baking with Littles! our GRAND tips & recipes!

2 days ago

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Welcome to Our Grand Lives!

We’re so glad you stopped by!

February, of course, is best known for hearts and love and Valentine’s Day.

But, guess what?

During February we can also celebrate

National Bake For Family Fun Month!

It’s the perfect time to spend time in the kitchen

and create yummy memories with the Littles in our lives!

National Bake For Family Fun Month can inspire us all

- Littles to Grands -

to build new and fun traditions together!

So, to get us all started, Laura is sharing a few GRAND tips and recipes!

I’ve always loved being in the kitchen!

Some of my earliest memories are of baking with my mom

who was a phenomenal cook!

I grew up to love any opportunity I had to bake with Littles,

first with my own children, then with nieces and nephews

and even with my students

(I even taught a Summer School class or two called Let’s Get Baking!)

These days Little L and I have lots of fun in the kitchen together!

Whether I’m visiting Little L’s family or they are spending a few days with us,

you’ll usually find her and I whipping up some snack or dish to share!

Baking with Littles can be such an adventure!

Did you know that it provides learning opportunities for your Littles

as well as loads of delicious fun?

Baking encourages children's thinking, problem-solving, and creativity!

It also welcomes opportunities to use the knowledge they have and apply it

by counting, measuring, following a sequence and following directions!

OUR 5 TIPS for BAKING WITH LITTLES!

Check out these tips to make your baking experiences successful!

Tip #1 - Choose Simple Recipes to Begin With!

When baking with toddlers or preschoolers, choose a simple recipe that is easy to follow! Muffin or cookie mixes work well as do recipes that only need a few basic ingredients. Your Littles won't be overwhelmed and you’ll be less stressed, as a result!

Young Littles will love (with a bit of help early on) scrubbing, washing,, shaking, cracking, mashing, pouring, stirring and spreading as you bake together! Don’t be afraid to let them try something new or of making mistakes… that’s part of the experience, too!

Yes!

Little L still managed to bake last spring despite her broken arm!

She loved her purple cast!

Tip #2 - Be Prepared!

Speaking of being less stressed, the more prepared you are, the more successful you’ll be! (1) Read the recipe ahead of time! That way you’ll be able to anticipate each step. (2) Gather all the ingredients and supplies! If you do this ahead of time (or together with your Littles before getting started), you’ll be able to give your full attention to the recipe and your Littles once you begin. Make sure you have mixing bowls, and spoons as well as measuring utensils and baking dishes/cookie sheets ready to go!

A GREAT GIFT IDEA!

While we use our step stool when the Littles visit us,

Hubby and I gifted Little L with this toddler tower

as a first birthday gift!

It’s been a winner at home ever since… for eating, cooking and baking!

Tip #3 - Embrace the Mess!

No matter how prepared you are, there’s no way around it… baking with Littles can get messy! Have lots of paper towels nearby and a wet cloth or two to wipe up spills or messy little fingers! If possible, clean up as you go but, again, don’t stress too much! Remember why you are baking with your Littles… to have fun and to make new memories together! In fact, it’s those messy, sticky moments that you’ll giggle over the most!

At the same time, involve your Littles when it’s time to clean up! Teach your Littles about cleaning up as you go along. Make it fun - you could set a timer and challenge everyone to see how quickly you can clean up the mess together OR turn on some fun dance music while getting the job done! You’ll reinforce a valuable lesson at the same time!

Tip #4 - Safety First!

Use these moments to teach your Littles a few helpful lessons, including the importance of washing hands (and produce) and starting with a clean work space. Your Littles will love wiping down counters… probably more so than washing their hands!

To avoid kitchen accidents, take the time to go over basic safety rules before you get started, especially older Littles! Talk about possible dangers with them - a hot oven or burner, use of sharp knives, handling hot melted foods or warm pans. While you can talk about these dangers with younger Littles (our two and three year olds), a firm and consistent"NO" might work best for them at the moment. Keep a watchful eye on all Littles at all times!

Tip #5 - Taste Testing Time!

Don’t forget the best part! Once the baking is done, it's time to reap the rewards of all your hard work! Celebrate by setting the table with special napkins or plates or lay out a blanket for an impromptu picnic!

ENJOY!

As mentioned in Tip #1 above,

start with simple recipes to match your Little’s attention span and skill level!

I had fun scrolling through my photos

and found some that captured delicious moments that Little L and I have shared!

I can't wait until Little P gets a bit older and can join us!

Check out our photos and brief descriptions below for these faves!

Most are breakfast/morning treats - it's our favorite time of the day to bake together!

(If interested, you’ll find most are linked to detailed recipes from past posts)

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!

This was one of the first “baking” experiences for Little L! We used a popsicle stick to stir the ingredients together (in a mug or, in our case, a small bowl) and then it bakes… in the microwave! Ready in under 5 minutes… Delish!

You can find the full recipe in this post - Popsicle Sticks 2.0!

Apple Pizzas!

I love using refrigerated biscuits when baking with Little L. There are so many easy recipes that use them and she never tires of unwrapping the can and waiting for that “pop”!

While Monkey Bread is a favorite morning treat to make, the recipe below is one of our favorites, especially in the fall. For years, I made these with my kindergartners after our annual trip to the apple orchard and I was excited to make them with Little L after our own trip to the orchard. This recipe gave us the chance to use my apple corer which led to all kinds of fun!

Little L was fascinated! We nibbled the peelings, used them to measure and, of course, ate lots of apple slices before we even started baking.

The recipe is super simple! Flatten out refrigerated biscuits on a cookie sheet. Brush lightly with melted butter. Top with chopped apple slices and a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over each and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Then brush with a bit more melted butter! These smell heavenly and taste even better!

Winter, spring, summer or fall... these are yummy year round!

You can find all the details here, in our Apple Pizzas post!

Breakfast Pigs in a Blanket!

Here’s a treat we first shared on Instagram and Facebook when Little L was about 18 months old! For this recipe we used refrigerated cinnamon rolls!

With only two ingredients the fun is in cutting the dough into strips and the sausages in halves or thirds. Then roll the sausages up in the strips of cinnamon roll. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes. If desired, drizzle frosting over the warm pigs in a blanket!

NOTE: When we first made these, Little L had fun with the rolling up (and licking) step but now she is old enough to help with the other steps too!

Brunch Bites! Tortilla Quiche & French Toast Muffins!

I often look at recipes that are popular on social media as inspiration for ones to try with Little L. They are usually quite easy and require few ingredients. These were two that I adapted and Little L and I made both for her mommy last Mother’s Day when she was two years old!

You’ll find both recipes featured in this post, Mother’s Day Brunch Bites!

The Tortilla Quiche - made with a flour tortilla “crust” and then eggs and cottage cheese that were whisked together - can be customized with veggies, meats and/or cheese of one’s choosing! We even had fun making a design out of cherry tomato halves on the top! We then baked it at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. My little sous chef was such a BIG help!

We also made our French Toast Muffins which were equally successful for my two year old baker! We simply tore up cinnamon bread and added chunks to each greased muffin tin. Then we whisked together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon (if not using cinnamon bread) and added blueberries, too. We poured this mixture over the bread chunks until they were saturated and then added a few additional blueberries to each tin for good measure!

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, perhaps longer until the egg mixture is set. Serve warm with maple syrup…

YUM!

Recently, Little L and I used refrigerated cinnamon rolls to make this Canned Cinnamon Rolls Hack recipe from TheBakerMama. The addition of heavy cream and brown sugar brings this treat to a new level! SOOOOOO good!

I really hope that you find some of these tips and recipes helpful AND easy enough

so that they encourage you to head to the kitchen, turn on the oven

and start baking with your own Littles!

One of the best reasons to bake with Littles is the opportunity it presents to share activities and create new traditions together! Baking with Littles is not about creating the perfect culinary delight… it’s so much more! It’s about learning new skills, spending quality time together and creating memories that can last a lifetime!.

I can’t wait for the baking fun to come as our Littles continue to grow!

So… Let’s get baking!!

Happy National Bake for Family Fun Month!