Two weeks ago Rob and I took the boys apple picking with his side of the family and we had the best time! We took a nice drive out to Honey Hill Orchard and lucked out with the absolute prettiest weather! When we got back from apple picking I asked the older boys if they wanted to make apple pie, apple sauce, or an apple crumble with some of the apples we picked. They both said apple pie, so I found a recipe for individual sized apple pies to make in muffin tins. This Mini Apple Pie recipe was easy, delicious and the best part… all ingredients are ones you will have in your pantry already!
Hunter and Grayson have recently started to love helping me in the kitchen which is so much fun to cook/bake with little helpers! Also, a big perk if you are wanting your children to try new foods – have them make it with you, they are way more likely to at least try it if they had some part in prepping.
I am slowly learning how to bake best with little ones and here are my tips:
*have almost everything measured out before starting, especially helpful for the tiny bakers
*for the older kids have them measure things with smaller units to make it easier (ex – if it asks for 1 c of flour have them scoop 1/3 c three times) this not only makes it easier for them but it incorporates math, gives them more to do, and draws out the task a bit longer
*have the kitchen cleaned up and supplies put aways from measuring before starting, kids make a big mess even bigger so cleaning up before getting their “help” always makes for a much lighter mess in the end
*give them the mixing jobs – whether it be by hand, a hand held mixer, or the kitchenaid.. they love to mix
*most importantly, let them have fun and know that it might be stressful
Happy Baking!
The Meridian Bliss 