Snacks

Can there be any better way to celebrate Christmas than munching on some Reindeer Poo?!  This easy no-bake recipe for kids is a great little kitchen project.  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 270g oats, 6 x tbsp cocoa powder, 100g x coconut flakes, 115g x butter, 400g x sugar, 120ml x milk, 1 x tsp vanilla essence
Special Equipment: Sauce pan, large mixing bowl, parchment paper

Put the butter, sugar and vanilla into the sauce pan and melt until liquid
Weigh out the oats, cocoa powder and coconut into the mixing bowl
When the mixture has melted pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl
Mix together well until it starts looking like reindeer poo then lay out the parchment paper
Spoon out clumps of the poo mixture onto the paper then leave to set
Keep in the fridge until ready to enjoy the reindeer poo!

Get the Kids Involved: Ensure you supervise the melting process but the kids can get involved in the weighing, mixing and spooning out

Kitchen Monster Tip:  These are pretty sweet so don’t make the poos too big!
Difficulty: 

This Mince Pie Cupcakes recipe for kids is a lovely alternative to standard Christmas mince pies and will give everyone a nice surprise.  There’s no baking involved either so it’s great for little hands to help with.      Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 1 x packet vanilla sponge fairy cakes, 1 x jar mincemeat, icing sugar to decorate
Special Equipment: knife, spoon

Carefully cut the top off each of the  fairy cakes and scoop out a little of the sponge insides
Cut the lid  of the fairy cakes in half and set to one side
Spoon the mincemeat into each of the fairy cakes
Place the sponge lids into the mincemeat at an angle so that they look like angel wings
Dust with a little icing sugar then serve and enjoy!

Get the Kids Involved: cutting the sponge, spooning in the mincemeat, placing the wings, dusting the icing sugar

Kitchen Monster Tip:  You can of course make the fairy cakes yourself but sometimes we like a time-saving cheat!
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: 

Want to evoke the party spirit at Halloween but don’t want to go to the hassle of a full sized pumpkin?  The you’ll love this recipe for mini jelly pumpkins – the jelly looks like mushed brains! Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 4 x large oranges, 1 x packet jelly
Special Equipment: Small sharp knife, spoon, measuring jug

Make up the jelly according to the packet instructions and leave to set in the fridge
Carefully slice the top off each orange to make a lid
Scoop out the flesh of the oranges until you’r left with hollow oranges
Carefully carve a scary Halloween face into the front of the oranges, just like pumpkin lanterns
Remove the jelly from the fridge and give it a good stir round to break it all up
Scoop the mashed up jelly into the oranges – this makes it look like the brains!
Keep in the fridge until ready to eat then stick in a spoon and serve!

Get the Kids Involved: Breaking up the jelly cubes, scooping out the orange flesh, deciding what face to carve, mashing up the jelly and scooping it into the pumpkin heads

Kitchen Monster Tip:  Don’t throw the orange flesh away – serve it with yoghurt for your breakfast!
Difficulty: 

We love shortbread but this Raspberry Shortcake recipe for kids takes it one step further.  It’s a bit fiddly but it will be well worth the extra work when you taste it!  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 200g x plain flour, 25g x corn flour, 75g x caster sugar, 3 x tbsp muscovado sugar, pinch of salt, 150g x unsalted butter, 150g x raspberries, 125g x raspberry jam, 50g x oats
Special Equipment: Deep sided baking tray, food processor, mixing bowl, kitchen scales

Add the caster sugar, flour, corn flour, salt and butter to the food processor and pulse into a breadcrumb consistency
Remove and set aside about 100g worth and tip the remaining mixture into the baking tray and spread out to cover the base, pressing down to form a layer of shortcake
Bake for 10 minutes then remove and set aside to cool
Mix the raspberries and jam together and spread over the shortcake layer
Add the muscovado sugar, oats and remaining mixture to a bowl and rub together with your finger tips to forma breadcrumb style mixture
Spread over the layer of jam and return to the oven
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the topping become a lovely golden brown colour
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool

Get the Kids Involved: Looking out and weighing the ingredients, spreading the shortcake into the tin, mixing the raspberries and jam, setting the timer, spreading on the jam, rubbing the topping

Kitchen Monster Tip:  Leave to cool completely before cutting into squares, it’ll make it much easier
Difficulty: 

Okay you need to freeze the bananas first in this quick banana ice cream recipe for kids so it’s not exactly instant but this really is a quick alternative to ice cream.  You won’t believe how creamy this tastes until you’ve tried it.    Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 3 x bananas, 1 x tbsp natural yoghurt, 1 x tsp vanilla essence
Special Equipment: Blender, baking tray, knife, measuring spoon, glasses and spoon to serve

Peel the bananas, slice them into chunks and place onto a baking tray and freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight
Take the bananas out of the freezer and place them into the blender
Add the yoghurt and vanilla flavouring
Blend well until smooth
Serve in a glass with a spoon

Get the Kids Involved: Peeling and chopping the bananas, measuring out the yoghurt and vanilla, transferring to the glasses

Kitchen Monster Tip:  You may need pause a few times during blending to give the mixture a mix to ensure you get rid of all the lumps
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
Difficulty: 

We don’t think mixing peanut butter and chocolate is as popular in the UK as it is in the USA but after trying this Peanut Butter Ruffles recipe for kids, we’re not sure why!  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 25g x butter, 300g x chocolate, 2 x large tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter, 100g x cornflakes
Special Equipment: Microwaveable bowl, kitchen scales, measuring spoons, paper cases

Break the chocolate into little pieces and add to the bowl with the peanut butter and butter
Heat in the microwave until they’ve all melted and give them a stir to mix it all together
Pour in your cornflakes and mix well until they’ve all been covered in the chocolate
Spoon into your paper cases and leave to set for about an hour
Store in airtight container for a few days or serve immediately and enjoy!

Get the Kids Involved: Measuring out the ingredients, mixing them all together, spooning the mixture into the cases, cleaning up after!

Kitchen Monster Tip:  If the mixture seems too liquidy after you’ve added the cornflakes then just add a few more flakes until it holds its shape
Difficulty:

There’s no need to buy expensive ice lollies through summer when it’s so much fun making up your own.  Try our Strawberry, Mango and Kiwi Ice Lollies Recipe or think up your own flavours!  Remember to always follow the Kitchen Monsters Code when you’re in the kitchen!

Ingredients: 3 x kiwi fruit, 1 x mango, 8 x large strawberries, 3 x tsp icing sugar, 3 x tsp lemon juice, 1 x small tub yogurt
Special Equipment: Ice lolly moulds, blender (or just mush them up with a fork), sieve, ladle, measuring spoon, bowls

Cut the stalks off the strawberries and whizz them up in your blender with a tsp of icing sugar and a tsp of lemon juice
Use the ladle to push the strawberries through the seive into a bowl and set to one side
Repeat the same process for the mango (peeling and chopping the mango first)
Scoop out the kiwi flesh, whizz it up but you can skip the sieving bit for these
Then you just need to start layering up the ice lolly moulds – put in a layer of strawberries then a layer of yogurt, a layer of strawberries and a final layer of yogurt
Repeat for the kiwi and the mango
Place into the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours, until they have set solid
Slurp and enjoy!

Get the Kids Involved: Picking the flavours, mushing up the fruit, filling up the moulds, placing into the freezer, checking to see if they’re set, slurping them!

Kitchen Monster Tip:  Run the lollies under a little warm water to help them release from the moulds
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: