Pumpkin apple ( & chocolate) muffins with my almost 3 year old

I look forward to pumpkin season to make Aimee France’s muffins with my daughter. They are so delicious and Aimee’s recipe is forgiving. There are lots of ingredients but trust me, it’s worth it! And even though there are a lot of ingredients, they are divided up into dry and wet, which keeps it simple.

I’ve adjusted this recipe to meet my daughter in her kitchen journey. She is comfortable in the kitchen now and loves helping. She wants to do everything herself “like a big girl.” More importantly, I am comfortable with her in the kitchen (mostly). She now measures out each ingredient whereas before I would have each ingredient pre-measured out. Please note, I am always assisting her when she is measuring. Do what is best for you and your kiddo in order to enjoy yourselves.

When my daughter was younger and new to the kitchen, I did this recipe differently. I started by pre-measuring out all the ingredients, putting them in small recipients and letting her do all the pouring into the bowls. This was simple and she was happy to be a part of this.
Once she got good at pouring, I added in whisking and mixing, using child size utensils (this makes a difference for them.)
Egg cracking was next and this took lots of time. In fact, she mostly got her practice in by making scrambled eggs for us.
One of my favorite parts of making these muffins with her is we always sat by the oven, hung out and watched the muffins rise while they baked. She loved this part too.
Adjust the steps to this recipe to meet your child where they are in their developmental stage and their (and your) comfort level in the kitchen. I can’t encourage this enough. I believe it’s much better to do simple tasks that will build your child’s confidence than push them too far creating an environment for over-stimulation and meltdown.

Like anything, cooking with your child takes practice. But once you reach a point where you and they feel comfortable in the kitchen, it’s fun, a great way to bond and an excellent way to teach life skills.
Below, I list all the ways I prepare myself. I also list out what your child will be practicing.

Wherever you are in your kitchen journey with your kiddo I always recommend setting yourself up the best you can.
I have found it very useful to eliminate my phone to reference the recipe and write out each of the wet and dry ingredients on post-it notes that I stick on the cupboard. This way I have all their quantities at eye level, hands free. This makes it so much easier to read and just be present with my daughter.

Here is what your child will be practicing while making this recipe :
Measuring ingredients with different sized teaspoons
Weighing out ingredients with a scale or with different sized cups
Pouring
Cracking (eggs)
Cutting (apples)
Aiming (filling the muffin tins)
Cleaning up
Working together with daddy, mommy or the caretaker
Self-control, not eating too much dough 🙂

Ways to prepare yourself :
-we always encourage you to read through the Step by steps prior so that you are familiar with the recipe and you can decide for yourself what you want to pre-prep
-accept that it will get messy and let it!
-plan on being absolutely present with your kiddo during the entire process best you can
-if you are measuring with your child prepare post-its with each ingredient and it’s measurements for quick use
-gather all the ingredients out on the counter, out of child’s reach
-if your child is not measuring, pre-measure each ingredient so their ready to pour
-consider pre-peeling & pre-slice the apples, if that feels good to you, leaving your kiddo to cut up the slices
-cooking with kids is more about the process rather than the outcome. The goal is to make it enjoyable for all!