And when it comes to an apple unit, this apple pie recipe for kids is sure to be a big hit. 

Cooking with kids is a fun way to work on math skills and following directions.

You’ll also want to check out this simple homemade butter recipe to try! 

Apple Pie Recipe for Kids

Ingredients:

• 6 large Granny Smith apples
• pre-made pie crust  (or make your own)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspooon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• milk, cinnamon, and sugar (for crust top)

How to Bake a Homemade Apple Pie

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.  Place bottom crust into pie pan.

3.  Peel and cut 6 large Granny Smith apples.  (When working with kids, peel the apples first and cut them into thick slices.  This makes it easier for them to then cut the apple slices into cubes.)

4.  Mix 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.   (Lots of great measuring opportunities for the kids here!)

5.  Carefully toss the flour and spice mixture with the apples, making sure each apple is coated.

6.  Pour apple mixture into bottom pie crust.

7.  Top apples with 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces.

8.  Fit top crust over apple mixture and press crust edges together to seal.  We used mini play dough cutters to cut some cute shapes into our top crust first!  If you don’t do this, then make sure you cut slits in the top crust to create steam vents.

9.  Brush the top crust with milk.  (At this point we opted to shake a  mixture of cinnamon and sugar on the top.  Kids LOVE to shake ingredients!)

10.  Bake 40-45 minutes.  The pie should be golden and the apples fork tender when finished.

The hardest part is waiting for it to bake!  (And to cool off afterwards!)  We used the time to clean up the kitchen, always an important step in baking, and then to run some energy off outside on the swings.

Baking apple pie with the kids was a perfect (and sweet) way to end our apple unit.

You may also like:

• Apple-Themed Skip Counting Activity 
• Easy to Make Apple-Scented Bubble Dough 

The post Baking with Kids: Simple Apple Pie Recipe first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Who wants a banana chocolate chip muffin?

Around here banana chocolate chip muffins are a HUGE hit!

And what’s better than just eating the muffins?  Getting to bake them with the kids!

Originally this was a recipe for banana chocolate chip bread given to me by my mother-in-law.  Over the years I have tweaked it to make the most delicious banana chocolate chip muffins!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 bananas, mashed

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Cream sugar, shortening, and applesauce in a large bowl.

Add eggs and mashed bananas; mix.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake in greased muffin pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 minutes.

Makes 12-16 muffins.  

If you’re lucky, the kids may just spare you one or two!

I like to make a batch of banana chocolate chip muffins and put half in the freezer.  That way I can pull out a couple for the kids (and myself) whenever the mood strikes.

What’s your favorite type of muffin?

Shared on these sites.

The post Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

As I promised earlier this week in my post of snowflake crafts and activities, here is the recipe for some cute snowflake meringue cookies!

Meringue Cookie Recipe:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 tsp. flavored extract (lemon, peppermint, orange, almond… I used vanilla)
• 2 Tablespoons colored sugar to decorate

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  In large bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until frothy (about 3 min.).  Set mixer on high and beat another 3 min. or until fluffy.
2. 
3. Add in confectioner’s sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy (about 5 min.).
4. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spoon meringue into large pastry bag with a 1/4 inch tip and “draw” snowflake cookie shapes.  Error on the side of being thick so the finished cookies don’t break.  (I used a sandwich bag and just cut the tip off.)  Decorate with colored sugar if desired.

   

5. Bake until cookies are dry, but not brown (about 1 hour).
6. Use scissors to cut the parchment paper and separate the cookies.  Carefully peel cookies from the parchment paper.  Cookies should stay crisp for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.  (Do not refrigerate them.)

   

The recipe should make approximately 20 cookies.

I cut the recipe in half, which also cut down on the time it took to mix the batter.  (Good thing, little guy was super impatient when he learned I was making cookies!  Of course, he still had to wait the hour while they cooked….)

There you have it, a special winter treat to brighten your day.  Great if you want to do a snowflake or other snow day theme kind of day!

The post Snowflake Cookies Recipe first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

As promised months ago, I found my husband’s homemade brownie recipe and I’m ready to share!  (It took a while to find where it was…)  Anyway, he got it out and made a batch this week – delish!  They always disappear way too quickly!

World’s Best Brownie Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 oz. semi-sweetened chocolate

1/2 cup butter (I’m told that, yes, it has to be butter, not margarine.)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 shot of rum (optional)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan.

3.  Stir in sugars, eggs, flour, salt, vanilla, and rum.

4.  Spread batter into a greased 8 or 9 inch square pan.

5.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

6.  Cool 30 minutes before slicing.

The rum makes it really good… But since the kids often eat them now, too, he has been leaving it out and adding in a handful of chocolate chips.  A pretty yummy alternative!

Go on, make a batch!  You’ll be glad you did!

*My husband asked me to add that he did not create this recipe himself.  He found it online, and unfortunately does not remember which recipe site it came from.  If you stumble upon it on a major recipe site, let me know and I’ll add its origin to my post!  Thanks!

The post World’s Best Brownies first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Here are some delicious muffin recipes for muffins with mom.  They’d be perfect for kids to share with mom or to make and enjoy with a mom friend. 

Muffins are perfect to serve as a yummy addition to a quick dinner idea, or just as a treat on their own.  

Make these muffins with the kids.  You can make it even more fun and show the kids how to make your own butter to go with it.

Muffin Recipes for Muffins with Mom

Muffins for Mom is a fun celebration that some schools do near Mother’s Day each year.  Moms are invited to come in and share muffins with their child at school.  

Even if your child isn’t in a preschool or kindergarten that celebrates this, you can have fun celebrating at home with your own kids.  After all, muffins are always fun to make and eat!  

Savory Muffin Recipes

Muffin Tin Omelets —  A savory breakfast muffin 

Sausage and Egg Muffins —  Make ahead for a grab and go breakfast on busy days

Spinach Muffin Recipe — A yummy way to sneak a few extra veggies into your kids’ diet

Corn Dog Muffins —  Make lunch fun this week!

Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza Muffins — Perfect for pizza lovers

Sweet Muffin Recipes

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins —  The perfect combination 

Orange Oatmeal Raisin Muffin Recipe  —  You will love the citrus twist on this classic muffin.

Carrot Muffin —  A fun way to sneak in veggies

Gluten-Free Granola Muffin Recipe — A gluten-free option for breakfast on the go

Carrot-Apple Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Filling — So many delicious flavors in one bite

Pancake Muffins — A quick breakfast idea for kids that love pancakes

Easy to Make Apple Muffin —  Easy and delicious

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins —  The perfect use for the over-ripe bananas

Pear and Cinnamon Muffins — Freeze them and pop them in a lunchbox for a special treat!

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins —  A yummy twist of berries and chocolate

Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffin — Skip the bakery and make those muffins at home. 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins —  A yummy option for those that are gluten-free

Banana and Berry Muffins — Fun to make at home with the kids

Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins with Granola Topping —  You won’t be able to resist these.  

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins —  Perfect for fall or any time of the year

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffin Recipe —  Kids won’t even notice it has veggies.

Healthy (no oil) Pumpkin Muffin — A healthy and yummy muffin you’ll feel good about eating

Triple Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins — A delicious mix of flavors

S’mores Muffins —  Just as good as it sounds

You may also want to check out:

• 10 Simple Meatless Dinner Ideas 
• Delicious Spinach and Berry Salad 
• 12 After School Snack Ideas 

The post 25 Yummy Muffin Recipes Mom Will Love first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.