Every child loves to eat cookies, cakes, and other bakery products. What we get from outside bakery shops are usually not so healthy as they are loaded with lots of preservatives and artificial flavors.
Moms are on the constant lookout for healthy yet yummy party snacks for their kids and toddlers. Their recipes use the finest ingredients, are cooked in a hygienic environment with utmost love for their children.
Myself being a home-baker and a mom of 2 years old, I love baking biscuits, cakes, and other bakery products. The healthier version of bakery products interests me a lot. So to share with all your lovely moms I have selected a few of my favorite egg-less cakes and cookies.
#1. Healthy Nankhatai (multigrain cookies with pure ghee/clarified butter)
Nankhatai is one of the oldest and tastiest cookies I have ever eaten. As winter is approaching my version of nankhatai is little special, modified especially for toddlers above 8 months old. It has whole wheat flour, gram flour, semolina, rice flour, powdered sugar, ghee, almond, and a bunch of spices like clove, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
This recipe has spices and ghee which helps to boost immunity; and also has carbohydrate content to fill stomach and protein content to support development. It’s perfect snacks for kids with a sweet tooth. It can be stored for good 15-20 days in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
- Semolina (fine) – ¼th cup
- Gram flour (besan) – ¼th cup
- Rice flour – ¼th cup
- Powder sugar (pure cane sugar/brown sugar/jaggery powder can also be used) – ¾th cup (can be adjusted according to taste)
- Baking soda – ¼th tsp
- Ghee(Clarified butter) – 1 cup
- Spice mix – 2 clove+4 black pepper + ¼” cinnamon + 1/8 tsp of nutmeg + 4-6 green cardamom(all the spices should be roasted and ground to a powder)
- Almond – 30 big size ( roasted and powdered)
- Pinch of salt
Method:
- Preheat oven to 150°C. Line baking trays with baking paper.
- Melt ghee and let it cool for some time, then whisk it until fluffy.
- Add sugar to ghee and beat again till sugar is completely dissolved.
- Now add all the dry ingredients and combine together, then cover and keep in the refrigerator for 30-40 min.
- Make equal size balls and place them on a baking tray.
- Bake at 150 degrees for 15-20 min.
- Once nankhatai turns slightly brown in color take it out of the oven. Don’t press or lift immediately because it will be a little soft. After some time it will become perfect.
#2. Almond and spice whole wheat butter biscuit
Butter biscuits are a big hit amongst all kids. These very good food options for toddlers because they are so soft and just melts in the mouth and can be equally enjoyed by a toothless toddler. For teething also these biscuits are a good option because they are crusty on top and just melt in the mouth.
Ingredients :
- Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
- Baking powder – ½ tsp
- White sugar – ¼ cup(powder)
- Brown sugar – ¼ cup(powder)
- Butter – 150 g
- Almond – 30 almond powder
- Spice mix – 1 clove+2 black pepper + ¼” cinnamon + 1/8 tsp of nutmeg + 4 green cardamoms (all the spices should be roasted and grind to a powder).
- Milk(Room temperature) – 2 tbsp
Method:
- Using an electric mixer or a hand whisk, beat butter, sugar in a small bowl until pale and creamy.
- Sift flour, almond powder, spice mix, and baking powder over butter mixture.
- Add milk to the mixture for binding.
- Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 30-40 min.
- Preheat oven to 230°C. Line baking trays with baking paper.
- Make equal size balls and place them on a baking tray.
- Bake at 230 degrees for 15-20 min.
- Once biscuits turn slightly brown in color take it out of the oven. Don’t press or lift immediately because it will be a little soft. After some time it will become perfect. Can be stored in an airtight box for 20 days.
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#3. Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes
Who doesn’t love chocolate cake and when it’s healthy than nobody minds eating it. Chocolate cakes are most famous among kids and toddlers. So here is a healthy version of chocolate cake.
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour – 1 and ¼ cup
- cocoa powder – ¼ cup
- baking powder – 1 tsp
- baking soda – ½ tsp
- Curd – 1 cup
- Vinegar – 1 tsp
- Full cream Milk raw – ¼ cup
- White Sugar – ½ cup
- Brown sugar – ½ cup
- Oil – ½ cup
- Vanilla essence – 1 and ½ tsp
- Pinch of cinnamon powder
- A pinch of salt
Method:
- Preheat your oven at 170 to 180 degrees C.
- You can use a hand blender to blend all the ingredients quickly and easily.
- Take the curd in a big bowl; add sugar, vinegar, oil, milk, and vanilla essence. Make a smooth paste.
- Sieve all the dry ingredients. Whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Now in a bigger bowl add dry ingredients into wet ingredients in small batches and mix well.
- Add milk if the batter is too thick.
- Grease 12 cupcakes tray with oil and dust with flour or use cupcake liners.
- Pour the batter and tap gently to remove air bubbles.
- Place the tray inside an oven. Bake for around 20 to 25 minutes.
- To check if it is cooked, insert a toothpick and it should come out clean.
#4. Egg-less Fine Semolina (Rawa) cake with almond & coconut
Before I came to Bangalore I was not aware of semolina or Rava cake. It is a very famous Iyengar bakery Rava honey coconut cake. Very tasty cake. The most important thing about this cake is it’s easy to make and even if are baking for the first time very few chances of failure.
Ingredients:
- Fine Semolina/ rawa – 1cup.
- Sugar – 1/2 cup.
- Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
- Freshly grated coconut – 2 Tbsp
- Almond flakes – 1.5 tbsp (for garnishing)
- Finely chopped almond – 1.5 Tbsp (mix in batter)
- Oil – 1 /4cup+1tbsp
- Thick Curd – 1 /2 cup
- Milk – 1/4 cup.
- Cardamom essence – 1 tsp.
- Almond essence – 2 or 3 drops(optional)
Method:
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees.
- Grease a loaf tin and dust with flour and place a parchment paper and keep it aside.
- Melt the butter and keep it aside.
- In a mixing bowl beat sugar and curd.
- To this add semolina, baking powder, milk, almond, coconut and stir well.
- Add oil, almond essence, cardamom essence, and mix well and let the mixture rest for 5 mins.
- Then pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, tap the tin and sprinkle almond flakes n bake for 35mins.
- A skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool completely and cut into slices.
Soon I will come out with more easy and healthy recipes. Do comment in the comment box if you liked reading them.
By Prachi
