2/5 Difficulty

No need for ovens with this no bake malteser tray bake recipe that’s ideal for kids. Only a little melting of the chocolate required and then you mix all the ingredients together and leave to cool. Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 300g x milk chocolate, 3 tbs x honey or syrup, 250g x digestive biscuits, 230g x maltesers, 100g x butter
Special Equipment: Deep sided baking tray, kitchen scales, mixing bowl

Grease the baking tray with a little butter to stop the tray bake sticking
Break up 200g of the chocolate and melt it with the butter until runny
You can do this in a glass bowl over a saucepan of water over the hob or in the microwave
While you’re waiting for the chocolate to melt crush up the digestive biscuits
When it’s runny add the honey, crushed biscuits and maltesers and mix well
Tip the mixture into the baking tray and push down to the edges until you have a flat top
Set it aside or in the fridge to cool
When it’s set, melt the remaining 100g of chocolate and pour over the top
Leave aside to set for another hour or two and then cut into slices and enjoy!

Get the Kids Involved: Looking out the ingredients and equipment, measuring out the ingredients into the bowl, mixing together, crushing the biscuits

Kitchen Monster Tip: Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and whack with a rolling pin to avoid crumbs everywhere!

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This chocolate banana muffin recipe for kids is a great twist on the traditional choc chip muffins. I mean who doesn’t like chocolate with their bananas?!  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 200g x self raising flour, 1 x egg, 3 x medium or large bananas, 150g x sugar, 75g x butter, pinch of salt, 75g x chocolate chips
Special Equipment: Mixing bowl, kitchen scales, muffin trays, paper cases, spoon, electric mixer (or you could use a spoon)

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/G4
Peel the bananas and mash them all with a fork
Weigh out the sugar and butter and add to the mashed bananas
Mix well then crack the egg in too
Add in the flour and 50g of the chocolate chips and combine together
Spoon into the paper cases – we made about 12 from our mix
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top of the muffins and bake for about 20-25 minutes
Remove from the oven when they turn golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle of the muffins comes out clean of mixture
Leave to one side to cool then store in a tin until ready to eat!

Get the Kids Involved: Looking out the ingredients and equipment, measuring out the ingredients into the bowl, mixing together, spooning into the paper cases, setting the timer

Kitchen Monster Tip:  About 2/3rds of the way through baking, turn round the tin to ensure an even bake

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This bread recipe is the easiest one you’ll find – no kneading is required, just mix, shape and bake!  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 500g x plain flour, 2 x tsp bicarbinate of soda, 1 x tsp salt, 400g x live natural yoghurt
Special Equipment: Mixing bowl, measuring spoon, kitchen scales, baking tray, wire rack for cooling

Pre-heat oven to 200C/180F
Weigh out the flour, bicarb and salt into the mixing bowl
Make a well in the middle and add the yoghurt
Get your hand in and mix it all together until it forms a sticky ball – you may need a little milk to help it on its way
Pour a little oil onto the worktop and shape the dough into your desired shape – we prefer a nice round loaf!
Transfer to the baking tray and into the oven for about 40 minutes – the bread should be golden brown and sound hollow when you tap the base
Leave on a wire rack to cool then pull apart to serve!

Get the Kids Involved: Looking out the ingredients and equipment, measuring out the ingredients, mixing into the dough, shaping and baking

Kitchen Monster Tip:  before you pop it into the oven use the side of your hand to mark out section – this will make it easier to separate when baked

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This lemon ginger cheesecake recipe is great for special occasions and actually pretty easy to do.  You might want to use light cream cheese to make it a little healthier.  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 150g x ginger biscuits, 3 x tbsp butter, 500g x cream cheese, 50g x icing sugar, 4 x tbsp lemon curd
Special Equipment: Mixing bowl, rolling pin, freezer/sandwich bag, spoon, kitchen scales, individual glasses to serve

Add the ginger biscuits to the freezer bag and give them a bash with the rolling pin until they’re nice and crushed
Melt the butter in the microwave and add the crushed biscuits – give them a good mix together
Divide the mixture between the glasses making sure you press down firmly to form a base
Measure out the cream cheese and the icing sugar and mix together
Spoon the mixture into each glass on top of the biscuit base
Place the glasses into the fridge to set
After about an hour, gently melt the lemon curd then pour it out onto the top of each cheesecake – tilt the glass slightly to ensure it covers the whole top
Place them back into the fridge until ready to serve!

Get the Kids Involved: Looking out the ingredients and equipment, measuring out the ingredients, crushing the biscuits, mixing the cream cheese and the icing sugar, pouring over the lemon curd

Kitchen Monster Tip:  Make sure you hold the end of the freezer bag when you’re crushing the biscuits to stop them going everywhere!
Difficulty: 

Toffee and apple is a combination that was meant to be, so why not combine them with a cookie too?  If you like cookies you’ll love this Toffee Apple recipe for kids. Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 100g x toffees, 100g x dried apple, 275g x self raising flour, 2 x egg yolks, 175g x butter, 140g x caster sugar, 2 x tbsp milk
Special Equipment: Mixing bowl, baking tray, kitchen scales, rolling pin, freezer bag, grease proof / parchment paper

Weigh out the toffee into the freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin into little pieces (or carefully cut them if they are soft enough)
Add together the butter and sugar in the bowl and mix well
Empty in the flour, egg yolks, toffee chunks and dried apple (saving about a quarter of the dried apple chunks for later)
Mix well and form into a large ball – you may need to add a little milk to bring all of the ingredients together
Transfer into the fridge for 30 minutes to help it set a little
Get out your baking tray and line it with parchment paper
Pre-heat the oven to 190C/170Fan/Gas5
Get the dough out of the fridge and pull off small chunks and roll into a ball – you want them to be about 4cm wide
Place onto the baking tray and press down gently using the bottom of a glass to form a circle
Divide the remaining dried apple between the cookies, pressing gently into the top
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and brown
Remove from the oven and leave for a few minutes to harden slightly before transferring to a plate

Get the Kids Involved: Weighing out the ingredients, bashing the toffee, mixing in the bowl, rolling into balls, pressing into circles, adding the dried apple to the top

Kitchen Monster Tip:  They don’t take long to bake so leave plenty room between them to allow them to spread – better doing two or three batches than having your cookies all joined up!
Difficulty: 

Looking for a snack idea or wanting some crunchy party food?  This Pizza Stick Twists recipe for kids is really easy to make and taste delicious. Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 1 x packet pre-rolled puff pastry (or roll out a block!), 1 x small tin/tube tomato puree, 50g x grated Parmesan cheese
Special Equipment: Knife, baking tray, spoon

Grease the baking tray with a light coating of oil
Remove the pastry from the packaging and layout on the worktop
Smear the top side of the pastry with a coating of tomato puree, right up to the edges
Sprinkle over the grated Parmesan cheese
Cut into long strips, about a centimeter thick
Prick the pastry all over with a fork – this will stop it rising too much
Grab an end of each strip and twist round 3 or 4 times and place onto the baking tray making sure the ends and pressed down firmly to stop them unraveling
Bake for about 10 minutes or until they turn golden and crispy
Leave to cool and serve on day of baking

Get the Kids Involved: Spreading over the tomato puree, sprinkling over the cheese, cutting the strips, forking the pastry, twisting the sticks, cleaning up after!

Kitchen Monster Tip:  You might find it easier to serve them upright in a jug or large glass
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We originally saw a version of this on a Jamie Oliver programme and there isn’t much not to like about it.  Try this Pancake Stack Cake recipe for kids if you need a dessert in a hurry!  Can you stack them all without it tipping over? Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 6 x medium pancakes (the thicker american style), 1 x standard tub of double cream, 1 x large bar of chocolate
Special Equipment: Microwaveable bowl, plate or chopping board, a second bowl for the cream, knife or spoon for spreading

Whip up the cream until it’s nice and thick
Melt the chocolate in the microwave until it’s free of lumps
Place your first pancake down and spread with chocolate
Place another on top and spread with cream
Keep going until you’ve used all your pancakes
Spread the top and outsides with the remaining cream
Decorate with a little grated chocolate
Leave in the fridge until ready to serve – best made on day of eating

Get the Kids Involved: Measuring out the ingredients, pouring over the chocolate, spreading on the cream, stacking the pancakes, cleaning up after!

Kitchen Monster Tip:  Put a little cream underneath the first pancake – this will act as glue and keep it in place a little better
Difficulty:

This recipe is an Australian and New Zealand favourite (hence ‘Anzac’).  The story goes that wives used to send these to their husbands who were serving abroad during the wars because they kept well and didn’t break easily during shipping.  We haven’t managed to keep any long enough to find out!  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 160g x plain flour, 130g x rolled oats, 70g x caster sugar, 90g x desiccated coconut, 2 x tbsp syrup, 150g x butter, 1/2 x tsp bicarb soda
Special Equipment:Large baking tray, mixing bowl, kitchen scales, measuring spoons, small saucepan

Pre-heat the oven to 170C and grease the baking tray with a little butter
Add the butter and syrup to the saucepan and heat gently until they melt then remove from the heat
Mix up the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in the mixing bowl and pour in the cooled, melted butter and syrup
Stir well to combine all the ingredients and then roll into golf ball sized shapes and place onto the baking tray
Press down gently to form into biscuit shapes, making sure you leave enough room between each one (about 3-4 cm will do)
Bake for about 12 minutes until golden and firm to the touch
Leave to cool and then munch!

Get the Kids Involved: Measuring out the ingredients, mixing them all together, forming the ball shapes, squishing them down, checking if they’re ready, cleaning up after!

Kitchen Monster Tip:  Turning the baking tray round about three quarters of the way through will ensure they bake evenly
Difficulty:

Chicken stir fry is a quick and easy dinner recipe and much healthier than a takeaway.   This recipe will cook enough for about two main portions.  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 2 x chicken breasts, 2 x tbsp olive oil, 1 x garlic clove, 2 x tbsp soy sauce (low salt), 3 x tbsp honey, 1 x tbsp cornflour, 1 x nest of dried noodles, 2 x carrots, 4 x tbsp frozen peas
Special Equipment: Large frying pan, raw meat chopping board, knife, wooden spoon or spatula, grater

Crush the garlic (or chop it up really finely) and add it to the olive oil into a hot frying pan
After a couple of minutes add the soy sauce, honey and cornflour, stirring well to get rid of the lumps
Chop up the chicken into bite sized pieces (then remember to wash your hands!) and add into the frying pan
Cook for about 10 minutes (make sure it’s cooked all the way through)
After about 5 minutes add your peas to the stir fry
While the chicken is cooking, grate the carrots and add most of them to the frying pan just before you finish
Follow the noodle instructions to cook then add to the frying pan making sure you mix it all up and coat everything with the sauce
Serve in bowls with the rest of the carrot on top as a garnish
Chopsticks are optional!

Get the Kids Involved: Measuring out the sauce ingredients, peeling and grating he carrots, stirring the stir fry (with supervision), mixing in the noodles, cleaning up after!
Kitchen Monster Tip:  Make sure you wash your hands before and immediately after touching raw meat!
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If you grow rhubarb in your garden (and if you don’t then you should try it, it’s really easy!) then every April you’ll probably have loads of rhubarb to get through. Our Rhubarb Crumble recipe for kids is a simple and delicious way to serve it up. Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 500g x rhubarb (about 5 large sticks), 5 x tbsp caster sugar, pinch of ginger, 30g x porridge oats, 150g x plain white flour, 80g x brown demerara sugar, 80g x butter
Special Equipment: Large saucepan, chopping board, knife, measuring spoon, mixing bowl, kitchen scales, large oven proof dish

Pre-heat the oven to 180C
Remove the top and bottom of the rhubarb and give it a good wash under the tap
Cut into 3cm chunks and add to the saucepan with the caster sugar and ginger
Heat on the hob for about 10 mins or until the rhubarb has softened
Transfer the stewed rhubarb to the oven proof dish and set to one side
Measure the oats, flour, brown sugar and butter into the mixing bowl
Using your fingers, rub the mixture together until it forms a crumble
Pour over the top of the rhubarb
Bake for 30 minutes or until the crumble turns golden brown
Serve with custard or ice cream and enjoy!

Get the Kids Involved: Pulling (picking) the rhubarb and washing it; chopping the rhubarb up; adding the sugar and stirring the rhubarb as it cooks; weighing out the crumble ingredients; rubbing them into a crumble; assembling the rhubarb crumble; cleaning up after!
Kitchen Monster Tip: You can freeze the cooked rhubarb and uncooked crumble mix separately in freezer bags and then make your own mini-crumble whenever you fancy!
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