How to make easy dessert recipes for kids they will love. From small batch cupcakes, to semi homemade desserts, try these with your children this weekend.
If you love to bake with your kids you know that things need to be EASY in order for them to be fun! They’re ready for the end product before they’ve even started. I do my best to create easy dessert recipes for kids when we think about starting a baking project. Let me show you how I try to make it fun, while learning too! Special thanks goes out to Pillsbury for sponsoring post. (originally published 2/16, affiliate links present)
Easy Desserts for Beginners
We have made many easy dessert recipes throughout the years, one of our favorites being cake mix cookies and simple chocolate chip cookies. We are always looking to make something “fun” when the holidays arrive too. This time it was close to Easter time so we started with our favorite Pillsbury chocolate cake mix and frosting.
We and decided to tackle cupcakes this time. Reason being is these two items are super cheap and way versatile if you’re looking for easy desserts for kids. Use a white variety if you want to decorate like vanilla or cream cheese. From simple like Lucky charms on top to more complex piping, these are the basics.
Cake Mix Dessert Recipes
Cake mix can be made into all sorts of things. Brownies from cake mix are awesome and you can use ready to use frostings to create an easy dessert recipe for kids with just a dollop on top. You only need a few ingredients for your cake mix and you’re done!
What’s even better is that Pillsbury has TONS of different colored frostings that come with Funfetti sprinkles. I can skip the food coloring and the “I hope this looks right” step when I am trying to create the perfect shade. Great for cupcakes, cakes and on top of bear paw cookies.
- We put our heads together and came up with an idea that would be fun for Easter so Orange All Star™ Vanilla frosting would be perfect for that!
- Then use some later to make edible playdough together too!
Planning is half the fun when you’re baking with kids. They come up with the cutest ideas. Although some are a little far fetched you can usually modify what they’re thinking to what would actually work “in real life”. Then create something together that everyone will love.
Dessert Ideas for Family Dinner
It was time to get our cupcakes ready. There’s nothing wrong with a little learning while you’re cooking easy recipes right. That is if you can sneak it in there and not have them realize they are actually learning anything. 😉
Cooking basics such as learning how to crack an egg is a great lesson to incorporate. We don’t think about it as we’re throwing things together and baking, but it’s something new for kids and generally new means fun!! Let them do it with you help first (in a separate bowl), and then allow them to do it.”That was the best part” she said at the end.
Kid friendly no bake dishes are usually a huge hit too. Rice krispie treats can be made in a bunch of different shapes. When warm just spray your hands with non stick spray and mold into animals or edible ornaments at Christmas time.
Easy Dessert Recipes with Few Ingredients
We tried something different this time by adding 1 large marshmallow to a few of the chocolate cupcakes as a “surprise”, and they came out really well. We will have to do this again next time. What’s fun when cooking with kids is you can experiment.
If you want to know how to make 6 cupcakes when you’re baking, let them try that. Those few can be theirs entirely to decorate however they wish. Have white chocolate chips available, fruity pebbles cereal, sweet treats like gummy bears and other candies. Our surprise inside cupcakes are really fun desserts.
Making small batches will enable you to get a few batches out of a box if you do it this way. You never know, they might have a great idea you may incorporate later. This one was my daughter’s and I actually would do this again – S’more cupcakes??.
Adding “extras” is fun too with kids. Brainstorm with them before you start baking and when you’re at the store. Decide together what flavor cake mix you want, frosting, and any added goodies that will make the decoration process more fun, this will entice them to want to cook with you again and again.
We added some greenery to the top of your frosted cupcakes and Easter cupcakes !! It was a really great afternoon together and a really yummy ending. 😉 If you crush the cake you can add it on top of pudding to make dirt cups with gummy worms on top.
Easy Dessert Recipes for Kids
Equipment
- 1 9×13 pan
- 1 pan
- 12 sticks
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 5.5 c mini marshmallows
- 5.5-6 c rice krispies
- 1 bag candy melts
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Pour 5.5 c cereal into a large bowl. Spray inside of your pot with non stick spray. Spray inside of 9×13 inch pan with non stick spray.
- In a pan over medium heat melt butter, then add mini marshmallows and continue stirring until they are all melted.
- Immediately pour mixture on top of cereal and gently stir until everything is coated. If you think it is too wet you can add a bit more cereal but more marshmallow is better to hold together.
- Pour into 9×13 pan and press down with a piece of wax or parchment paper until flat. Allow to sit on counter until it hardens, about 2 hours.
- Slice into squares and push stick into bottom so it is like a lollipop.
- Use a bowl with candy melts to melt in microwave. Dip top of treat with chocolate and then lay on parchment paper, sprinkle decorations on if desired, allow to harden.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
