Despite the mess, getting kids involved in the kitchen is an absolute fun-fest. Seeing them sifting through flour and making faces at the thoughts of licking the spoon, then the absolute joy when they see the finished product is enough to make your ovaries skip a beat.
For kids, it’s a healthy approach to food – seeing the ingredients in their natural form, helping to mix, combine, stir and cook contributes to their food knowledge, and hopefully their acceptance of all types of foods.
At age eight, brownies are the first thing I remember baking. This propelled an insatiable interest in baking. When I realised at age fifteen I could no longer get away with eating ten of everything I baked, I taught myself how to cook.
Baking relies on sticking to a formula, which is good for kids – it teaches them about being organised, following steps and processes to produce delicious end results.
Brownies are very simple to make. I have different versions, depending on the audience. The recipe below is best for kids (for adults, I’d do a version with melted dark chocolate and chopped toasted nuts – contact me for recipe). Yes, the sugar content is high; these are not for every day. But to make it feel slightly healthier I’ve used Spelt flour, which is lower in gluten and higher in fibre and nutrients. You can use regular flour too though.
For very little ones, I’ve discovered Irish company, Boutique Bake’s all-natural brownie mix (The Gooey One) and cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s also really handy to have a couple of their mixes in your store cupboard for the days that you’re short on time but want to produce something delicious at a moment’s notice.
Brownie recipe for kids and big kids
Serves 12
180g Spelt flour
300g Sugar (caster or granulated will work)
15g Cocoa powder
One teaspoon baking powder
3 Eggs
160g Butter
9 Inch square tin
Method
1. Line the tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the spelt flour and sugar. Sift in the cocoa and baking powder. Melt the butter in the microwave or saucepan and add to the mixing bowl along with the eggs.
3. Stir together with a wooden spoon to combine. Pour into the baking tin and cook for 25-30 mins, depending on the level of ‘doneness’ you want. For chewy 25, for cooked through and spongy, 30. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin for 10 mins before slicing and enjoying.
4. Keep some by for the adults and serve with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice-cream later. Un. Real.
Elaine Lavery is a former French Alps chalet chef, and now the co-founder of Irish company Improper Food. The company’s first product, Improper Butter is a yummy range of natural garlic and herb cooking butters.
This week Elaine is our foodie Guest Blogger, highlighting some amazing Irish small food producers, she adds, “As a small food producer, I am a big advocate of buying locally. We have amazing quality produce to choose from and buying local has become really on-trend.”
