From pancake lollies to butterscotch popcorn balls – get your (and your kids’) hands deliciously dirty in the kitchen when you make this sweet treat with your kids. Yummy treats, plus a break from those pesky screens? Yes, please! 

Butterscotch popcorn balls 

Makes 12 // Cooking time 25 minutes 

Ingredients 

6 cups popped popcorn (±¼ cup kernels)
375 g castor sugar
90 ml water
20 g butter 

Method 

1. Line a baking tray. Ensure you have ice-lolly sticks and a wooden spoon close by. (You’ll have to work quickly; sugar sets fast.) Place popcorn in a bowl.
2. Melt sugar and water in a pot over medium heat. To stop sugar crystals forming, avoid stirring and rather swirl the pot every now and then. When sugar is dark caramel in colour, remove from the heat and stir in butter.
3. Immediately start pouring the caramel over the popcorn, while stirring with the wooden spoon, ensuring all popcorn is covered.
4. Start forming the mixture into balls using your hands. If it is too hot, use latex gloves.
5. Insert a stick into each ball and place on the tray to set. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli 

Homemade chocolate bar 

Makes 20 // Cooking time 4 hours 40 minutes 

Ingredients 

200 g vanilla wafer biscuits
200 g sugar
250 ml cream, warmed
125 ml golden syrup
3 Tbsp butter
½ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla essence
320 g milk chocolate
500 ml popped rice cereal
500 ml roasted and salted peanuts 

Method 

1. Line a 20 × 20 cm baking tin with baking paper.
2. Arrange the wafers in the tin in a single layer.
3. Melt sugar in a pot over low heat without stirring. Swirl the pan if it looks like the sugar is catching. Let it caramelise until it turns golden.
4. Add cream, syrup, butter, salt and vanilla. Simmer on low heat for 15–20 minutes. Test if it is ready by dropping a little in a cup of iced water – if it forms a toffee-like ball, it’s ready. Pour the caramel over the wafers and place in the fridge to set.
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir in the popped rice and peanuts.
6. Once the caramel has set, spread the chocolate-peanut mixture over it and pop back in the fridge to set fully, about 4 hours. Cut into bars and serve.

Recipe & styling: Caro Alberts
Photography: Juliette Bisset // HMimages.co.za 

Banana chocolate dips 

Makes 22-25 // Total Time 30 minutes 

Ingredients 

1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey or syrup
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ cup almond flour
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate, almonds or dried cranberries 

Top tip: No almond flour on the shelf? Simply blitz a handful of almonds until it resembles flour. 

Method  

1. Combine the peanut butter and honey or syrup in a bowl.
2. Stir through the remaining ingredients until combined.
3. Place the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
4. Use a tablespoon to scoop portions of the mixture.
5. Roll a portion between the palms of your hands to shape it into a ball. Repeat this process until you have 22-25 power balls.
6. Store them in an airtight container for up to 15 days.

Top tip: When you get to Step 2, you can fold in all sorts of dried fruit and nuts depending on what you think is yummy. 

Words by Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Fresh Living Magazine, Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Banana flapjacks with pineapple cream 

Pancake lollies with berry syrup 

Makes 12 // Cooking time 1 hour 

Ingredients 

For the berry syrup 

2 cups fresh or frozen berries
1 cup water
½ cup sugar 

For the pancake lollies 

1½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
3½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1¼ cups milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, melted 

Method  

For the berry syrup 

1. If frozen, thaw the berries (keep the juice).  
2. Place berries (and juice), water and sugar in a pot over medium heat.  
3. Bring to a simmer. Cook, while stirring continuously, for 15–20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. 

For the pancake lollies 

1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix the milk and egg in another bowl.
2. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients and butter into the well. Whisk until combined (the mixture should be slightly thick, but well combined).
3. Heat a lightly oiled non-stick pan. Drop 2 tbsp batter on to the hot pan. Cook for 1 minute on each side. For nice round pancakes, use a piping bag to pipe the batter on to the hot, greased pan.
4. Once cooked, insert a lolly stick into each pancake. Drizzle with the berry sauce and enjoy.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Juliette Bisset // HMimages.co.za 

Drool-worthy Snickers s’mores 

Makes 6 // Cooking time 10 minutes 

Ingredients 

4 Snickers bars
6 chocolate cream biscuits
75 g mini marshmallows 

Method 

1. Cut the Snickers bars into slices. Separate 6 chocolate biscuits into halves.
2. Place 6 biscuit halves on a plate and top each with pieces of chocolate. Microwave for 30–40 seconds, until melted.
3. Place the other 6 biscuits on another plate. Top each one with marshmallows and microwave for 15–20 seconds.
4. Sandwich the biscuit halves together and serve the s’mores immediately.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Kendall-Leigh Nash // HMimages.co.za 

Banana bread in a bag 

Makes 8 // Total time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour cooking 

 

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A post shared by Jet Club (@jetclubafrica)

Ingredients 

1 large Ziploc bag
4 ripe bananas
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups cake flour
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, whisked
1 tsp vanilla essence
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup chopped mixed nuts (optional) 

Method  

1. Place 3 bananas in a Ziploc bag, seal and mash with your hands. 
2. Add butter and combine. 
3. Add baking powder, flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon to banana mixture. Seal and mash together with your hands until well combined. 
4. Add eggs and vanilla, seal and mix until batter is smooth. 
5. Transfer mixture to a greased loaf tin, then fold nuts through. 
6. Slice the fourth banana in thirds and place on top of the batter. 
7. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. 
8. Cool completely before serving. We recommend topping with honey, butter or peanut butter. 

Top tip: This Ziploc bag method minimizes unnecessary dishes and is the perfect activity to get the kiddies involved. 

The post Sweet treats to make with your little one appeared first on MyKitchen.

Valentine’s Day isn’t reserved for just grown-ups. Have your little ones make these cherry heart pies as a special treat to celebrate.

MAKES 8 // COOKING TIME 25 min

INGREDIENTS
1 roll puff pastry
2 cups cherry jam
1 egg, whisked
Icing sugar, to dust

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Unroll the pastry and roll out until 1 cm thick. Press out 16 × 5 cm circles with a cookie cutter.
3. Arrange 8 of the circles on the prepared tray.
4. Cut a heart from the middle of the remaining circles using a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter.
5. Add a teaspoon of cherry jam to each circle on the tray. Cover with the heart pastry circles, pressing down the edges with a fork. Brush with egg wash.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Top Tip
If you don’t have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, help your little ones and cut out heart shapes for them.

Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

You can never have too many treats during the month of love, so why not add these rose cupcakes with hidden centres to your Valentine spread?

The post Cooking with kids: V-Day cherry heart pies appeared first on MyKitchen.

These fun reindeer sloppy joes are sure to bring the festive cheer this year, so why not get the kids involved and make them together?

MAKES 10 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 10 min

INGREDIENTS
For the reindeer sloppy joes
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
800 g beef mince
4 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp origanum
1½ tbsp tomato paste, plus extra to assemble
To assemble
10 rolls
5 baby tomatoes, halved
2 cheese slices
10 raisins, halved
10 pretzels

METHOD
For the reindeer sloppy joes
1. Heat a dash of oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 8 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the mince and brown for 8 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce, sugar, tinned tomatoes, origanum and 1½ tbsp of the tomato paste. Season well and simmer for 20 minutes.
To assemble
1. Slice open each roll and fill with tbsp of mince.
2. To make noses, use a toothpick to attach half of a tomato to each roll.
3. Use the wide end of a piping nozzle to cut eyes from the cheese. Stick them to the rolls using extra tomato paste. Put raisin halves in the middle of each eye to make pupils.
4. Break each pretzel in half and stick them into the top of each roll to make antlers. Enjoy immediately.

Recipe & styling: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za

Christmas in South Africa wouldn’t be the same without hot summer nights by the braai, and the little ones will love snacking on these drool-worthy Snickers s’mores after their supper.

The post Cooking with kids: Reindeer sloppy joes appeared first on MyKitchen.

We know what a rush school mornings can be! At least breakfast will always be sorted with these prep-in-advance frozen yoghurt fruity pops.

SERVES 2–4 // COOKING TIME 20 min, plus freezing time

INGREDIENTS
2 cups frozen fruit
Flavourings (see below)
¼ cup plain yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD
1. Blend all the ingredients until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the blender to ensure there are no lumps left.
2. Pour into empty yoghurt tubs or cups and place in the freezer.
3. Once yoghurt is semi-frozen, remove from freezer and insert a lolly stick into each container. Return to the freezer overnight or at least 6 hours.

Yoghurt becomes even yummier when you add your own flavours! Pick and choose your favourite:

Banana split
2 cups frozen banana
¼ cup cacao powder
2 tsp vanilla essence

Pina colada
2 cups frozen pineapple
¼ cup coconut
2 tsp vanilla essence

Berrylicous
2 cups frozen strawberries, raspberries or blackberries

Mango treat
2 cups frozen mango
Zest of 1 lime or lemon

Recipe: Dalene Bosman
Styling: Andrea Kühn
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

And something for the grown-ups… Our yoghurt and chia seed breakfast puddings!

The post Cooking with kids: Frozen yoghurt fruity pops appeared first on MyKitchen.

Instead of reaching for the chips and sweets, spoil your little ones (and yourself) with a mix of fresh fruit and these fun, sweet dips.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 10 min

INGREDIENTS
Fresh fruit of your choice
For the vanilla-yoghurt dip
1 cup milk
1 cup plain yoghurt
1 sachet vanilla pudding
¼ cup chocolate chips
For the creamy nut-butter dip
1 cup plain cream cheese
½ cup nut butter
¼ cup honey
For the cookie-dough dip
300 ml milk
1 cup plain cream cheese
1 sachet vanilla pudding
¼ cup chocolate chips

METHOD
Serve the fruit with these dips:
For the vanilla-yoghurt dip
1. Mix together the milk and yoghurt. Add the pudding and whisk until smooth.
2. Fold in the chocolate chips.
For the creamy nut-butter dip
1. Whisk together all ingredients.
For the cookie-dough dip
1. Whisk together milk, cream cheese and pudding.
2. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Juliette Bisset // HMimages.co.za

Little ones still not 100% convinced? They won’t be able to resist these emoji-inspired fruit snacks!

The post Serve your fresh fruit with these fun dips appeared first on MyKitchen.

Low in calories, yet high in all the body-boosting nutrients, these oven-baked fish nuggets are the perfect weeknight menu option, and great for the whole family.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
For the fish nuggets
1 cup cornflake crumbs
⅛  tsp chilli powder
½ tsp dried mixed herbs
2 large hake fillets, cut into chunks
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp olive oil
For the herb sauce
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest
⅓  cup olive oil
For the aioli
½ cup yoghurt
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp mustard
To serve
⅓  cup micro herbs (optional)

METHOD
For the fish nuggets
1. Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine cornflake crumbs, chilli powder and mixed herbs in a bowl.
3. Season the fish with salt and pepper and dip each piece into the beaten egg. Once coated, shake off the excess egg and roll in the cornflake crumb mixture.
4. Place the coated fish nuggets on the prepared baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 8-10 minutes until crispy and cooked through
For the herb sauce
1. Whisk all the ingredients together.
For the aioli
1. Combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper if need be.
2. To serve, garnish the fish nuggets with micro herbs and serve with dipping sauces on the side.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Nuggets or fingers? Have both with our crumbed kabeljou fingers and matchstick chips!

The post Oven baked fish nuggets with aioli and herb sauce appeared first on MyKitchen.