I don’t know about you, but my kids are like clockwork when it comes to snack time. They seem to have an internal alarm that goes off to let them know it is time to eat. Most of the time they pick simple snacks. But lately, with their new found cooking abilities, they like to make something for a snack. My son really loves to make treats.
We have found some yummy snacks that are easy to make. At this point, my kids can make them by themselves. I supervise when they are using the stove. These are also simple treats little ones can make with you. They have easy steps preschoolers can do.
Energy Bites
We love energy bites. They are simple and fun to make. What kid doesn’t like being able to play with their food?! Or in this case, they get to roll their food into balls.
Another thing that I like about energy bites is they are so versatile. You can make many different flavors and sneak in healthy ingredients like chia seeds or flax into them. If you like chocolate, use cocoa powder. If you are craving something fruity, you can add dried fruit. There are so many recipes to try.
We have two recipes we make the most. One recipe we make the most is a peanut butter energy bite found on The Wholesome Dish. We also like the No Bake Monster bites at Like Mother, Like Daughter.
Mug Cakes
Mug cakes are just that a cake made in a coffee cup. There are probably hundreds of mug cake recipes out there. I can see why they are popular. It is a quick, single serving treat. You don’t make a huge mess with a lot of baking equipment. You put the ingredients in a mug and pop it in the microwave. In one minute, you have a treat without a whole cake sitting around that needs to be eaten up.
I know. It isn’t the healthiest snack. The kids like to make mug cakes for a simple treat. They get out the recipe and make them independently. I don’t worry too much because you cook them in the microwave. They know what can and cannot go in the microwave.
We have one recipe we use over and over again. It is on Kirbie’s Cravings. It is a chocolate chip mug cake. If you follow the recipe, you shouldn’t have any problems. My kids follow the instructions exactly, and the cakes have always come out. One tip would be to make sure the batter is mixed well. It has a tendency of not whisking well at the bottom. When you add in the chocolate chips, stir all the way to the bottom, and it should be okay.
Cranberry-Oat Cereal Bars
Martha Stewart has some good recipes. This is one of them. The cranberry-oat cereal bars are a variation on rice crispy treats. Instead of rice cereal, you use oat cereal aka Cheerios. You add in some craisins, and you have a tasty snack. Find the recipe here.
My kids enjoy this snack. They use to help me make it, now they can make it themselves. I supervise them around the stove but other than that it is an easy enough snack for them to make.
Frozen PB Cups
Out of all the recipes, this is the easiest to make. You need two ingredients: cool whip and peanut butter. That’s it! Mix them together and scoop the mixture into muffin cup liners. Once you finish, pop them in the freezer to chill. It is that simple. Preschoolers can easily help out with this snack. The full recipe and directions can be found here.
The peanut butter cups are delicious. You can choose regular or lite Cool Whip. We have even replaced the regular peanut butter for powdered peanut butter. No one noticed the difference. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill.
Indoor Campfire S’mores
The kids have decided even though the weather is getting cooler, we can still enjoy campfire s’mores inside. My daughter has got this down to an art. I have her make them because she does a good job.
We bought waffle cones, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips to make these on a recent camping trip. When we got home we had a lot left over, so my kids decided to make them indoors. Here is a recipe to make them. We found that we needed to cook them for 9 minutes in our toaster oven to get everything melted just right. It took some experimenting.
The fun thing with the indoor s’mores is you can play around with the fillings. We have added bananas and strawberries. We used Hershey bars, too. We’ve had fun trying new flavors in them.
The treats are fun for the whole family to make together. If you have little ones, they can help add ingredients, stir, or do many of the steps themselves. Older kids, like my 9 and 11-year-old, are able to do these independently. I hope you enjoy them, too!
What fun treats do you enjoy making with your kids?
Happy Homeschooling!
