27 Kid-Friendly Baking Recipes You Can Pull Off (2024)

These kid-friendly baking recipes are easy for kids, even toddlers can bake

It’s never too early to get your kids involved in the kitchen. Baking helps kids develop their motor skills and introduces them to new flavors. Not to mention they’ll learn such an important skill. But best of all, they’ll get to find out firsthand how their favorite sweet treats are made. These easy baking recipes ideas for kids are the next best thing to putting everything into your KitchenAid and walking away. From banana bread to sugar cookies, get easy, kid-friendly recipes you’ll bake again and again.

Sugar Cookie Trees

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Who doesn't love a sugar cookie covered in frosting? These Christmas tree cookies are easy to make, and the kids will have a blast decorating them.

Jam-Filled Cookies

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These jam-filled goodies are always such a treat around the holidays. Let your kiddo get creative and choose the jam that goes inside.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

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If you and the family love peppermint and chocolate, you'll love these delicious and sweet cookies!

Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies

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Enjoy these cardamom snickerdoodle cookies warm out of the oven! The kiddos will definitely be able to help with this one, and we promise they'll love the taste.

Christmas Funfetti Cookies

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Break out the sprinkles, because these gorgeous cookies from Lord Byron’s Kitchen are about to become a yearly family tradition. They’re easy to adapt to any holiday, too—we’re dreaming of pink sprinkles for Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day, and so on.

Pumpkin Butter

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For the true pumpkin heads out there, pumpkin butter is a dream come true. This version from Koti Beth is made with pumpkin puree, a little sweetener, and spices, and tastes great spread on toast, swirled into yogurt or oatmeal, or dolloped on top of pancakes or ice cream. It also makes for a delicious edible gift around the holidays.

Mason Jar Ice Cream Cake

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To give kids a taste of baking without actually having to turn on the oven, we love this sweet and simple idea from Evermine. They’ll get to crush cookies, melt butter and assemble the mini “cakes” with ice cream and other goodies.

Banana Cream Pie with Nilla Wafer Crust

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Your budding chefs will love diving into this easy recipe from Oh, Sweet Basil. The crust is made from classic Nilla wafers, while the filling is super easy to make using a packet of instant pudding and a few other ingredients.

Applesauce Cake

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How cute is this cake from Perchance to Cook? Get the little ones involved in stirring together the batter and arranging the apple slices on top. An added bonus: it’s gluten-free for sensitive tummies and paleo for diet-minded parents.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

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These zesty cookies are perfect for holiday baking! Be sure to use fresh cranberry to really bring out the taste of this winter fruit. Get the recipe over at The View from Great Island.

Jello Poke Cake

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Introduce your kids to a retro favorite with this recipe from Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you’re not already familiar with the concept of a poke cake, you’re in for a treat!

Chewy Brownies

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So your kids have mastered the art of the brownie mix? That means it’s time to up the ante by making them from scratch. This recipe from Spoonful of Flavor is super easy to put together—you’ll just need to supervise the melting chocolate part.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

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We love this delish twist on Rice Krispie treats from The Anthony Kitchen. A dollop of salty-sweet peanut butter gives the classic dessert a little something extra, and it’s a breeze to make, even for the youngest of cooks. This recipe comes courtesy of Kelly Anthony, a Texas-based food blogger specializing in homemade family meals and easy desserts like this one.

Banana Mini Muffins

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If you’ve got a few bananas that are past their prime, these banana mini muffins are the perfect way to use them. Kids can help mash up the bananas and mix the batter, and you can bake them up in a mini muffin tin or a regular one.

Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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You can’t go wrong with classic chocolate chip cookies, and this crunchy version is sure to be a hit.

Frank’s Apple Pie

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If your kids are ready to move on to more involved recipes, you’ve got to try this classic apple pie. They’ll get to roll out the crust, mix up the apple filling and watch eagerly as their creation bakes.

Candy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Give your chocolate chip cookies a colorful twist with this fun recipe. You can add peppermint bark during the holidays, Reese’s Pieces at Halloween and pastel M&Ms at Easter.

Simple & Moist Banana Bread

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Moist, flavorful and simple, this is the only banana bread recipe you’ll ever need. If you’re feeling fancy, throw some chocolate chips into the mix!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

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These tasty muffins will make a great breakfast, snack or even dessert. Since they’re made with healthy ingredients like coconut oil, applesauce and oats, they’re a great way to get your littles excited about eating well.

Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes

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What’s better than chocolate? More chocolate packed in a grain and gluten-free cupcake! This paleo recipe is super tasty and works great if you’ve got gluten sensitivities in your family.

Chunky Monkey Cookies

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For a healthier sweet treat, you’ve got to try these chunky monkey cookies from Veggies Don't Bite. They’re filled with good-for-you ingredients like oats, banana, dates and flax.

Easiest Blueberry Muffins

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It doesn’t get much tastier (or easier) than freshly baked blueberry muffins. Frozen berries work just as well as fresh ones so you can bake these up all year long.

Apple Turnovers

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This recipe is perfect for beginner bakers since it makes use of frozen puff pastry. Just fill the pastry with cooked apples, then fold them up and bake!

Basic Sugar Cookies

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Make sugar cookies a holiday tradition in your family with this fantastic recipe. Kids will get to help out from start to finish, including (of course) decorating the cookies with frosting and sprinkles.

Snickerdoodles

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Snickerdoodles are a holiday classic, and they’re simple enough for the kids to make themselves. You don’t need a mixer, you don’t have to refrigerate the dough, and the end result is absolutely delicious with a chewy, soft inside.

Donut Muffins

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Good news: you can enjoy all the delicious flavors of donuts without the hassle of deep-frying (or driving to the donut shop). These muffins are dipped in butter after baking, then rolled in cinnamon sugar.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

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Your little ones will love making these yummy chocolate crinkle cookies. Just mix up the dough, let it chill overnight, then roll the dough balls in plenty of powdered sugar.

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27 Kid-Friendly Baking Recipes You Can Pull Off (2024)

FAQs

What do children get out of baking? ›

Baking is a fun activity for all the family and can support your child's development. Baking can tap into a child's motivation and promote the development of learning, play, life skills, motor skills and social skills.

Can a 9 year old bake? ›

Tween (ages 9–12 years)

Try to give them as much independence as you can, but be available in case they struggle with a step, or need a reminder to turn off the oven and clean up the kitchen. Most importantly, have fun! Happy baking!

What can I bake with a 10 year old? ›

Muffins. Muffins are my #1 suggestion if you're baking with kids. Muffins are (usually) easy to mix together, fun to spoon into liners, quick to bake, and you can enjoy them right away. They're handheld, manageable for young bakers, freeze well, and keep all week long for snack, lunchboxes, or breakfast.

What is the kids bake off called? ›

Junior Bake Off is a British television baking competition in which young bakers aged 9 to 12 tackle a series of challenges involving baking cakes, biscuits, bread, and pastries, competing to be crowned Junior Bake Off Champion.

What does baking do for your brain? ›

Stress relief

Baking is a great activity for stress relief. Not only can you take out some of your frustrations on your dough, but baking can also reduce stress hormones such as cortisol.

Why do kids love baking? ›

Kids love getting getting messy and baking does just that! Older kids can express their creativity in recipe development and food presentation. Younger ones can help decorate , mix together colors or even create different shapes with cookie cutters.

Can a 14 year old be on Kids Baking Championship? ›

Casting all aspiring bakers between the ages of 9 and 14 years-old to join us for our rendition of the Kids Baking Championship.

Is it OK for 10 year old to cook? ›

With an adult supervising, a 10-year old should be able to scramble eggs, stir fry vegetables or flip a pancake on an electric stovetop (you may want to wait longer if you have a gas range). Safety tip: Be sure to teach them to tie back long hair and never wear loose clothing around the stove.

Is it OK for kids to cook? ›

You can begin involving your children in the kitchen as young as two years old, with the most simple and safe tasks, as long as they can follow simple directions (Dean et al., 2021). Teach children to wash their hands for 20 seconds and clean counter spaces before preparing food.

What's trending in baking? ›

Not Alternative Milks, But Alternative Forms Of Milk

“We're also seeing a growing interest in alternative forms of milk, such as milk powders and sweetened condensed milk. We're seeing condensed milk in buttercreams and cheesecakes, and milk powder being added to cakes, cookies, and brown butter,” says Tamarkin.

What can I bake if I don't have much? ›

Budget-friendly baking recipes
  • Basic muffin recipe. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Peanut butter cookies. A star rating of 4.6 out of 5. ...
  • Lemon drizzle sponge pudding. A star rating of 4.9 out of 5. ...
  • Classic white loaf. ...
  • Double ginger cookies. ...
  • Lighter gingerbread. ...
  • Coconut & mango sponge. ...
  • Mini chocolate cheesecakes.

What food can a 12 year old cook? ›

"By 12 years old, children should be able to bake a cake independently and cook simple meals, such as beans on toast, eggs, or porridge.

What can I cook for my kids today? ›

Kids' cooking recipes
  • Pizza with homemade sauce. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Lemon & yogurt chicken flatbreads. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Rice paper rolls. ...
  • Family breakfast station. ...
  • Salmon & spaghetti supper in a parcel. ...
  • Sloppy joes with brussels sprout slaw. ...
  • Salted caramel crispy Rudolphs. ...
  • Easy kids' omelette.

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