Cooking with Kids

It's so quiet around here.  It hasn't been this quiet is sooo long.  I think it's way too hot to function around our parts.  Today, we ventured outside for some water play at 8:30.  WAY too hot, even then.  I am pretty sure that it never broke 100 degrees during the night (although it probably did).

So, I am going to take advantage of this quiet and get some blogging done.

Ethan LOVES to help out in the kitchen.  We've been doing it since he was a little thing.   He's always making strange concoctions in the backyard, pretending to make muffins, or cake.  There is a good amount of time, where I just want him to stay out of my way, so I can relax and bake (I'm being honest, here!).  However, I have really been convicted with being intentional at letting him help do some of the baking around the house.  Last week, I put him to work making breakfast.  Then the next day, he helped his dad make pancakes while I was grocery shopping.  He was so proud!

Crescent Rolls are awesome when introducing kids to the world of cooking.  You can seriously do ANYTHING with them.  These are a bit harder than these were, but they were still on the easy side.

For this recipe, you will need:
some crescent rolls, cinnamon, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, sliced almonds, sugar sprinkles of some sort.

To make this recipe, I don't really measure.  We combine the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl and mix it together with our fingers.  Super easy.  Whatever is left over, we throw in a ziplock bag and stick it in the freezer for next time.  Because, you never know when you might be in the mood for some. . . they are addicting!

We don't spread any butter on these ones because the dough is already pretty butter-y. . . why add more?

Spread out the triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Put a spoonful of sugar mixture on top of each triangle.  With your finger, spread it around the triangle.  Make sure to pat it into the dough.  Then roll each one up starting at the end with the straight end (not the point).

Make and egg wash and brush each roll-up with the wash.  Sprinkle almonds and sugar sprinkles (we used the Pampered Chef caramel one that is sadly not made anymore!).

Bake in the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes or until a soft, golden color.  Let cool long enough that they are still warm, but not burn your fingers warm.

We did some with almonds and some without. It doesn't really matter. Make them to your liking.  I like almonds and Ethan wasn't a fan, so he only let me put the almonds on mine.  No biggy.  They still turn out beautifully.  Some may come out a bit funky, because most 4 year olds still haven't mastered the skill of rolling up a crescent roll. . . not a big deal.  They magically turn out just fine in the oven.  See?

Ethan have lots of things planner for Ethan to start cooking us.  I am excited for all these fun opportunities to not only bond with my son, but also teach him a skill that he will someday be able to impress his future wife with! 

I'd love to hear from you:

Do you cook with your kids?  What's your favorite thing to make?