Cooking Up Something Fun With Lulu Junior

By Paul@Lulu / October 26, 2020

Fall is when we start spending more (even more) time inside. The weather turns and before long, you’ll be looking for activities to keep your kids entertained. 

One awesome and educational activity is to cook with your kids. Cooking is an important skill for everyone to learn. And it's a great way to spend some time with your kids. Best of all, you all get to enjoy the fruits (or snacks?) of your labors!

Creative Cooking

It’s always good to cover some of the cooking basics with your kids (modified based on their age of course). But for today, we’ve got five recipes from around the web that your kids are going to love creating!

Caramel Apples

Ingredients

Instructions

In a heavy 3-qt. saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and milk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 248° (firm-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Insert wooden sticks into apples. Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. Set on waxed paper to cool. If desired, roll the bottom of the dipped apples into chopped peanuts.

 

 

Pumpkin Patch Marshmallow Bites

Ingredients

• Marshmallows – 1 bag regular size
• Brown chocolate melts (12 oz.)- Wilton preferred
• Oreo Cookies – crushed
• Pumpkin soft candies

Instructions

1. Grab your glass bowl and pour the chocolate melts in. Microwave until smooth (about 1 to 1&1/2 minutes)
2. Set out a sheet of wax paper
3. Blend the cookies and pour them into a bowl
4. Dip the marshmallows into the melted chocolate until they are halfway covered
5. Dip the chocolate covered portion into the crushed cookie bowl
6. set the marshmallow down and top with a pumpkin
7. That’s it!
8. Repeat until you’ve made all of your marshmallows into pumpkin topped treats and enjoy!

 

 

Acorn Cookies

Ingredients

• 24 Mini Nilla Wafers
• 24 Hershey Kisses
• 24 Butterscotch Chips
• ½ cup Chocolate Frosting

Instructions

• Unwrap the Hershey kisses.
• Place frosting in a piping bag with a small tip. (You can use a Ziploc bag with the corner cut out if you don’t have a piping bag).
• Squeeze a pea-sized dollop of frosting on bottom of Nilla Wafer then push bottom of Hershey Kiss onto that chocolate frosting on the Nilla Wafer.
• Place an even smaller amount of frosting on top center of Nilla Wafer then place the bottom of a butterscotch chip on top of that frosting.
• Repeat for all the cookies, kisses and chips.
• Allow the Acorn cookies 1 hour to dry, firming the chocolate and solidifying the contacts.

 

 

Reindeer Chow

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and set aside.
3. Place the white chocolate chips and coconut oil, if using, in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent the white chocolate from overheating.
4. Add the Chex, marshmallows, pretzels, 1/2 cup of the M&Ms, nuts, and the raisins to the white chocolate, and stir until everything is completely coated with a thin layer of white chocolate.
5. Scrape the candy out onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth it into a thin layer.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of M&Ms on top and press down gently to adhere them. Adding some candies on top keeps them from being coated in white chocolate and gives your reindeer chow a pop of bright color. If you're using edible glitter or sprinkles, dust that all over the top of the candy.
7. Refrigerate the reindeer chow for at least 20 minutes to set the white chocolate.
8. Once set, break it into small pieces to serve.

 

 

Rice Krispy Treat Gingerbread Men

Ingredients

Instructions

• Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
• Spray the inside of a large microwave safe bowl with cooking spray. Place the butter into the bowl and pour the marshmallows on top of the butter. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Spray a heavy duty rubber spatula or plastic spoon with cooking spray. Stir the melted mixture together. If not completely melted, microwave in 15 second increments. Stir until silky.
• Add the cereal to the marshmallow mixture and mix until combined well. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cookie sheet. Spray your clean hands with cooking spray and press the mixture into the pan evenly. Allow to cool for 15 minutes or so before continuing.
• Use cookie cutter to make gingerbread men and circles for the gingerbread face pops. Press cookie cutter through the treats firmly and wiggle it back and forth to loosen it from the rest of the pan. Gently squeeze the sides of the cookie cutter to "grab" the treat and lift. Pop the treat out and continue to the next one.
• Once you have them all cut out, insert lollipop sticks by gently twisting and pushing.
• Cut the almond bark into pieces and place in a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. If there are still large pieces, microwave in 20 second increments until melted and smooth.
• Holding the lollipop stick and tilting the cup holding the melted chocolate, place the front of the treat into the chocolate to cover the surface. Lift and let excess drip off a bit, then place on waxed paper or a cooling rack.
• Decorate with candy. Cut the tip of a gumdrop off for the buttons and use the larger end of the gumdrop as cheeks on the gingerbread circle faces. Use colorful candies for cheeks on gingerbread men. Cut miniature marshmallows in half to use as eyes on the gingerbread circle faces. Be sure to decorate with candies before the chocolate dries.
• Allow the chocolate to dry before using white and black decorator icing to add rick rack and eyes.