It’s one thing to convince the kids to help you stir cake batter or roll cookie dough — especially if a beater or bowl to lick is part of the deal.
It’s quite another to put them in charge of following the recipe from start to finish.
The editors of the Food Network Magazine have thrown down some enticing challenges along those lines for the “Chopped Junior” generation with “The Big, Fun Kids Baking Book” (Hearst Home Kids, $19.99).
At the helm of the project is Maile Carpenter, the magazine’s founding editor-in-chief and one of the masterminds behind its more general bestselling precursor, “The Big, Fun Kids Cookbook.” She’s the mother of two young cooking-enthusiast daughters and happens to be married to Wylie Dufresne, the chef-owner of New York’s Du’s Donuts famed for his strides in molecular gastronomy, so she’s well-credentialed for figuring out how to tap into the creative ambition of the target audience.
The clean, colorful graphics and easy-to-flip spiral binding are clearly designed with beginner skills and small hands in mind. But many of the recipes include flavors sophisticated enough to appeal to their sweet-toothed elders as well, such as Cherry-Pistachio Muffins, Tres Leches Cake with Mango, and the hard-to-stop-eating Triple Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies I made.
To ramp up the fun, there are instructions for creating new frosting colors, for dipping cupcakes in chocolate shell topping and decorating with colored sprinkles to resemble an ice cream cone, and making an edible jigsaw puzzle of sugar cookies. Trivia tidbits, culinary-themed guessing games, and pop quizzes throughout keep the brain busy while waiting for the timer to go off.
Junior bakers planning for their big TV (or TikTok) debut can practice their showmanship by heading to the chapter on Fake-Out Cakes. Here they can learn how to make cakes shaped like a gigantic chili dog, a life-size pineapple, a piece of sushi, or a taco — using cake mixes, prepared cookie dough, ice cream, dry cereal, candies, and copious amounts of food coloring.
And even if their attempt doesn’t quite match the eye-popper in the photo, a sweet reward for trying is a guarantee.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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