Running out of creative ideas on what to do with the kids over the festive season?
Why not tantalise their taste buds and put those idle hands to work with an exciting selection of yummy desserts by one of Food For Mzansi’s favourite bakers and food bloggers, Saadiyah Hendricks? Through her blog, Sadie’s Bubble of Yum, the working mom of two girls chronicles her baking journey, sharing handy tips and tricks.
READ: Life is a balancing act that takes time to master
Hendricks reveals a few exciting kid-friendly recipes to make with your very own rascals. But beware: it will only work if you’re prepared to embrace the mess of the oh-so-sweet old-time activity of baking by setting out your overstocked festive pantry of 100’s and 1000’s and leftover caramel treat. Not only will it be a fun exercise but who knows, you might be creating a little baker or a little pâtissiere.
Chocolate-on-chocolate-on-chocolate muffins
Let us just hope the bambinos won’t be munching on the chocolates before you actually bake the goods. Try this fun-to-make triple chocolate treat.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 200g caster sugar
- 125ml oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
- 200g flour
- 60g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 250ml buttermilk (can be substituted with sour cream or yoghurt)
- 2 cups of your favourite chocolates, roughly chopped (I opted for Milky Bar Buttons, Caramel Nibbles, Mars Bites and mini Rolos)
- 1 heaped tablespoon Biscoff, melted
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a muffin tray with muffin liners.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. While continuing to whisk, gradually add the oil and the vanilla essence until incorporated.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and slowly add it to the mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and gently fold into the batter (do not over mix).
- Add your selected chocolates and stir to distribute them in the batter.
- Fill the muffin liners 3/4 way, ensuring there are chocolate chunks in each.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, then remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pans before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. Drizzle with melted Biscoff or more chocolate for an extra touch of decadence.
- Store in an airtight container once completely cool.
- Enjoy!
Also try out some Funfetti Cookies
Messy and colourful! Stimulate all the senses with this recipe for a waft of fragrant vanilla thick in the air, vibrant colours of sprinkles and the crunch of the chewy funfetti cookies.
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons maizena (corn starch)
- 3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sprinkles
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) cream the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. To this butter mixture add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until well incorporated, approximately 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure it is all well incorporated.
- To the mixture, sieve the flour, maizena, bicarb, salt, and mix until it is just combined, approximately 1 minute (don’t overmix).
- Here’s the fun part – add the sprinkles and using a spatula fold into the mixture until just incorporated. Again, do not overmix.
- Scoop the dough into balls (size according to your preference) – I used a medium sized ice cream scoop. Place them onto a tray, cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 5 days) before baking. By allowing them to rest in the fridge and cool down it will avoid your cookies spreading too thin when baking.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C and line two baking trays with baking paper or a silpat. Place the cooled cookie dough balls onto the tray ensuring they are spaced out. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges have set and tops are just beginning to set. These cookies are not meant to turn golden or brown at all and should stay white but if you prefer them that way, by all means do leave them slightly longer in the oven. However, do remember that they firm up as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for approximately 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- If stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they will last up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Because you can store the cookie dough in the fridge for 5 days – bake them as you need
In the mood for fluffy buttermilk flapjacks?
Your breakfast needs are sorted with this this recipe for flapjack made from scratch!
Ingredients
- 310g flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 600ml buttermilk
- 113g melted butter
- 2 eggs, whites and yolks separated
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl add the remaining “wet ingredients” except the egg whites – buttermilk, melted butter and egg yolks and whisk to combine.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined, careful not to overmix.
- Add the egg whites and fold until just combined, careful not to overmix.
- Allow the batter to rest 15 – 30 minutes.
- Add some butter to a cast iron skillet and heat over a medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted and is bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and add 1/3 cup of batter to the pan.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles start to appear on the surface and flip over on the other side cooking for another 1 – 2 minutes.
- Serve with your desired sides – I served with caramelised peaches and nectarines, homemade salted caramel and fresh cream.
Before you go, here’s two pro tips
Pro tip 1: To test whether your baking powder is still good, mix 1 teaspoon baking powder with 1/2 cup water. If it bubbles and foams, the baking powder is still good. Always check the expiry date too.
Pro Tip 2: Always store your baking powder in an airtight container in a cool, dry place so it does not lose its magic.
