top and carefully and lightly fold in.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch.
6. Let it cool for 1-2 minutes.
7. Lay a piece of greaseproof paper on your work surface and sprinkle with caster sugar, turn the Swiss roll out onto this and remove the baking paper.
8. While still warm, roll up with the paper and allow to cool.
9. Then unroll, cover with the jam and cream and strawberries if using and roll up again.

Notes

This is a whisked, fatless sponge, it is the whisking that produces the light texture and no raising agent is needed.

Fatless sponges are best eaten on the day as they dry out quickly.

A Swiss Roll with Jam is the perfect base for a trifle.

I rolled the one in the image up from the short side. You can also roll it up from the long edge.

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Traditional Fairy Cakes Recipe ( Irish Wee Buns )

Fairy Cakes or Wee Buns as they are know here in N.Ireland were a staple in my childhood. When I moved back to N.Ireland from London and many years working in high end restaurants I started with a market stall in St George’s market Belfast. And these Wee Buns were always my best seller.

Servings: Makes approximately 24 buns

Cooking time: 10 – 15 minutes (plus cooling)

Ingredients

Fairy Cakes

• 125g self-raising flour ( or 125g plain flour and 1½ teaspoon baking powder)
• 125g soft butter (must be very soft)
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 eggs medium or large
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or paste)

Glaće Icing

• 200g Icing sugar sifted
• Hot water from a boiled kettle
• Food colouring (optional)

Buttercream Icing

• 5oz soft butter
• 5oz icing sugar
• vanilla paste (optional)

Method – Traditional Fairy Cakes Recipe | Irish Wee Buns

1. Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan
2. Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla.
3. Then using an electric hand whisk, whisk to combine well.
4. The mixture should be soft enough to fall easily off the spoon.
5. (Do not over mix or the buns will be tough)
6. Spoon into bun cases about half full and cook for approximately 10 – 15 minutes until light golden.
7. Cool on a wire rack and ice with glace or buttercream icing.
8. To make the glaće icing, sieve the sugar (only if lumpy, otherwise don’t worry) into a small bowl and add a little of the hot water at a time and using a spoon mix until smooth and the right consistency, it should have the consistency of double cream. Add a little food colouring if required.
9. To make buttercream icing, Beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla together (with a hand whisk or in a food mixer with a paddle) until light and fluffy. This will take at least 5 minutes.
10. Use a spoon or piping bag and nozzle to decorate.

Notes

Fairy Cakes or Wee Buns are best made on the day. Or you can make them the day before and ice them on the day. They will keep for a few days.

The quantity depends on the size of bun case. I use a traditional small size bun case.

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Rice Krispie Buns

These Rice Krispie Buns are great for any occasion. My boys love to make these when they get the chance and they are popular with adults too!

Ingredients

• 150g Mars bars or toffees
• 150g butter
• 200g Rice Krispies
• 150g marshmallows
• 200g milk chocolate

Servings: lots !

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What you’ll need

Swiss roll tin, Approximately 6 ” x 9″ lightly buttered or lined on the base.

Method

1. Melt the butter and Mars bars in a small saucepan on a gentle heat.
2. When properly melted pour into the Rice Krispies
3. Spread into the Swiss roll tin.
4. Melt the milk chocolate in a bain-marie (break it up into a glass bowl and set the bowl over a small pan of simmering water). Or melt it in the microwave on low in short bursts until melted and smooth.
5. Then spread the milk chocolate on top of the rice Krispie mix and leave to set in the fridge.
6. Cut up into small squares and store in an airtight container.

Notes on Rice Krispie Buns

These Rice Krispie Buns keep well in an airtight container for at least a few days, even up to a week.

For more family baking recipe inspiration, check out my Recipes page. Or join us for a hands-on baking or cooking class. See the range of Classes here.