(NAPSA)—Baking with kids chopped peanuts and place not only promotes togetherness balls on cookie targets on an and family traditions, but it can be a significant learning experience, improving and enhancing math and reading skills, teaching ungreased center of dough to make a small indent. Repeat with teamwork and discipline and fos- tering an appreciation of food. Since the kitchen can be a challenge for children, the first step a for parents is to establish some basic groundrules: Children should always ask for assistance if using the oven, cooktop, microwaveor knives. Bakers should always wash sizes by simply following the markings. It’s a system designed e Bakers should always assem- Here are two kid-friendly hands with soap and water before handling food. Portion guides will delight kids in the kitchen. to delight parents and youngsters alike. ble ingredients and equipment in advance. recipes perfect for a first experience in the kitchen: pot holders handy for little hands Peanut Butter & Jelly e Parents should always have at work. e Parents should always ex- plain baking steps in detail, from equipment to ingredients. To make baking more instruc- tive for kids, choose equipment carefully. Baker’s Secret’, for instance, offers a line called Precisionware, heavy-gauge, nonstick coated metal bakeware with stamped precision guides, among them cookie targets on baking sheets and fill lines on muffin and cake pans. Taking the guesswork out of baking, these guides specify the proper level of cake and muffin batter and the amount of cookie dough and where it’s placed—for uniform results. No overflowing muffins or cakes or cookies that melt together in the oven. Portion cuides let kids determine serving Precisionware cookie sheet. Press thumb into Thumbprints ' ' 14 l cup softened butter cup creamy peanut butter cup brown sugar egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 14 cups flour Pinch salt '% cup finely chopped peanuts 14 cup jam orjelly Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter and peanut but- ter together until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, mix until light and fluffy. Add sifted flour, salt, mixing constantly until well blended. Roll dough into one inch balls. Roll each ball over remaining dough. Bake about 10-12 minutes, until set and pale golden brown on the edges. Cool on sheet about 5 minutes, and then remove. Fill each cookie with '4 teaspoon of jam or jelly. Yields 30 cookies. Orange and Pineapple Muffins 1 84 ounce can crushed pineapple %4 cup milk 1 large beaten egg 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 14 teaspoonsalt ‘4 cup sugar ‘4 cup melted sweet butter Preheat oven to 400 F. Drain pineapple, reserve juice. Combine pineapple juice, milk, orange peel, beaten egg. Sift flour in large bowl; flour together with sugar, baking powder, salt. Blend in juice- milk mixture, alternating with melted butter. Mix until blended but not overmixed. Stir in drained pineapple. Pour batter into lightly greased Precisionware muffin pan. Bake 18-22 minutes, until golden brown. Yield: 12 muffins.
