Spring Inspired Cupcakes for Your Little Ones
This isn’t just another blog post about a yummy cupcake recipe on the internet. Yes, these cupcakes are delicious, but when you make these delicacies you not only get to spend quality time with your kids; you also get to teach them how to be freely creative.
PBS said in their article, Creativity and Play: Fostering Creativity, “Being creative is more than drawing or painting. There's also photography, music, field trips, working with wire, clay, paper, wood, water or shadows. The possibilities are endless.” And, I might add, baking!
Plopping the eggs in the bowl, stirring the batter, licking the spatula, all the way to frosting the cupcakes; watching the entire process from start to finish shows kids how fun and fulfilling it is to make something from nothing. Baking also fosters important skills like coordination, imagination, self expression, appreciation for art . . . the lessons are as endless as the possibilities for creativity.
With that being said, don’t let the potential of these benefits sit stagnant. Grab your whisk and ingredients, play some music and start creating today!
CUPCAKE BATTER
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
I cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup whole yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
*directions*
To begin, pour the milk or cream in a saucepan and add vanilla paste.
Take batter to tin, and fill each liner 3/4 of the way full.
*make sure to melt the butter and allow to cool for a couple minutes before adding to batter.
*for light, fluffy cupcakes be sure not to over mix, as overdoing it will make the batter more dense and heavy
FROSTING
2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (room temperature)2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 cups powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
*directions*
While cupcakes are cooling, place cream cheese, butter, powder sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Separate the frosting into 5 or 6 smaller bowls. Add a couple drops of food coloring to each. Try using colors like pastel pink, blue, orange, yellow and green to make masterpieces that feel like springtime!
FROSTING TIME
This is where you get to witness your kids ideas flourish! Watch them get messy with flour in their hair, frosting smeared across their foreheads, just enjoying their imaginations at work! Watch their faces light up as they use their hands to make something they're proud of. Watch their faces light up even more when they stuff those spring inspired cupcakes in their tiny mouths.
(And remember to take a photo.) It'll be a treat they'll always remember!
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