Kids July 4th Recipe Treats

 Celebrate July 4th!

Looking for some  fun and fast treats that kids can make for the 4th? We’ve got three simple recipes we’ve been making at Kids Cook! for 4th of July that I’d like to share with you. Star- Spangled Cupcakes start with a white cake batter with portions colored  red and blue to create a tie-dye cupcake.  Red ,White and Blueberry Nachos are a great way to combine the seasons freshest fruits in a clever kid-friendly snack. Patrotic Parfaits make a cool 4th of July dessert and are also super for a tasty breakfast treat or a cool and sweet  summer snack after a long day in the sun.

Star-Spangled Cupcakes

Makes approximately 20 to 24

 Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Red and blue paste food coloring

Assorted red, white and blue candies and sprinkles

 Lets’ Bake Cupcakes!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin cups with papers.

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder with a whisk. Set aside until ready to use.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.

3. Add flour mixed with baking powder and salt alternating with milk beating well; stir in vanilla.

4. Divide the batter between 3 bowls; coloring one bowl of batter red, one bowl of batter blue and leaving the third bowl plain. Place equal amounts of each color of batter into every muffin cup filling ¾ full.

5. With a wooden skewer or a small butter knife, create a “Figure 8” in the batter of each muffin cup to swirl colors. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until puffed up and lightly browned.

5. Remove from oven and cool cupcakes in pans for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool them on wire racks 30 minutes. Frost and decorate.

Red, White and Blueberry Dessert Nachos Serves 1-2

 Ingredients

1- 6 inch whole wheat tortilla, cut into 8 triangles

½ teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt

¼ teaspoon vanilla

2 strawberries, stemmed and sliced

¼ cup blueberries

1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Let’s Make Some Nachos!

Preheat oven to 375°F.

1. Cut tortilla into 8 triangles. Place on ungreased baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
2. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and sprinkle over tortilla triangles.
3. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with fruits.
4. While tortillas are baking, combine yogurt and vanilla in a small bowl.
5. To serve, place baked tortillas chips on a plate, top with strawberries and blueberries, drizzle with yogurt and garnish with chocolate chips. Serve ASAP.

Patriotic Parfaits

Makes 1

Ingredients

Honey Greek yogurt, approximately 2-3ounces

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash of freshly grated nutmeg

3-4 fresh strawberries, quartered

¼ cup fresh blueberries

2-3 tablespoons granola

Dollop of whipped cream

Let’s Make Parfaits!

1. Combine yogurt with vanilla and nutmeg.
2. In a small glass or clear cup, place a layer of strawberries, a layer of yogurt, a layer of granola and top with blueberries.
3. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sparkler pick.

 Kids Cook!  Austin  512-346-3333  www.kidscookingshop.com

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Kids Cook! Austin Opens Monday, June 21

Kids Cook! will open the doors to a unique kids cooking supplies store, food activity center and birthday party place on Monday, June 21 at 3742 Far West Blvd, Suite 111 across from the Murchison kickball fields.

Since establisihing Batter Up Kids in 1991, one of the first kids cooking schools in the nation, I am proud to be known as  America’s kids cooking expert, and am poised to get kid’s creating culinary masterpieces in a whole new way by opening our flagship location of Kids Cook! After 20 years of teaching children’s cooking classes, I have honed in on specific skills, techniques and recipes along with tips and tricks, which our trained staff will use in the kids’ food activity center at our Kids Cook! store. Rather than offer expensive, hour-long plus cooking classes that take precious time from already over-scheduled kids and families, the store will offer walk-in/no reservation, totally hands-on food activities and shorter 30 minues Saturday morning classes offereing a class for a different age range each Saturday.

For the walk-in food avtivities, children can come in the store during regular business hours without a reservation and will create either a Healthy Treat utilizing fresh fruits and veggies, or a clever Sweet Treat food craft, which could be a cupcake, cookie or some other sweet surprise. Registration -based Saturday morning classes will offer recipes for fresh seasonal foods and focus on specific seasons and holiday celebrations. Pricing will be affordable for all and the interactive food activities will make a great summer boredom buster, after-school snack, or something fun to do with the kids on the weekends.

 To complement the delicious cooking activities, Kids Cook! will also feature more than 400 cooking products specially suited for young cooks. Everything a young chef-in-the-making could need, from sous chef jackets and colorful aprons to silicone cake and candy molds and decorating tools, to cookbooks and more, will be available on the store shelves. So a young culinary student can walk out of Kids Cook! armed with all the tools necessary to become successful in the kitchen.

Along with the launch of Kids Cook!, we are also revamping our ever- popular cooking birthday parties that feature some of my best –selling kids recipes from the cookbooks I have authored. These celebrations have been the biggest part of our business through the years and rather than offer a party in a commercial kitchen atmosphere, Kids Cook! will host parties in our French country retail store to maintain the family-friendly feel.

Stop by and visit our new location  from now until June 30 and get a free cooking gift. For class times & themes, birthday party pricing and and food treats activities schedule, go to www.kidscookingshop.com.

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National Donut Day-Hooray!

With the beginning of summer and my quest for getting kids into the kitchen this summer, I am excited to provide a deliciously different donut dessert that’s great for parties and special celebrations. The first Friday in June is proclaimed as National Donut Day and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by making a cool and frosty Donut Sundae.  All that is needed is a donut, ice cream, frosting and some sprinkles! A donut is really as versatile as a cupcake when it comes to frosting and decorating for different occasions and holidays.  I’m sure you and your kids will create this fun, festive and easy-to-make dessert often as even the youngest chefs can easily put this recipe together in a snap.

Delicious Donut Ice Cream Sundaes

Makes 1

Ingredients

1 Cake or yeast donut, unfrosted

1 container purchased frosting, vanilla or chocolate

1/2 teaspoon sprinkles

1 scoop ice cream

Small dollop whipped cream

1 Maraschino cherry with stem, optional

Let’s Make a Donut Sundae!

1.   Frost donut with icing and garnish with sprinkles. Place 1 scoop of ice cream in the center, top   with whipped cream and a cherry if desired.

 

 

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