Blog from Cheshire Franchise
The Easter holidays often present a conundrum for parents. We want our children to join in the fun activities and egg hunts, but the sheer volume of chocolate our little ones receive also sends us into a panic.
Chocolate has become synonymous with Easter these days, and many children are given countless chocolate eggs, which pushes them well over their daily recommended sugar limit.
Life is all about balance and Easter is just one day a year, so there’s no harm in indulging their sweet tooth a little, but the amount some kids are consuming could lead to lasting damage to their teeth, their health, and their lifelong eating habits.
That’s why I’ve put together some ideas of healthy Easter treats you can make with your kids during the holidays, so you can still have fun in the kitchen without adding to their sugar intake!
Hot cross buns
Hot cross buns have been eaten at Easter since the 18th Century, with the sweet bread having a flour paste cross on the top to represent the crucifixion of Jesus.
Most people recognise the tasty bun for its spicy scent and dried fruit content, though you can find all sorts of flavours in the supermarkets these days.
For a traditional hot cross bun, you will need raisins or currants, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Though they have some sugar, they can be made healthier by using maple syrup instead.
The secret is also to avoid adding lots of sugary toppings, and opt for almond butter, fresh fruit compote, or date paste instead.
Chocolate Easter nest cakes
Most kids must have made a chocolate Easter nest cake before in their lives, with the bake simply involving melting chocolate and pouring it on to crushed up cereal and popping a few mini chocolate eggs in the middle.
However, there is a way to make the tasty snack healthier if you want your little one to avoid all the refined sugar. You can do this by making a mixture of mashed banana, honey, oats and cocoa powder for your nests. After baking in the oven for a few minutes, you can add a couple of mini eggs on the top.
Hummus carrot cups
Not all Easter cooking has to be sweet, of course, and you could really lean into the Easter bunny theme by doing lots with carrots in your dishes.
For instance, you could make some tasty carrot hummus cups for picnic lunches, which involves blending chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice to make the hummus and popping baby carrots into the mixture.
Lots of children love hummus, so this is bound to be a hit!
Sugar-free Easter biscuits
Children love baking biscuits, but the thing they enjoy most about it is using cookie cutters to create unique shapes and decorating them in a variety of creative designs.
This is why making sugar-free biscuits could be the answer if they ask to bake this Easter. This recipe uses butter; a natural sweetener like maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey or agave nectar; oats; oat flour; baking powder and ground mixed spice.
Once the dough has been made, kids can use Easter-themed cookie cutters, such as bunnies and carrots, to make cute shapes. After they have been baked and left to cool, they can then be decorated with some dark chocolate or dried fruit.
Low-sugar carrot cake
If you’re hosting Easter this year, you and your kids could always whip up an impressive carrot cake that is healthier than usual recipes.
All you need to do is use maple syrup to replace some of the brown sugar and add wholewheat flour to increase the fibre content of the cake.
Put sultanas into the mixture to add some natural sweetness, and cover it in a low-fat cream cheese frosting sweetened with maple syrup.
This recipe will be so tasty, most people won’t realise it is lower in sugar when they ask for seconds!
This is just an example of the types of recipes we make in our cooking classes. So if you like the sound of getting your children to enjoy baking healthier alternatives to their favourite meals, why not check out our children’s cooking clubs in the north-west?
Click here to see what classes and workshops we have coming up.