6 Great Cookbooks for Kids of All Ages

This collection is perfect for ages 2-5 and includes recipes from favorite Sesame Street characters Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and more. Offering education and entertainment to all of us since 1969, Sesame Street Let’s Cook does not disappoint! There are beautiful color images of each recipe, nutrition details and simple steps that are easy for a young baker to follow. Plus, each page has teaching moments that encourage your child to learn the alphabet, counting and matching. We especially love Bert and Ernie’s Best Buddies Banana Pancakes and Elmo’s Surprise! Chocolate-Raspberry Cupcakes.

Our young friend Emerson, who is not only a passionate chef but also a published author at the age 11, suggested this one as a must-have cookbook, and we couldn’t agree more! The recipes are perfect for kids aged 8-11 and include breakfasts, after-school-snacks and goodies for sleepovers (to name a few) and were tested by more than 750 kids to get them just right for chefs of all skill levels. We of course love the scientific approach to the recipes featured in this cookbook, and I love that the recipes include handy tips on how to properly cut, hold and handle food as they work. This one is definitely fun and a big confidence builder!

Cooking Around the Country: USA Regional Recipes and Fun Activities (Cooking with Kids)
Written and Amy Houts

This one is a bit older (2010), but hits home with our family because it incorporates the love of food with travel and adventure. Houts has included tasty recipes from 10 US regions that illustrate the cultural differences that make up our country. This is a wonderful tool for teaching 9-12-year-olds geography, science, and history and that we all live in a multicultural world with so much tasty food to offer! The cookbook instructions are clear and concise, and we love the variety! We are big fans of the Johnny Cake Muffins, and the Boston Baked Beans are always a hit with my daughter.

Pizza School: A Kids’ Cookbook for Aspiring Pizza Makers
Written by Charity Curley Mathews

If you had to choose between Mexican or Italian food for the rest of your life, what would you pick? It’s a no-brainer in our house, as pizza is one of our staple dinners at least one night per week. Pizza School (perfect for kids 6-12) covers all the bases, from making a variety of doughs, sauces and toppings, as well as creating classic recipes and trying new flavor and ingredient combinations pulled from all around the world. Truly, this one is so much fun, and I think inspires our kids to put on their art hats and get really creative! Plus, how can you really go wrong with bread, cheese, and a fun way to incorporate more vegetables and protein into your child’s diet?

This cookbook really packs a punch in the creativity department. In this cookbook for kids, there are silly jokes, fun facts, connect-the-dot activities and puzzles to accompany simple, safe recipes that can best be described as edible art projects. 4-9 year olds will particularly enjoy it and Chlo and Bell-Allen, a mother-daughter team, offer parents and grandparents wonderful ways to present every-day food in new and imaginative ways.  The photography is top notch and I love the idea that you’re very much encouraged to play with your food.

One thing I’ve definitely passed on to my kids is baked goods as a love language. Dahle teaches kids all of the best baking skills, including how to roll your own cookie dough, creaming together butter and sugar and more. Designed for 8-14 year olds, I promise this cookbook for kids will end up being a favorite for grown-ups, too! The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book includes a large variety of flavors and with the easy-to-follow recipes, this is another great option for helping build your little one’s confidence. We’ve just made a batch of the Family Road Trip Muddy Buddies for our upcoming vacation and are excited to try the Hot Cocoa Cookies as we get closer to Christmas!