Two healthy ‘sweet’ snacks to make with kids – fruit and seed muffins and fruit cereal pots

These snacks – fruit and seed muffins and fruit cereal pots – should be a hit with kids, are full of goodness and contain no sugar apart from what is naturally in the fruit and honey.

Fruit and seed muffins

These muffins (my version of a recipe from www.bbcgoodfood.com) are packed with berries and seeds, so much so that I thought the measurements must be wrong!  But they worked and my son Freddy devoured them, thinking he was getting a naughty snack.  They are good to make with kids, even tiny ones, as you can put the ingredients seperately in little bowls that they can add to the mixture by hand, spoon or pour them in.  They can stir everything together and sloppily fill the muffin cases with a little spoon, then see the difference 25 minutes in the oven makes!  You could make your own version using different fresh and dried fruit and nuts.  This recipe makes twelve and they can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Ingredients

225g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

3 large eggs

50g melted butter or marge

175ml milk

100ml honey

140g fresh blueberries

140g cranberries

60g raisons

60g seed mix

Zest of 1 orange

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases. Put the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then stir in the melted butter, milk and honey. Add to the flour with the remaining ingredients. Combine quickly without overworking (it’s fine if there are some lumps left – you want it gloopy rather than fluid). Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and pale golden on top. When cool, they’ll keep in an airtight tin for two days and in the freezer for a month.

Fruit cereal pots

This is a very simple snack that layers up any fruit, whatever cereal you happen to have (e.g. muesli/fruit and fibre/granola) mixed with seeds, honey and some natural yoghurt.  Kids can enjoy chopping the fruit (with a special child plastic knife if need be), spooning in or sprinkling on the ingredients and then squeezing the honey on top (Freddy loves this).

Ingredients

Whatever fruit you have, fresh or canned (skinless fresh or canned peaches/nectarines/apricots are good for little ones who are learning to chop as they are soft)

Natural yoghurt

Cereal mixed with seeds (e.g. pumpkin seeds or mixed seeds)

Honey

Top the chopped fruit with the yoghurt, then sprinkle over the cereal mixed with seeds.  Drizzle over the honey and eat!

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