Keeping kids entertained on weekends and holidays can quickly turn from a challenge to a nightmare when you run out of ideas.
Thankfully, baking is always an option.
Kids love food and the creativity of baking is a great way to develop future skills.
If you’re at home with bored kids, here are some of the best baking ideas to get you inspired.
Baked Fruit
Sweet, filling, and full of fiber, fruit is both healthy and delicious.
You can bake fruit just like you would many other ingredients, and the results can be fantastic.
Our favorite fruits for baking include pears, apples, oranges, and grapefruits.
Try slicking fruit into halves and then topping them with unique ingredients.
Apple is a fruit that responds well to added sugar.
Coat the exposed flesh of a sliced apple with brown sugar and cinnamon and it will caramelize in the oven.
If you’re feeling creative, you can create mini lattices from store-bought pastry to add on top of apples.
Pears work great with fruit jelly (the jam kind). Drizzle jelly atop a sliced pear and add whole oats.
The oats and jelly will cook together for a delicious topping.
Grapefruits and oranges can be baked inside their skins.
Slice in half and keep them facing upwards with the flesh exposed.
A little raw sugar on top of a grapefruit balances the bitter flavor with a delicious sweetness.
This set of Silicon Muffin Pan and Brownie Molds from Caketime has everything you need for baked fruit and other traditional recipes.
Cook in a preheated oven at 350°F for around 15 minutes or until the fruits change color and caramelize on the surface.
Decorated Cookies
If you’re looking for things kids can bake when bored, you can easily bring some fun to classic cookies by adding some decorating steps.
With a piping bag and colored icing, kids can add fun and flair to basic shortbread cookies.
Shortbread is perfect because it retains its shape when using cookie cutters, unlike chocolate chip cookies which tend to spread out when heated.
The simplest shortbread recipe is easy to follow.
Simply mix one part of white sugar, two parts of butter, and three parts of plain all-purpose flour.
Combine butter at room temperature with the dry ingredients until the mixture is fully incorporated.
The dough will clump together when pressed. Roll the dough out on a cutting board or baking mat, and cut to shape.
Preheat your oven to 325°F and bake for around 18 minutes or until the cookies change to a light yellow color.
Let the cookies cool on a rack before decorating.
You can make a basic frosting/icing by combining 4 cups of sifted confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons of meringue powder, 10 tablespoons of room temperature water, and a drop of food coloring.
Mix the ingredients until well combined and then use a piping bag and nozzle to decorate your cookies.
Try making a few batches of colored icing for kids to experiment with.
If the icing is too runny, put it in the fridge for ten minutes before decorating.
- These Ann Clark Cookie Cutters come in fun dinosaur shapes and come with a cookie and frosting cookbook.
- This premium Cake Decorating Tip Set by Chefast is perfect for cookies, cakes, and any of your baked specialties.
Confetti Cake
Simple is always better when baking with kids. A white sponge confetti cake goes down as a treat.
- 2 cups cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 egg whites
Preheat your oven to 350°F and set a nonstick or parchment-lined cake pan aside.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder and soda, and salt with 1 cup of sugar. Mix by hand or at low speed in a stand mixer.
Add in the sour cream and butter in small amounts making sure that all ingredients are well combined.
Add the vanilla extract until it is well combined.
Mix the egg whites separately in a new bowl.
Whisk in the remaining sugar until the whites are fluffy.
When fully combined, lightly fold the egg white mixture in with the main cake mixture until combined, and pour gently into your cake pan.
Bake for 25 minutes. The cake is ready when the center feels spongy and regains its form when lightly pressed.
Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan before removing it for icing.
You can use the same icing suggested for the decorated cookies.
Or, use any royal icing recipe that you’re familiar with.
Choose a color (pink works well) and spread it across the top and sides of the cake. Add sprinkles for the confetti finish.
You can chill the cake to set the icing and then serve it within 30 minutes.
Kids will love this simple and soft white sponge confetti cake.
