by Kelly Loew, The Diaper Bag Diaries

I admit it, I love arts and crafts. I enjoy the process of creating but, what I am not always fond of is the finished product- the actual craft. How many popsicle stick frames and paper lanterns does one household need?
Let’s be honest, many of our kids’ crafts end up in the trash…okay, don’t scoff, you know you throw them out when your kids aren’t looking! So, how does a craft-loving mom remedy this conundrum of enjoying the process of creating but, not wanting the crafts themselves to start taking over my very limited closet space?

My solution: BAKING!

Baking is another type of craft you can do with your children. As with any art project you must be prepared.
You have to buy the ingredients, have the proper baking equipment, make a mess in the process and clean up after you’re finished. But the best part is there is nothing to throw away afterward (hopefully!) because the “craft” is eaten! Hurrah! Problem solved!

My boys and I make various cookies, bread, muffins and other decorated seasonal goodies. Many times we bake from a box mix, but, more often than not I pull out the measuring cups and we bake from scratch. My two favorite things we bake are Healthful Banana Nut Mini-Muffins and Monkey Bread (not so healthful, but, oh so messy and yum yum yummy!). Below are my recipes:

Healthful Banana Nut Mini-Muffins

1 egg
1/3 c. brown sugar
¼ c. canola oil
1 4 oz jar sweet potato or butternut squash baby food
1 banana, mashed
1/3 c. apple sauce
2 Tbl milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ c. whole wheat pastry flour (I like Arrowhead Mills brand)
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ c. oat bran (or ¼ c. oat bran & ¼ c. almond meal)
½ tsp salt
1/2 c. shredded Baker’s brand coconut
1/4 c. chopped pecans (optional)
¼ c. mini chocolate chips (optional)
Oven 375 F
In a large bowl mix egg and sugar till combined. Add oil, baby food, banana, apple sauce, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until moistened. Fold in coconut and pecans and chocolate chips, if using.
Grease a 24 cup mini-muffin tin. Fill each muffin cup ¾ full. Bake 15 minutes or until the muffin springs back when you touch it.
Easy Monkey Bread
1 large Ziploc freezer bag
1 tube Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
1 heaping Tbl. cinnamon
¼ c. heavy cream
3 Tbl butter
Oven 350 F

Put sugars and cinnamon in Ziploc bag. Divide each biscuit into three equal pieces. Roll each piece of biscuit dough into a ball. After dough as been rolled into balls, place balls (4-6 at a time) into bag with sugar. Seal bag and shake dough balls until they are covered with sugar. Place dough balls into a greased pie pan. The dough balls should touch and by the time the last one is placed into the pie pan they will be all squished. Warm cream and butter in the microwave until butter is melted (about 1 minute). Pour warm cream mixture on top of the dough balls. Sprinkle the leftover sugar over the top of the dough. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let Monkey Bread stand for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

We do have so much fun when we bake together. I am able to introduce and reinforce some basic math principles, we talk about taking turns, the process in which one food is made from many ingredients, and of course, we learn patience as we wait for our goodies to cook.

Now don’t get me wrong, we still do regular ol’ arts and crafts in my home…a chocolate chip cookie can never take the place of a clay sculpture of the dog or a water-colored rainbow. But, when you start to notice the paper bag puppets spilling out of the closet and your kids are crying for some glue and glitter, pull out the mixing bowls, wooden spoons and brownie mix! You know it’s time to give baking a chance!

For more recipes like the ones above, as well as an in-depth shopping guide to the web, please visit here.