Favorite Products for Cooking and Baking with Kids

Cooking with kids can be messy, fun, and memorable—but it’s also one of my favorite ways to spend time together. Recently, we’ve been turning our kitchen into a little “test kitchen” of our own. From planning meals to whipping up desserts, the kids love being part of the process, and I’ve been excited to see how much confidence and life skills they’re building along the way.

One of the best parts? They aren’t just eating the food—they’re learning how to read recipes, measure ingredients, and get creative with flavor. Here are a few of our favorite tools and cookbooks that make cooking with kids fun (and doable!).

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Cookbooks We Love

The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs (America’s Test Kitchen)
If you’re just starting out, this cookbook is a must-have. It begins with simple lessons on how to read recipes, common kitchen tools, and how to measure ingredients correctly. The recipes are approachable but exciting, and my kids love that they can plan an entire meal from start to finish. Recently, they served up fruit skewers, chicken tacos, brownies, and strawberry lemonade—all from this book!

👉 Shop The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs here

The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs (America’s Test Kitchen)
For dessert lovers, this baking book is a winner. From cookies to cakes to pies, it has tons of fun baking projects for kids. It even has recipes in there for breads, muffins and pastries, so you can bake something up for anytime of the day! The step-by-step format makes it easy for them to follow along, and it’s been a great way to spark their creativity in the kitchen.

👉 Shop The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs here

Small Appliances the Kids Can Use

Dash Mini Waffle Maker
This adorable little waffle maker has quickly become a favorite in our house. It’s compact, simple to use, and makes the perfect portion size. Our oldest now makes chocolate chip waffles in the morning all on her own—instant independence (and breakfast done before I’ve had my coffee!). It's easy to clean and store, which makes it a favorite in my book as well!

👉 Shop the Dash Mini Waffle Maker here

Dash Donut Maker
Who doesn’t love donuts? The Dash Donut Maker makes baking them at home simple and fun. This one requires a little more teamwork to get the batter in the molds, but the donut is a perfect 2-bite size. The best part for my kids is coming up with creative toppings—sprinkles, glaze, powdered sugar, you name it. It’s quick to use and clean up is a breeze, which makes it a parent win, too.

👉 Shop the Dash Donut Maker here

Fun Baking Kits

Baketivity Cake Pop Kit
Cake pops are always a hit, and this kit made them so easy. All of the dry ingredients come pre-measured, and you don't need to purchase any molds or special supplies to make the cake pops. The kids had a blast mixing, baking, and decorating, and I loved that it was relatively stress-free. Best of all - they were delicious!

👉 Shop the Baketivity Cake Pop Kit here

Baketivity Pretzel Kit

There are few things my kids love more than soft pretzels, so when we tried the Baketivity Hot Pretzel Kit, it was an instant hit in our house. Between the easy-to-follow instructions, pre-packaged ingredients, and hands-on fun of twisting dough into pretzel shapes, this kit turned into one of our favorite baking experiences yet. This one speaks for itself: the pretzels came out warm, golden, and soft. The kids devoured them, and I’ll admit…I definitely went back for seconds

👉 Shop the Baketivity Pretzel Kit here

Why We Love Cooking Together

Cooking with kids takes a little patience (and a lot of paper towels), but it’s so worth it. Watching them confidently measure out flour, plan a menu, or decide what toppings go on donuts has been such a fun experience. They’re learning independence, creativity, and problem-solving—and we’re all enjoying delicious food along the way.

If you’re looking for a way to spend more quality time together, these cookbooks and gadgets are a perfect place to start. Who knows? You might even find your kids cooking breakfast for you one day.