Cooking with Kids: “ Chocolate Caramel Apple ” Cookies

Encouraging Speech & Creating Yum! Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookies

Fall is in the air and that means apple season… or Chocolate Caramel Apple Season.

Who doesn’t like Chocolate Caramel apples, but who has time to make them? And who wants their children eating all that processed sugar? Well we’ve created a No Cooking Easy-Semi Healthy Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookie that can be made easily and quickly, even as an after school treat. The secret is our pre-made “Healthy Caramel Spread” made from dates and will keep in the fridge for up to 2-4 weeks. Yum for all!

Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookies Ingredients

1 apple
2 tablespoons Healthy Caramel Spread (made from dates)
Coconut shreds
Chocolate chips or Cacao nibs
Pecans or any nuts you desire. (optional of course)
Chocolate chip drizzle

Instructions/Preparation

Parent/Kiddo: Chop Nuts

Parent/Kiddo: Core apple parent may need to help. Tip: turn apple upside down to find the best angle to insert apple corer.

Parent/Kiddo: Slice apple into thin rings.

Kiddo: Spread pre-made healthy caramel sauce made from dates (see recipe)

https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/article/healthy-caramel-apple-spread/

Kiddo: Top with pecans, coconut shreds, and chocolate chips.

Parent/Kiddo: Melt Chocolate chips for drizzle across apples. Rinse out a microwave safe glass ramekin. Leave ramekin wet add about 1 tablespoon chocolate chips. Microwave at two separate 10 seconds intervals (no more) it will burn. After removing from microwave chocolate chips will not be completely melted stir with spoon, add drops of water to thin for a drizzle consistency. Using the same spoon drizzle over top of Chocolate Carmel Apple cookies.

Super Easy, Semi-healthy and… Super Fun!

Eat! Talk! Enjoy! (Language tips to help encourage speech with the recipe on pg. 2)

Language Time

Cooking and baking can not only be a special bonding time, but also a time to help facilitate language and communication while having fun! These chocolate caramel cookies are easy to make which makes it even easier to work on some basic language skills. Before beginning the recipe, review the recipe. Discuss the different ingredients and the kitchen tools you will need to use (e.g. knife, corer, bowl). You can work on categories by asking your child to categorize each ingredient into a different food group. In addition, work on function of objects by asking your child to tell you what each kitchen tool does. Work on improving literacy by writing the ingredients down on a piece of paper and asking your child to identify and name the ingredients. You can also build on following directions by asking your child to follow simple directives (e.g. wash the apple, slice the apple, etc.). For a child who can follow multi-step directives, add several steps at a time with intermittent prompts (e.g. wash the apple and then core it). If your child needs help coring the apple, encourage them to ask for help in the appropriate way (e.g. saying “Can you please help me?” versus “I can’t do this!”). As you are going through each step, take some snapshots with your phone or camera so that you can review the recipe with your child after the cookies are done. Give choices and let your child take the lead, if appropriate. This will help increase independence which can help overall life skills. Encourage the use of descriptive terms and make it a sensory experience by letting your child smell, taste and feel the ingredients. Ask your child “What does it taste like. Is it sweet or salty”? Play a game by closing your eyes and then have your child try to guess what the ingredient is based on touch and smell alone. To learn more about making cooking a sensory experience, check out my article here.

When you are done with the cookies, sit down together and discuss how you made them using your photos as visual cues, if necessary.

Carryover Activities

Read a picture book about cooking and/or apples such as Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship,or The Duckling Gets a Cookie?! and Apples for Everyone.

Becca Eisenberg is a mother of two young children and a speech language pathologist, author and instructor. Her website, www.gravitybread.com encourages learning time during mealtime. On her website, she writes children’s book recommendations, app recommendations, as well as child friendly recipes with language tips their family.

Inspired and Adapted from Amy Layne at DamyHealth.com and RachelSchultz.com

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This post originally appeared on our September/October 2014 Magazine

Cooking with Kids: “ Chocolate Caramel Apple ” Cookies

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