Yes, you can buy Hot Cross Buns in every supermarket in the run up to Easter but where’s the fun in that? You’ll miss out on the lovely baking smells and the chance of eating one while it’s still warm! Treat yourself with our Hot Cross Buns recipe for kids. Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!
Ingredients: 480g x strong bread flour, 1 x tsp salt, 28g x dried yeast, 2 x tbsp butter, 100g x sugar, 1/2 tsp x cinnamon, 1/2 tsp x nutmeg, 1 x egg, 240ml x warm water, 220g x raisins (also 120g x plain flour and 4 x tbsp water for the cross and some honey for the glaze)
Special Equipment: Mixing bowl, kitchen scales, spoon, baking tray, cling film
Mix the warm water and the dried yeast together and pour into your bowl
Add the flour, salt, egg, butter, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well until all the ingredients are combined
Transfer onto a floury work surface and knead well for about 10 minutes(!) – this is really important, if you don’t do it for long enough then you’ll end up with really solid buns
If the mixture is too sticky then add more flour
Add the raisins and knead for another couple of minutes or until they’re evenly distributed
Place back into the bowl, cover with cling film and leave for an hour in a warm place – this allows the dough to start rising
After the hour is up, give it a knead for 30 seconds then cut into 16 evenly sized pieces
Give them a roll between your hands and place onto a greased baking tray
Cover them with more cling film and leave again for about 30 minutes
Mix the plain flour with the water and pour into your plastic bag then snip the corner off so you’ve got a homemade piping bag
Draw crosses on each of the buns then bake them in a pre heated oven (220C / 200Fan / 425F / G7) for about 20 minutes, turning the baking tray round after about 15 minutes
As soon as you take them out of the oven, give them all a generous coating of honey over the top to give them a shiny, sticky glaze
Kitchen Monster Tip: We can’t emphasise the kneading stage enough – the more you knead it the lighter they will end up! Difficulty:
(only because of the amount of kneading required!)
Making a pumpkin lantern is great fun but it can be dangerous so you need to ensure an adult helps you with it.
But why do we make pumpkin lanterns? Traditionally Halloween was celebrated by many as the most magical night of the year. People used to place a lantern (usually made out of pumpkins or turnips) on their porches or in their windows to welcome home deceased loved ones but also to ward of evil spirits.
So let’s make our own pumpkin lantern. Now remember, not only are we using sharp knives to cut out the pumpkin but we’ll be using candles so make sure the children only do the parts you are comfortable with them doing and ensure that when the lantern is lit, that it is out of harm’s way and supervised at all times.
1) Get yourself a nice looking pumpkin
2) Carefully cut of the top of the pumpkin
3) Scoop out the stringy bits and the seeds
4) If you’re making pumpkin soup then you can scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin, making sure you don’t pierce the skin
5) You can now start to cut out bits of the pumpkin to make your face – the scarier looking the better!
6) Place a tea-light or small candle inside the pumpkin, light it and place it on your windowsill
This iced ginger shortcake is perfect for afternoon tea on a Sunday afternoon. Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!
Ingredients: 150g x self raising flour, 75g x caster sugar, 150g x butter, 4 x tbsp icing sugar, 3 x tsp syrup, 2 x tsp ground ginger
Special Equipment: Round cake tin, mixing bowl, electric beater, small sauce pan
Add the flour, castor sugar, 100g of the butter and a teaspoon of the ground ginger to the mixing bowl and mix well
Grease the cake tin with a little butter and pour in the mixture
Bake at 160C for about 40 mins, remove and place to one side to cool
To make the icing, add the icing sugar and syrup with 50g of butter and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger into the sauce pan and heat slowly, stirring occasionally
When the mixture has melted into a smooth sauce, pour over the shortcake and leave to set
Cut into triangles, serve and enjoy!
Kitchen Monster Top Tip: Once you’ve poured over the icing leave it in the cake tin until completely cold – this will make it easier to cut into nice triangles
Difficulty:
Like this recipe? Why not share it with your friends using one of the links below or leave a us a comment about how you got on!
Cooking for kids
