Baking with children
Making biscuits can be an accessible way to get children involved in the kitchen. The process is simple enough for small hands, and there is something satisfying about watching raw ingredients turn into something edible.
These cookie recipes use jam sweetened with sugar alternatives rather than white sugar. While you bake together, you can talk about what goes into the mixture and why you have chosen different ingredients. Children often enjoy knowing the reasoning behind what they are doing.
Baking generally requires careful measuring for consistent results, but letting children try a different cutter shape or help with stirring keeps things interesting and helps them learn through doing.
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Try our Sugar Substitute Finder free, here on this site →Chocolate cookies with sugar free jam
Chocolate biscuits are often popular with children. This recipe uses cocoa powder for the chocolate flavour, and those who prefer a richer taste can add a little extra. The texture will differ slightly from traditional recipes made with sugar, producing a softer biscuit.
Ingredients:
- 350g plain flour (contains gluten)
- 100g cocoa powder
- 250g soft margarine
- One teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- A pinch of salt
- Three tablespoons sugar free strawberry jam
- Two eggs
Note: This recipe contains common allergens including gluten and eggs. Check your margarine ingredients if you need to avoid dairy.
Method:
Heat your oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, or gas mark 4. Children should not operate the oven without adult supervision. In a large bowl, beat the margarine and sugar free jam together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This takes a few minutes of steady mixing.
Crack the eggs into a separate bowl first to check for shell, then beat them lightly before stirring into the margarine mixture. Do not taste the raw dough, as uncooked eggs can carry salmonella. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda together, then fold into the wet ingredients until you have a smooth dough. Add the pinch of salt as you mix.
Scatter some flour onto your work surface and roll the dough out to roughly half a centimetre thick. Use cutters to stamp out your biscuit shapes. Children often enjoy trying different shapes if you have a selection available. Gather the leftover dough, roll it out again, and cut more until you have used it all.
Place the biscuits on a greased baking tray, leaving a small gap between each one. Bake for around 10 to 12 minutes. The biscuits will feel soft when you first take them out but will firm up as they cool.
Tips for baking with children
Younger children can help with measuring ingredients, stirring and using cutters with adult supervision. Older children may want to try cracking eggs or operating the mixer. Adjust tasks to suit their age and confidence, and always supervise around hot surfaces and sharp equipment.
Keep a damp cloth nearby for sticky fingers. It makes the whole process less messy and stops little hands from spreading chocolate dough across the kitchen.
If you are using sugar free jam, check the label for the sweetener used. Some contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs and can have a laxative effect in humans if consumed in large quantities. Keep the ingredients and finished biscuits well away from pets.
Storing your biscuits
Once cooled completely, store the biscuits in an airtight container. They will usually keep for up to a week at room temperature, though in most households they disappear well before then.
You can also freeze the uncooked dough. Roll it into a log shape, wrap tightly in cling film, and freeze for up to three months. When you want fresh biscuits, slice rounds from the frozen dough and bake directly, adding a couple of extra minutes to the cooking time.
