Baking Gingerbread Cookies with Children – A Special Time Full of Joy and Learning

Christmas is a time that brings to mind the warmth of home, the scent of baked treats, and… the joyful experience of baking gingerbread cookies! Every year, I eagerly wait for the moment when I can bake with my children, creating festive goodies together. But baking gingerbread cookies is not only fun and pleasure – it’s also a fantastic way to foster development, combining learning with play.

How Baking Gingerbread Cookies Develops Children

Baking with children is a priceless opportunity for practical learning. It engages many senses – from touch to smell to taste! During our time baking together, children learn patience, concentration, precision, and creativity – when cutting the cookies into various shapes and decorating them. Every step, from mixing ingredients to decorating the finished cookies, gives children a sense of accomplishment and joy from their self-made creation.

Baking together is also a great way to develop math and logical thinking skills. Children learn about proportions when measuring ingredients and understand the importance of order and organization in the kitchen. Whether younger children focus on mixing ingredients or older ones on precise decoration, each task helps them grow.

Another Recipe from My Child’s Cookinguu Class

Today, I want to share a gingerbread recipe that comes from my child’s latest Cookinguu class. It’s a fantastic initiative led by our wonderful chef! In these lessons, children not only learn how to cook but also appreciate the joy of preparing food. It’s a great opportunity to instill a passion for cooking and discovering new flavors in the youngest.

Gingerbread Recipe – Perfect for Baking with Children

Here’s the recipe for delicious Christmas gingerbread cookies that we made during the Cookinguu lesson. Perfect for baking together, as it requires small hands for mixing and big hearts for decorating!

Ingredients:

• 150g honey
• 100g brown sugar
• 110g butter
• 380g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Place honey, butter, and sugar in a saucepan and melt (about 10 minutes on low heat). Let cool for 15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the egg and the honey mixture.
3. Mix everything well and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
4. After that, divide the dough into two portions. Roll it out on a floured surface and cut out various cookie shapes.
5. Bake the gingerbread cookies for 8-10 minutes at 180°C.

Enjoy! Our gingerbread cookies turned out delicious, and the joy of the children decorating them was indescribable. Thanks to this recipe, every cooking lesson at my child’s school is not just learning, but also joyful time spent together.

Why You Should Bake Gingerbread Cookies with Children

Baking gingerbread is a wonderful way to spend quality time together. It allows children to feel like important contributors to the creative process, while also developing their manual, mathematical, and culinary skills. Children also learn about holiday traditions and the joy of sharing what they’ve made. In the end, the baked cookies are a delicious reward for the joint effort!

Let’s be creative in the kitchen and create memories that will last for years to come. And most importantly, remember that the best recipes are those prepared with heart and love.

Tags: gingerbread baking, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread recipe, cooking with kids, holiday baking, Cookinguu, children development, cooking fun, family cooking ideas, festive cookies