(NAPSA)—Baking with kids helps to promote family traditions and build loving memoriesof little hands at work. It’s also an impor- = tant learning experience, improving math and reading skills, teaching team work and an understanding of food. For children, the kitchen is a place where ground rules need to be established, chiefly in safety. Be sure to ask Mom’s or Dad’s permission to use the kitchen. Always ask for help when using the oven, cooktop, microwave or knives. Always wash hands with soap and waterbefore starting. Assemble ingredients and equipmentbefore starting. Be sure to keep kid-friendly pot holders available. The bakeware to use should be durable and designed for easy handling and cleaning. A great choice is T-Fal’s Patisserie, crafted of heavy-gauge aluminum in a light gray nonstick inside andout. The nonstick coating offers unsurpassed releasability, so cakes, cookies, muffins and other goodies pop out of pans withoutsticking. Cleanups are a breeze with Patisserie, washing up effortlessly in soap and warm wateror in the dishwasher. Here are two prize-winning recipes from T-Fal’s 2002 Perfect Baker Contest. Cream Cheese Ginger Muffins by Julie Stutzman Makes one dozen 2% 114 1 '% '% '% % \% %4 %4 1 cups cakeflour teaspoons baking soda teaspoonsalt teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon ground cloves teaspoon ground ginger cup shortening cup sugar cup molasses cup hot water, divided egg, lightly beaten FortheFilling: 8 ounces cream cheese \% cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg Photo: Lou Manna Kids love to pitch in when bakingis on the menu. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside. In mixer, cream sugar and shortening; add molasses. Alternately add % of the flour mixture and % of hot water, mixing well after each addition and ending with the flour. With mixer running, gradually add the egg, mixing until it is combined; continue to mix for 2 minutes. Makefilling: In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg. Beat until smooth. Set aside. Pour batter into a T-Fal Patisserie 12-cup nonstick muffin pan,filling cups to half full. Add a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to each. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until done. Sesame Almond Thumbprints by Mindee Perdue Makes 3 dozen cookies 1% % %4 % \% cupsall purpose flour teaspoon baking powder teaspoonsalt cup unsalted butter cup unsalted crunchy almond butter '% cup tahini (sesame seed paste) '% teaspoon almondextract '% % '% 2 1 2 teaspoonvanilla extract cup light brown sugar cup sugar tablespoons sesame seeds egg cups sliced raw almonds Granulated sugar, for rolling cookies 1 cup raspberry preserves Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder andsalt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, almond butter, tahini, extracts, and sugars. Stir in sesame seeds and % of the dry ingredients. Add the egg; mix well. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and stir just until mixed. Form the doughinto 1” round balls and roll in the sliced almonds, pressing to adhere. Then,roll in the granulated sugar and place on two T-Fal Patisserie nonstick baking sheets. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie andfill with % teaspoon raspberry preserves. Bakefor 13-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a cooling rack. For more great bakingrecipes, visit www.t-fal.com.
