Sweet Surprises: Baking Gifts for Kids that Delight!

Popcorn is a classic treat for family movie night. Kids can help make the snack with the Presto Poplite Hot Air Popper. Not only is it simple to use, the Poplite also doesn’t require any oil. It’s able to pop up to 18 cups of popcorn in just 2.5 minutes. The built-in popcorn measuring cup also doubles as a convenient butter warmer. Thanks to the curved chute, the popcorn can fall directly into a serving bowl. Our testers loved how the model was easy to clean since there wasn’t any oily residue. They also praised the overall compact frame of the popper, which made it easy to store. However, the testers did note that the unit needed to cool down between uses.

Even if your toddler is too young to really get into cooking, you can still foster a love of food from an early age. This fun dining set does more than turn mealtime into playtime. It encourages kids to explore and experiment with whatever you put on their plate.

Sometimes the best treats are the ones you can whip up in just a few minutes flat—particularly if the task involves hungry kids. This cool insulated bowl is a great alternative to more cumbersome ice cream machines, as it preps ice cream, gelato, and other frozen desserts in just 120 seconds.

Trade those trusty markers for a different kind of drawing tool—a pen that deposits real chocolate as your child writes. The kit comes with a melting tray that holds four colored chocolates and a pen that automatically loads to minimize mess, plus 40 mold designs to help guide the creative process.

If you have a child who is already into cooking, you can really make them feel like a pro with a chef’s hat. This affordable three-pack is great if things get a little messy and you need to plop one in the washer, or invite a couple of friends over and let everyone feel like a pro baker or chef. Each hat has an elastic band so it can be adjusted for comfort.

Artistry and baking can go hand in hand. Encourage kids’ creativity with this Majestic Mermaid Cookie Decorating Kit from Cookies by Design. Depending on which size is ordered, there are 10 or 20 pre-baked sugar cookies in the shapes of mermaid tails, clam shells, and starfish. In terms of decorating, the kit includes sugar sprinkles and four bags of colored icing in purple, light purple, turquoise, and light turquoise. Cookies by Design also has a number of other themes available, including Magical Unicorns, Summer Vibes, and a Birthday Kit.

There’s a reason the Easy Bake oven has been around for as long as it has—it’s a great and safe foray into the world of baking. The electric oven comes with everything your child needs to make frosted brownies—a baking pan, pan tool, chocolate brownie mix, vanilla frosting mix, rainbow sugar crystals, and, of course, step-by-step instructions.

Here’s a fresh idea: Help a budding chef hone their skills by giving them a cookbook they can work their way through from start to finish. This #1 New York Times Best Seller from America’s Test Kitchen is a great choice, since each recipe—breakfast, snacks, beverages, dinners, desserts, and more—is developed by expert chefs and thoroughly tested by more than 750 kids.

You can get your child excited about cooking even before it’s safe for them to do much in the real kitchen with a toy version. This modern toy replica is about as cute as it gets. There’s an oven, stove, sink, cabinet for storing pots and pans (sold separately), and even a chalkboard for writing out today’s specials.

Cooking and baking are incredible hobbies (and skills), but what about candy making? This incredible candy making kit from Playz not only teaches kids how to make a variety of candies, but it teaches important STEM concepts at the same time. For example, while making rock candy, kids can learn about the science of density and crystallization. The set includes 40 experiments, more than 20 tools, and recipes to make all sorts of candies. It’s a gift that is as sweet as it is smart.

Spatulas are an invaluable tool in the kitchen. They’re great for scraping every last bit of batter to make chocolate brownies, or mixing ingredients together for a savory barbecue sauce. This set of silicone spatulas has a variety of colors, sizes, and styles–perfect for tackling any number of recipes. The offset spatula is great for smoothing out icing atop a cake. The spoon-shaped spatula can help with sampling soups. All in all, the set is handy and versatile. As a bonus, there is a silicone basting brush, a balloon whisk, and an egg separator included with the spatulas.

Surprise a Disney fan with an appliance that marries two great loves. The mini waffle maker makes one 6-inch Mickey Mouse character waffle (try your hand at a grilled cheese, too!), plus features a few important safety features for young cooks, like non-skid feet and a power light that indicates when the appliance is on and hot.

A portable play kitchen is ideal for cooking-curious kids who are short on space or always on the go. Though it takes up less than a square foot, this wooden mini-electric stove from Hape packs in plenty of features, including an inbuilt fan, which makes the food turn in the pan, plus three double-sided felt disks, so your chef in training can prepare meat and vegetables, fried salmon, spaghetti, bacon and eggs, curried chicken legs, and pancakes. It’s perfect for playing along while you cook on your portable induction burner, too.