Baking with Kids: Your Guide to Making Memories

The holiday season can surprise you with more than just gifts and sweet treats – it can come with even sweeter memories. This year bring your little loved ones together by baking to create memories that last. What better time to build cozy kitchen memories than the joyful holiday season?

The thought of letting the little ones join the baking fun can be overwhelming. We know what you’re thinking: little hands = big mess and confusion about what to bake, and how to bake it together. Don’t worry. We’re providing a guide full of tips and tricks to help you and the kids get the most out of an all-ages baking session. After all, we know that time spent with loved ones is what really matters when you bake for the holidays.

Be sure to keep reading for additional holiday recipes, made for even the tiniest of hands.

Tip #1: Prepare in all ways

Whether you’re a professional chef or novice home baker, the key to baking success with youngsters is to prepare mentally, spatially and physically.

Mentally: Shift your mindset to expect and embrace the inevitable mess in your kitchen. Anyone who has let a child enter their kitchen knows big messes can happen in the blink of an eye. Switching your mindset to expect messes helps you focus on the joy your little ones bring to the kitchen and the tasty treats baked together. (Besides, the best memories are often made with a little mess!)

Spatially: Ever wonder how such small kids can take up an enormous amount of space? With a talent like this, it’s important to start with an open, decluttered workspace. That way, there’s enough room for the kids to stand next to you when baking, and for all bakers to learn and grow.

Physically: Prepare your ingredients and baking tools ahead of time to be easily accessible to your kids. This helps them focus on the task at hand and minimizes opportunities for spontaneous shenanigans. For example, if working with sprinkles or toppings, place into small bowls. It’s easier for kids to see them and get excited for their creation, and it prevents spilling entire bags and bottles of ingredients. Measuring tools also help kids understand the importance of following step-by-step instructions, providing hands-on learning opportunities.

Tip #2: Let them choose

Options, options, options – too many baking options can lead to unnecessary conflict or painful indecisiveness. To avoid this headache, present two recipe options to your kids and let them decide between the two. That let’s everyone feel like they’re part of the process and can take a sense of pride in their culinary masterpiece.

We also recommend providing you “sidekicks” with different topping options, flavors and ingredients to keep them engaged and interested when the oven is going. It’s only natural for attention to dwindle when you’re not engaged in a task. Letting kids choose sprinkle colors or frosting flavors keeps the excitement alive from start to finish.

Tip #3: Assign chef duties and kitchen roles

While these are necessary steps to a successful baking session, let’s be honest: your kids may not share the same enthusiasm for ingredient prep or cleanup. Those typically are not the steps that create the best memories. To make these steps and all those in between exciting, get your kiddos involved by assigning each a special role. We recommend making them recipe readers, dough rollers, ingredient measurers, chef assistant, baking sheet monitors and sink runners. Regardless of the roles assigned, it’s important everyone feels like they’ve contributed to the final product.

Tip #4: Clean while baking

The clean-up phase may not be everyone’s favorite part of baking, but it’s an unavoidable step in the process. The ideal time to clean is while baked goods are in the oven. Not only does this clear some counter space to decorate your sweets, but it also helps pass time spent anxiously waiting for them to finish baking. If your holiday playlist isn’t on already, use this time to turn up the tunes and make cleaning up fun!

Tip #5: Decorate to be great

When it’s time to decorate your baked goods, let everyone lend their creative hands. This is a fun way to include the kids, and it will give everyone a sweet excuse to finally taste the goodies.

Homemade pastry bags are a great tool for piping frostings and creams. Scooping from jars can be tough for our little helpers, and professional pastry bags might be hard to find. Instead, grab a quart-sized resealable plastic bag and fill with the frosting or cream of your choice. Next, simply cut a small hole in one of the corners, and gently squeeze from the top of the bag down to push the contents out of the tip. Just like that, you have a tool that’s easier for kids to use and create decorating magic.

Check out the recipes below for holiday baking inspiration, insider tips and fun decorating ideas to give your kids an incredible holiday memory. All recipes are easily shareable and were created with kids in mind so they, too, can help #BaketoShare.