Bake a Treat for Your Friend!
Bake simple sugar cookies or cupcakes with adult supervision, measure ingredients, mix, shape, and decorate a thoughtful treat to share with a friend.
Step-by-step guide to bake a treat for your friend
5 EASY NO BAKE CHRISTMAS TREATS FOR KIDS | EASY CHRISTMAS BAKING
Step 1
Choose whether you will bake sugar cookies or cupcakes and tell an adult which treat you picked.
Step 2
Gather all the ingredients and tools from the Materials Needed list and put them on a clean counter.
Step 3
Ask an adult to preheat the oven to 350°F 175°C and move the oven rack to the middle.
Step 4
Measure the dry ingredients for your chosen recipe: for cookies measure 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt and 1 cup sugar; for cupcakes measure 1 1/4 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder a pinch of salt and 3/4 cup sugar.
Step 5
Measure the wet ingredients for your chosen recipe: for cookies measure 1/2 cup softened butter 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla; for cupcakes measure 1/2 cup softened butter 2 large eggs 1/2 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Step 6
Put the butter and sugar into the mixing bowl and cream them together with the spoon or whisk until smooth.
Step 7
Add the egg or eggs and the vanilla to the bowl and stir until they are mixed in.
Step 8
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir until you have a soft dough for cookies or a smooth batter for cupcakes.
Step 9
If you chose cookies roll the dough into small balls about an inch across and flatten them a little on a parchment lined tray; if you chose cupcakes spoon the batter into lined cupcake tin wells filling each about two thirds full.
Step 10
Ask an adult to put the tray or tin in the oven and bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or cupcakes for 15 to 18 minutes.
Step 11
Ask an adult to remove the hot tray or tin from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface.
Step 12
Let your cookies or cupcakes cool completely on a cooling rack or plate before decorating.
Step 13
Decorate your cooled treats with frosting sprinkles and any decorations you like to make them thoughtful for your friend.
Step 14
Take a photo of your finished treat and share your creation on DIY.org so your friend and other kids can see your baking!
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have butter, eggs, or milk?
If you don't have 1/2 cup softened butter for the 'put the butter and sugar into the mixing bowl' step use 1/2 cup vegetable oil or applesauce, and for each missing egg in the 'add the egg or eggs' step use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, while 1/2 cup milk in the cupcake wet ingredients can be replaced with the same amount of plant milk.
My cookies spread too thin or cupcakes sank—what should I fix?
Check that you accurately measured the 1 teaspoon (cookies) or 1 1/2 teaspoons (cupcakes) baking powder, avoid overmixing when you 'slowly add the dry ingredients,' chill cookie dough balls before baking on the 'parchment lined tray,' and make sure the adult preheated the oven to 350°F/175°C and used the middle rack.
How can I adapt the activity for a 4-year-old, a 7-year-old, and a 12-year-old?
For a 4-year-old let them choose the treat and help with simple tasks like pouring pre-measured ingredients and decorating cooled treats, for a 7-year-old have them measure dry ingredients and roll cookie dough balls or spoon batter into 'lined cupcake tin wells' while an adult handles oven steps, and for a 12-year-old let them follow all measuring and mixing steps and practice piping frosting before asking an adult to put the tray in the oven.
How can we make the baked treats more special to give to a friend?
Personalize your cooled treats by coloring and piping frosting, using cookie cutters on dough before placing on the 'parchment lined tray,' adding sprinkles and edible decorations, filling cupcakes with jam, and packaging them with a photo to 'Take a photo of your finished treat and share your creation on DIY.org'.
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Facts about baking for kids
📏 Baking is a science: small changes in how you measure ingredients can make cookies chewy, cakey, or dense.
🧁 Cupcakes were originally baked in individual pottery cups or molds—this is where the name "cupcake" comes from.
🤝 Sharing homemade treats has been a warm, time-honored way to show friendship and care across many cultures.
🎨 Sprinkles have lots of names around the world—people call them "jimmies," "hundreds and thousands," or "nonpareils."
🍪 The English word "cookie" comes from the Dutch word "koekje," which means "little cake."
How do I bake a treat for my friend?
What materials do I need to bake simple sugar cookies or cupcakes for a friend?
What ages is this activity suitable for?
What safety tips should I follow when baking treats with children?
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