Baking with your kids can be one of the most memorable things you've ever done... or a total kitchen-wreck. Sometimes both. If you're keen to start baking with young children and want some pointers from a "seasoned" pro (sorry), you're in just the right place!  Read on for Kate's top tips for baking with kids without meltdowns...

I’ve baked with my children since Florence (now 13 ½) was 2. When Craft and Crumb was in the early stages, baking became an almost daily activity... recipe testing and making sure that every bake worked from the point of view of a parent and child.

Our ethos was always to keep things fun but simple, which meant the kids were in the kitchen with me A LOT! Luckily (despite a few mishaps) they still love baking – but are now fiercely independent about it. I’m usually kept well away!

Over the last 11 years I worked out some simple ways to make baking with young children more enjoyable and stress-free… here are my top tips.

👨‍🍳Embrace the Mess

If you’re uncomfortable with mess, set your expectations before starting – then don’t worry when the splashes start to fly.  It’s temporary. It’s inevitable (you’re baking with kids, after all). And the happy memories will make it worthwhile (usually)!!

Baking with kids can be messy, but you’ve got to go with it.. it’s part of the fun for them.

👨‍🍳Big Bowls

It’s best to use very large mixing bowls (ideally shatter-proof) so there’s room (and a bit of a splash-guard) for stirring, pouring, and so on. We’ve tried using small bowls. It didn’t end well!

👨‍🍳Think ahead…

Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge a few hours ahead of baking. Room-temperature butter is squishy and easier for children to beat. If you’ve ever battled with cold cubes of butter, you know what we mean. (Try this simple hack for taking the chill off your eggs.)

🧑‍🍳Pre-measure if needed

Firstly, having everything pre-measured into little bowls will make you feel like Nigella.

But it’s not just for show… pre-measuring is a brilliant hack if you’re baking with more than one child, or if your kids are very little. (That’s why our kits contain exactly the right amount of each ingredient!)

This way, all they have to do is put each thing in their bowl and mix to their hearts’ content…

When not to pre-measure? When they’re older, doing the measuring will help them with maths (like understanding weight and volume) – bonus points if you also talk about the scientific reactions caused by certain ingredients!

👨‍🍳Allow enough time

Baking takes time, and baking with kids even longer… So don’t start baking at bedtime, or before you need to be somewhere.  If you are rushing, it will become stressful and dampen the fun! (Don’t ask us how we know…..)

🧑‍🍳Aprons are your friends..

Before you reach the icing stage, don’t forget to tie on aprons – you’ll save on washing all the kids’ clothes later!  We love these personalised aprons from our friends at the small business My 1^st Years.

🧑‍🍳Assign jobs

If you’re baking with kidS plural, separate tasks can prevent bickering.  And if you’re baking with kids of different ages, you can give each one a job that works for their age... For example, the younger child can count ingredients and stir while the older child can weigh and roll.

Kids love a bit of responsibility if pitched in the right way!

👨‍🍳 Try a kit!

Okay, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you about our kits here. They’re all pre-measured and ready to produce amazing results. You’ll need butter and eggs for most of the kits – check the product pages or boxes before you’re ready to bake.

Two of the best ones for new bakers are the Pizza Biscuit Kit (lots of room for artistic expression) and Brownie Dippers. When your kids are older or want to try baking independently, try Master of the Macaron (and if you’re anything like me, lurk in the next room ready to tell them where the whisk is kept/ anticipate disaster).

👨‍🍳 Finally… remember to take lots of photos! 

Baking produces some of the best opportunities to capture your children loving spending time with you. It’s over too quickly and you’ll be so happy you did it. ❤️

Kate

X