Easter is a time of delicious treats, so what better way to celebrate than by baking with your kids? Not only does it create lifelong memories, but it also teaches them valuable kitchen skills. In this blog, we'll explore some fantastic Easter baking ideas that are perfect for kids and a few traditional Easter foods to get you in the mood.
Easter Food Traditions Around the World
Before we explore some kid-friendly recipes, let's take a quick look at some fascinating Easter food traditions from around the world.
- United Kingdom: In the UK, simnel cake and hot cross buns are traditional Easter treats.
- Spain:Â Rosquillas, doughnut-like desserts, are popular in Spain. They are made with fermented flour and often dusted with sugar.
- Italy: Italians enjoy Colomba di Pasqua, a dove-shaped sweet bread filled with candied fruit, and pizza chiena, a savory pie filled with cured meats and cheeses.
- Greece: The traditional Easter meal includes tsoureki, a braided sweet bread symbolizing the Holy Trinity, and mageiritsa, a hearty stew of lamb liver and wild greens. Flaouna, a cheese-filled pastry, is also a staple in Cyprus and parts of Greece.
- Poland: Babka wielkanocna, a sweet yeast cake, is a highlight of Easter Sunday. The święconka, or blessed Easter basket, contains symbolic foods like eggs and sausage.
- France: Leg of lamb is a traditional Easter dish, often seasoned with garlic and herbs like rosemary.
- Argentina: Tarta Pascualina is a savory pie filled with ricotta, eggs, spinach, and artichokes, symbolizing the resurrection.
- Mexico:Â Capirotada, a bread pudding, is served on Good Friday. It includes bolillo soaked in spiced syrup and topped with nuts and dried fruit, symbolizing the crucifixion.
Sweet Easter Treats to Make with Kids
Here are some delightful Easter treats that you can make with your kids:
Peeps Skillet S'mores
This no-bake treat is perfect for the youngest helpers! Fill a small skillet with chocolate chips, top it with colorful Peeps marshmallows, and warm it in the oven until it is melty. Kids can arrange the Peeps in patterns and help dip graham crackers for scooping up this gooey delight!
Easter Sugar Cookies
Nothing beats classic sugar cookies! Let kids help measure ingredients and take turns mixing. The real fun comes with cookie cutters shaped like eggs, bunnies, and chicks. After baking and cooling, set up a decorating station with pastel frostings and sprinkles where little artists can create their masterpieces!
Bunny Cupcakes
Start with simple vanilla or chocolate cupcakes (from scratch or a box mix). Kids can help with measuring, pouring, and stirring. Once baked and cooled, transform them into bunnies! Cut marshmallows in half diagonally for ears, add mini chocolate chips for eyes, and pink sprinkles for the nose. Voilà - edible Easter bunnies!
Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies
Add colorful jelly beans to your sugar cookie dough for a festive surprise in every bite! Kids will love pressing the candies into the cookies before baking them. These bright treats look like little Easter egg nests when done!
Funfetti Dip
This no-bake treat is perfect for the youngest helpers. Mix cream cheese, vanilla yogurt, cake mix, and plenty of sprinkles. Kids can measure, pour, and stir, then enjoy with graham crackers, pretzels, or fruit. The sprinkles make it perfectly festive!
Easter Bunny Twists
Use refrigerated breadstick dough to create cute bunny shapes. Kids can roll, twist, and form the dough, then add raisins or chocolate chips for eyes. They'll be so proud when these rise and turn golden brown!
Easter Egg Strawberries
Dip strawberries in white chocolate, then let kids decorate with colorful sprinkles or drizzles of colored chocolate to look like Easter eggs. Simple but impressive!
Homemade Candy Dots
Remember those dots of candy on paper strips? Make your own with a simple royal icing, food coloring, and parchment paper. Kids can help mix colors and create dots using a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped off.
Easter Egg Peanut Butter Candies
Mix peanut butter with powdered sugar and butter to form a dough. Kids can help roll it into egg shapes, then dip it in melted chocolate and decorate it.
Carrot Cake
This Easter classic has steps for all ages! Younger kids can help measure ingredients and mix, while older ones might grate carrots (with supervision). Everyone can help with the cream cheese frosting, and little ones can decorate the top with cute carrot designs made from orange and green frosting.
Coconut Cream Pie
Kids love pressing graham cracker crusts into pans! While adults handle the stovetop cooking of the filling, children can help with measuring, whisking dry ingredients, and especially with sprinkling coconut on top.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Kids love the dramatic flip revealing the caramelized fruit! They can help arrange pineapple rings and cherries in the pattern before the batter goes on top.
Tips for Successful Baking with Kids
- Assign simple tasks: Let kids help with measuring ingredients, mixing batter, or decorating finished desserts.
- Use kid-friendly tools: Provide them with their own utensils and tools, like mini whisks or spatulas.
- Embrace the mess: Cover surfaces and dress everyone in aprons (or old clothes).
- Adjust expectations: Cookies might not be perfectly shaped, and that's perfectly okay!
- Celebrate their contributions: Point out which parts they helped with when serving.
- Capture the memories: Take photos of both the process and the proud finished products.
Conclusion
Easter baking with kids is a wonderful way to spend quality time together and create delicious treats for the holiday. Whether you're making simple sugar cookies or more complex desserts, the joy of baking together is what truly matters. So, put on your apron, get baking, and enjoy the festive spirit of Easter with your kids!
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