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20 Recipes to Keep the Little Ones Busy This Summer

School’s out for the summer! Kids everywhere will rejoice as they can now have lie ins, homework free evenings and maybe stay up past their bedtime. Now exhausted parents will be looking for ways to keep them occupied so they don’t hear the dreaded “I’m bored” 100 times a day.

So, here are 20 kids recipes from TheTaste’s extensive recipe collection to help keep little hands busy, whether it be helping out making these tempting treats or just sampling the delicious dishes!

COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICH

Ice Cream Sandwich

It doesn’t have to be sunny to enjoy an Ice Cream Sandwich, and kids will love this excuse to eat not one but two double chocolate chip cookies. The sandwich has mint ice cream in the middle, but this can easily be changed to your favourite ice cream! It is a relatively easy recipe to make and it makes around 24, so there will be plenty to go around!

SMORES CHEESECAKE

Smores Cheesecake

This Smores Cheesecake Recipe is deliciously chocolatey and it looks devine. Chocolate, biscuits and toasted marshmallows all combined together to make a crunchy heaven. From the Made in the USA cookbook, this recipe takes just 9 easy steps and makes enough for everyone to enjoy after a family meal.

SCOTCH CREME EGGS

scotch creme eggs

In a nutshell, these Scotch Creme Eggs are everyone’s favourite gooey treat, cleverly packed inside a brownie shell. Now try say that without your mouth watering, if you can! When the brownies are made there will be some leftover mixture, so you can really make two desserts in one go. Genius.

NUTELLA BUTTER

Nutella Butter Recipe

This is one for the kids who love nutella; a healthier Homemade Chocolate Butter, with none of the nasty palm oil or white sugar of the original. This recipe, created by Emilia Rowan from Cocu, takes little time to make and but is well worth it to have a jar of deliciousness on hand to slather all over toast or to use as a dip for fruit kebabs.

CHOCOLATE AND FIG POPCORN BARS

popcorn bars

Naomi Smart has combined the irresistible duo, chocolate and popcorn to create this handy Popcorn Bar recipe, perfect for a treat on the move or popped into a picnic basket. This snack can be enjoyed by adults and children alike and the best part is that they’re a pretty healthy treat too – sweet, savoury and delicious.

COOKIE DOUGH

cookie dough recipe

The Wonky Spatula has created a really simple Cookie Dough Nut Butter recipe, and I mean really easy, it has just 3 simple steps. There is no baking required so it is a perfect recipe for the kids to get their little paws dirty and help out, with plenty of opportunities to lick the spoon!

WHITE CHOCOLATE ROCKY ROAD

Rocky Road Recipe

Is there anything better than rocky road? Quite possibly, White Chocolate Rocky Road! Created by our very own Darina Coffey, this recipe includes a really simple method for homemade honeycomb, which will have the kids in awe of your amazing kitchen skills. The only tough part is waiting for the rocky road to set!

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

Brownie Recipe

Neven Maguire has created an intensely chocolatey Brownie Recipe, which alone sounds beyond tempting for little chocolate fiends. The brownies are then smothered in a salted caramel sauce, which you can make yourself too. Beware: they are extremely addictive.

LITTLE CHOCOLATE POTS

Chocolate Pots

Exactly what it says on the tin, Little Pots of Chocolate! I think most kids would adore this little treat, which is really simple to make and with very few ingredients needed. There is an option to add you own favorite flavor to the little pots to make them even more irresistible – orange, mint, strawberry – whatever takes your fancy.

CARAMEL SQUARES

Caramel Squares

The Caramel Square is a favorite of mine, the classic mix of chocolate and biscuit is always a winner. Catherine adds in some hazelnuts to give it that extra crunch. This recipe consists of three layers, so it isn’t the quickest to make but it is well worth the effort, perfect for afternoon tea with the little ones.

ONE MINUTE MUG CAKE

mug cake recipe

This Mug Cake dessert from Siúcra is a great one to make when time is of the essence. The kids can get involved and help out and be amazed that they can have their cake and eat it after just one minute in the microwave!

COCONUT AND CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

Macaroons Recipe

These little delights can be made in advance and then popped into your bag for when you’re on the go. This Coconut Macaroon recipe is a foolproof baked treat which kids can easily lend a hand to make and is also dairy-free, for lactose intolerant tots.

NUTELLA AND STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

Cupcakes recipe

On the outside it just looks like a normal Cupcake, but on the inside it has a hidden Nutella centre. Strawberries and chocolate is always a great combination and cupcakes are always a safe bet for kids, who love getting creative with icing and sprinkles! They can be decorated in whatever way you like, but the strawberries dipped in chocolate look scrumptious.

BLACKBERRY ICE CREAM

Blackberry Ice Cream Recipe Video by Jette Virdi for TheTaste

Making your own Fruity Ice Cream at home is a lot simpler than you think. All you need is blackberry juice, icing sugar and cream. There is a quick and simple video to follow to show you just how easy it is. The longest part of the recipe is waiting for it to freeze, so in the mean time you could get another dessert going!

ICE LOLLIES

Ice lollies

So far this year, we really have been blessed with beautiful weather and lets hope it continues. Kids can easily help out with this Ice Lolly Recipe and it is really simple and fun to make. All you need is water and fresh fruit, and you can imagine how refreshing these would be on a sunny day.

CARAMEL POPCORN

Popcron Recipe

This Caramel Popcorn is an ideal snack to make with the kids for a day of watching their favourite movies. Once the popcorn is made, it can be kept for about three days, if it even lasts that long!

RASPBERRY MADELEINES

Raspberry Madeleines

Now that berry season is here, make sure you put them to good use. Madeleines are delicate and delicious and can be a little tricky to get just right, but kids will love their seashell shape and sponge-cake like sweetness. Decorate with icing sugar and devour!

STRAWBERRY WAFFLES

waffles

You can eat Waffles for breakfast, dessert or, in fact, at any time because they are just delicious and easy to make. This recipe can be whipped up in no time and only takes 15 minutes from start to finish and will be sure to put a smile on every little one’s face.

SNICKERS CHEESECAKE

snickers cheesecake

If you have a birthday party coming up this summer and want something special and extravagant to spoil the birthday boy or girl, this Snickers Cheesecake Recipe is the way forward. Each layer looks utterly tempting – creamy, nutty and chocolatey goodness. A perfect celebration dessert that is more straight-forward to make than it looks.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Buttermilk Pancakes

Kids everywhere wait tirelessly for Pancake Tuesday so they can eat pancakes all day and not get in trouble. Well, why not throw your own impromptu pancake day during the summer with these Chocolate Filled Pancakes. These will definitely be a hit with the little ones.

ARTICLE BY ROISÍN FLYNN
Roisín Flynn
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