Nicknamed aged three by a great aunt who noticed that my appetite for bread was bigger than I was, I’ve always loved baking. When our littlest loaf, Nino, was born back in February, I knew that spending time in the kitchen together was going to be one of our favourite past times.
For the first few months of Nino’s life, he’d happily snooze in the sling as I cooked. As he got older I’d explain what I was doing as he sat and played on the kitchen floor, and even though he’s still a little too young to actively help me out (at nine months his skillset with kitchen utensils is more focused around chewing and banging) he wolfs down the food I make him which, as a food-loving mum, is an absolute joy.
Although I love baking, we try to eat pretty healthily as a family and I’ve made the decision not to give Nino any processed sugar until he’s one (when I’m planning to pull out all the stops for his first birthday cake). These little star biscuits are sweetened only with a little apple juice and make the perfect finger food for babies as they’re easy to grip and dissolve with a few chews.
This recipe barely adapted from The River Cottage Baby and Toddler Cookbook which I’d highly recommend for new mums – it covers everything from purees to baby led weaning and places emphasis on fresh, whole ingredients, a rainbow of fruit and veg and food that the whole family can share. If your baby likes these biscuits, experiment with different juices, citrus zest and spice – in the run up to Christmas why not try orange juice, orange zest and cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger?
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Kate’s first cookbook, HOMEMADE MEMORIES: CHILDHOOD TREATS WITH A TWIST, was published on 5th June 2015.
Make and Taste 