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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Kids Recipe-Easter Morning Carrot Waffles

It’s National Waffle Day and here’s the perfect waffle for Easter breakfast. Made with a purchased carrot cake mix, topped with chunky applesauce and fresh strawberries, it’s sure to please everybunny in your house!

Easter Morning Carrot Waffles

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 box carrot cake mix

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water

• 2 Granny Smith apples

• 2 tbsp. butter

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

 Instructions

1. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions, adding the chopped nuts plus 1/3 to 1/2 cup more water than instructed, making a thick, flowing batter.

2. Peel, core and dice the apples. Melt the butter in a sauté pan and, when it stops foaming, add the apples and lemon juice and toss over medium heat. Cover, lower heat and cook until soft but still slightly crisp. Stir in ground cinnamon and vanilla.

3. Heat the waffle iron and spray the grids with nonstick vegetable spray. Use a 1/4 cup measure to pour a puddle of batter in the center of each grid. Cook the waffles until they are firm enough to remove from the waffle iron. Put on plates.

4. Spoon the hot apples over the waffles and top with fresh sliced strawberries.

 

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KIDS FUN with Foods on-a-Stick

FUN WITH FOODS ON-A-STICK!!!  Stick it! Kids love to create and craft and there is nothing more creative than organizing foods on a stick! March 28 is “Something on-a-Stick Day” and there ‘s no better way to celebrate than by stacking-up some cooked Tortellini and veggies en brochette! Make sure kids stay safe and successful when cutting foods by using our kid-safe, kid-friendly safety knife sets.  http://kidscookingshop.com/saftey-knife-set-pink-orange

TOTEM POLE TORTELLINI STICKS Makes 8

8 8-10-inch wooden skewers
8 ounces cheese tortellini, cooked and drained
8 sticks of string Mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2 inch chunks
8 cherry or grape tomatoes
16 pitted Kalamata or green olives (or combination of both)

Optional Garnishes:
Drizzle of olive oil
Grated parmesan cheese
Chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley and fresh basil

Let’s start making totem poles!

1. On each wooden skewer, thread the cooked tortellini (put each one on side ways, not through its hole), tomatoes, olives, and chunks of string cheese.
2. Garnish and serve immediately, or store covered in refrigerator until ready to use and garnish before serving.

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Huge Sale 50% off- Spring Cleaning at Kids Cooking Shop

 

Spring is just around the corner and that means it’s Spring Cleaning Time at Batter Up Kids Cooking Shop. We have new spring and summer products on the way to the warehouse and need to make room for more!  Take 50% off everything in our inventory from March 11-18. Quantities are limited on many of our products, so please be aware that certain products may sell-out quickly and won’t be available at this sale price if reordered.Thank you for your business and have fun shopping at our Spring Cleaning Sale!

 50% off – COUPON CODE M10318 – Enter at check-out.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Week

It’s Chocolate Chip cookie week so celebrate with a giant chocolate chip cookie baked in a skillet. Here’s my Skillet Full of Cookies recipe…Make. Bake… and enjoy with the kids!

A SKILLET FULL OF COOKIES

Adapted from the Delicious Desserts Cookbook, Barbara Beery, Gibbs Smith, Publisher Copy write 2004

Makes 1 giant cookie, 16 slices

Ingredients

1/1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

21/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Let’s Start Mixing!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch skillet (with an oven proof metal or wooden handle) with cooking spray. Set aside until ready to use.

1. In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the sugars and the butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla and add eggs one at a time.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Dough will be stiff.
3. Using a large spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Pat cookie dough into skillet and bake approximately 30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
5. Carefully remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

A giant family dessert to share with everyone!

 

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New York City Book Signings-Pink Princess Cupcakes Cookbook

Please come see me if you are in NYC! I have 3 book signings while I am working in NYC March 12-16. Here are the dates, times and places. We’ll have free mini cupcakes for the kids to frost and decorate from my new Pink Princess Cupcakes Cookbook . Ya’ll come!

Saturday, March 13 12:30-2 PM Bank Street Books

2879 Broadway
New York, NY 10025-7805
(212) 678-1654

1. 3:30-5 PM Broadway Panhandler 65 East 8^th Street
   New York, NY 10003
   (212) 966-3434
2. Sunday, March 14 2-3:30  Barnes & Noble – Park Slope  267 7^th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215 

718-832-9066

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Banana Recipe – National Banana Bread Day

Bonkers for Banana Bread! February 23 is National Banana Bread Day. Banana bread, banana muffins and banana cupcakes are the very best way to use-up over ripe bananas for both a delicious and healthy family treats. Keep over ripe bananas ready-to-go for baking by placing the over-ripe bananas into freezer with the skin–on. When ready to use, simply remove bananas from freezer, thaw 10 minutes, peel and mash according to banana bread, cupcake or muffin directions.

Fresh Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup super fine granulated sugar

2 cups self-rising flour

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

11/2 cups ripe bananas, mashed; about 3-4 bananas

1 teaspoon apple pie or pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Let’s Start Mixing!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly spray the inside of each liner or mold with cooking spray before adding the batter. Set aside until ready to use.

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a hand mixer.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Stir in Vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together self-rising flour, apple pie spice, and ground cinnamon then stir into the butter and egg mixture.
4. Divide batter evenly between cupcake cups and bake for 15- 20 minutes.
5. Carefully remove cupcakes from oven and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from cupcake pan and place each one on rack to cool for 30 minutes before frosting and decorating.

 From the Pink Princess Cupcakes Cookbook, Barbara Beery 2010 http://kidscookingshop.com/barbaras-pink-princess-series  Looking for an Eco-friendly way to bake-up some cupcake and muffins? Take a look at our super selection of colorful silicone baking cups in all sorts of fanciful-kid-friendly shapes.

 

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Olympic Popcorn-Kids Week-end Recipe

Popcorn is about as All-American as I can imagine! It’s the week-end so cozy-up with the kids and watch the Olympics while noshing on some healthy, fresh popcorn laced with red and blue dried fruits.

 

1. Simply pop-up your favorite popcorn.

2. Toss -in 1 cup of dried fruits. To show off our All-American colors use 1/2 cup of dried blueberries and 1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries.

3. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, toss and crunch a bunch!

For the perfect popcorn serving container, check out our red, white and blue retro popcorn servers especially priced for the Olympics.

http://kidscookingshop.com/retro-popcorn-box

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Shrove Tuesday Kids Pancakes

BLUEBERRY PIXIE PANCAKES

Pancakes in the morning, pancakes in the evening, pancakes at supper time! Who doesn’t love pancakes! If they  happen to include  healthy fresh fruits like blueberries , even better!  Here is a super cute , kid-friendly  and really delicious recipe to stir-up with the kids for supper this evening  to celebrate Shrove Tuesday! The recipe uses homemade pancake batter, but feel free to use your favorite mix to achieve the same results.  The recipe is from my  Fairies Cookbook http://kidscookingshop.com/author-signed-fairies-cookbook

 BLUEBERRY PIXIE PANCAKES

Makes 20 -2 to 3 inch pancakes

 Ingredients

*2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2-3/4 cups blueberries or raspberries, sliced strawberries, apples, peaches or bananas
 

Let’s Start Mixing!

1. Place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl and whisk together to incorporate ingredients.

2. Add eggs and milk in a separate bowl, then whisk in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon, but do not beat. The batter will be a little bit lumpy, but that’s O.K..

3. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, pour pancake batter onto a hot griddle spayed generously with non-stick spray. Place a few blueberries or other fruit of choice on the top side of the pancake. When bubbles form, flip pancake and heat another one to two minutes.

4. Remove pancakes from griddle one at a time with a spatula. Place pancakes a plate and keep in a 200 degree oven covered with foil until ready to serve.

5. Carefully remove pancakes 2-3 at a time from the oven and using assorted shapes of 2-3 inch cookie cutters, cut-our pancakes into your favorite shapes.

6. Serve with heated maple syrup, additional fresh fruits, and a sprinkling of “pixie dust” powdered sugar.

 Eat them while you can…These little blueberry pixie pancakes are “fly-off the plate” delicious!

*Alternately use your favorite pancake mix and add 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

 

Batter Up Kids-friendly Kitchen Tip

Freeze any left-over cut-out scraps in a reseal able plastic bag and heat in the microwave for a quick snack another day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kids Recipe-Baked Snowballs

Let It Snow! Well, the weather outside is frightening back east and that means kids are out of school and in the house.  After they’ve played in the snow and made snowballs and snowmen,  get them to head to the kitchen and bake-up a batch of edible snowballs baked in the oven. Sounds impossible and that’s what makes it such a magical treat for kids…And these snowballs are too good to throw!

BAKED SNOWBALLS ( mini Baked Alaska’s)

Makes 4-6

4 to 6 slices of cake

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet (your favorite flavor)

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate syrup

Maraschino cherries

Use 2-inch or 3-inch round baking dishes or ramekins. Square dishes will not work. Cut each slice of cake into a circle so that it fits into the bottom of the baking dish. Place circle of cake on the bottom of each dish. Set aside until ready to use.

1. Fill the dishes to the top with ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet. Then place filled dishes on a cookie sheet and put in freezer.
2. Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and whip until frothy (like soapsuds).
3. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form (like shaving cream).
4. Gradually add sugar and then vanilla. Continue to beat until smooth and shiny (another 2 to 3 minutes).
5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
6. Remove ice cream–filled dishes from freezer and spread the snow meringue over the top of each of the ice cream cups. Make very sure the snow forms a “blanket” over the ice cream. There should be absolutely NO ice cream showing.
7. Put snowballs in oven and bake until golden brown, from 1 to 3 minutes. Watch very closely as they brown quickly.
8. Take out of the oven and garnish each with chocolate syrup and a cherry. Serve immediately.

 

 

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