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Below you will find a selection of Easter cooking that you can enjoy with your child.

Bunny buns

Make these delicious Bunny bread rolls with your child.

Safety first

Consider food allergies when choosing recipes and consider alternatives where possible. Always wash your hands and support your child to wash their hands too. This is a great time to talk to your child about why we wash our hands; why not introduce vocabulary such as 'hygienic'. This recipe uses the oven. Explain to your child that the oven is hot and make sure the bread rolls are fully cooled before enjoying together.

What to do

Ask your child to mix 500g bread flour and 7g fast action yeast in a large bowl. Encourage them to make a well in the centre and add 3 tbsp olive oil and 300ml warm water and mix well to form a dough.

Encourage your child to tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and show them how to knead the bread. This takes 10-15 minutes so you might want to put on a timer to encourage your child to keep going and don't worry if they lose interest! When it is finished, talk about how it feels different from before you started kneading (it should feel smooth and elastic)

Place the dough in a bowl wiped out with olive oil, cover with cling film, and leave to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size. While you are waiting why not read a story about a rabbit? When the time is up, line a baking tray with baking parchment. With lightly floured hands, knock back the dough (punch the air out of it) and then split the dough into 4 large pieces and several smaller pieces.

Show your child how they can create bunny ears and limbs from the dough and attach these to the main rolls. Place these on a lined tray to prove for another hour or until it has once again doubled in size. Preheat oven to gas 7/220°c/200°c fan. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until golden on the top. Leave on a wire rack to cool

More information

Making bread is ideal to support your child's perseverance as there are lots of stages and waiting time (with delicious warm bread as a great reward at the end!) They will also be learning scientific concepts as they watch the bread rise.

Easter Bunny's carrot salad

This healthy side salad will encourage your child to eat more vegetables; just like the Easter Bunny!

Safety first

Consider food allergies when choosing recipes and consider alternatives where possible. Always wash your hands and support your child to wash their hands too. This recipe contains honey. If making for babies under 1, substitute the honey for golden or maple syrup

What to do

Before starting, peel and grate 3 carrots and place into a bowl. Ask your child to help you weigh out 40g raisins and add them to the bowl with the carrot, mixing well.

Show them an orange and a lemon. Do they know what they are? What is similar about them? What is different? Cut each in half and ask your child to help you use a citrus juicer to juice them. Pour the juices into a small pot or jar. Ask your child to measure out 1tsp honey and 1.5 tbsp olive oil using measuring spoons and add to the jar. Talk about what the mixture looks like.

Place the lid on top and ask your child to shake thoroughly to mix the dressing ingredients together. Talk about what the mixture looks like now it has been shaken together. Ask your child to pour the dressing on top of the salad and mix well.

More information

This recipe provides opportunities for your child to use comparative language as they compare the orange and lemon. They are also exploring what happens when ingredients are combined.

Easter crunch squares

These easy to make cakes will be a tasty treat the whole family will enjoy!

Safety first

Consider food allergies when choosing recipes and consider alternatives where possible. Always wash your hands and support your child to wash their hands too. Sweets such as Mini eggs pose a choking hazard to young children so make sure that these are crushed up in this recipe. Make sure that you place them in the plastic bag and they are not handled by your child. This recipe involves using the hob. Make sure your child understands that they must not go near the hob.

What to do

Invite your child to measure out 200g dark chocolate and 100g butter. Ask them to break up the chocolate and cut the butter into cubes. They can then place it in a large bowl.

Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and the bowl over the top with the dark chocolate and butter inside. Let this simmer stirring occasionally until all the chocolate has melted and the butter is incorporated. Stir through 2tbps cocoa. Leave for approximately 20 minutes stirring halfway. Show your child the mixture and talk about what is different now it has been heated.

Meanwhile line a tin approximately 20 x 30cm (A brownie tin is ideal) with cling film. Place the cling film in both directions so there are no gaps, and it hangs over the side of the tin a little.

Ask your child to weigh out 100g digestive biscuits and place these in a zip lock food bag. If your child has been given any Mini eggs or equivalent for Easter this is a great way to use them up, put them in with biscuits to smash up as they shouldn’t be left whole for young children as they could present a choking risk due to the size and shape. Seal the bag ensuring there is no air left inside. Place a clean tea towel over the top and ask your child to hit the biscuits (and Mini eggs) with a rolling pin.

Stir the biscuits and 100g raisins or sultanas into the chocolate mixture. You can also add any other left over sweets from Easter eggs. Pour the mixture into the lined tin. Shake the tin gently so the top is more or less even and refrigerate for 1 – 1.5 hours until set. Remove from the fridge, tip out onto a chopping board and remove cling film carefully. Cut into squares.

More information

Your child is learning about the affect of heat on materials. They are also learning to follow safety rules as you talk about which parts of the recipe they can help with and which parts they cannot.