Lockdown is tough enough when you’re rattling around the house on your own. But it can be even more of a challenge when you’re home-schooling your children (or at least trying to), too. One way to keep the kids motivated is to give them something to look forward to. And children being children, something sweet is often a good place to start. Here are 5 deliciously sweet, but reasonably healthy, baking recipes you can get your kids involved with once they’ve done all their homework.

A Healthy Choco Slice

This recipe is so simple you do not even need to bake it (though you can if you want to give it more of a caramel taste).

What you need

  • 5 pieces of Weetabix
  • A good handful of dates
  • 1 heaped tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 4 tbsp good quality cocoa
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • Splash of water

What you do

  1. Chuck everything into your food processor
  2. Pulse together until it forms a ball – if it seems a bit too sticky, add a splash of water to loosen
  3. Once it’s done, line your FlavorStone Diamond with baking paper – cut it to size then scrunch in up under running water to help it stick to the inside of your pan
  4. Then, simply press the mixture into your FlavorStone pan in a nice even layer
  5. For an added dash of sweetness, dust with icing sugar or pour over some melted chocolate
  6. Pop the pan into the fridge for a couple of hours
  7. Lift the finished ‘bake’ out of the FlavorStone pan and cut into even sized pieces

Cinnamon Cookies

These delicately spiced cookies are a hit with youngsters and oldies alike

What you need

  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
  • Couple of tbsp water
  • A good handful of porridge oats
  • A heaped tbsp of flour
  • A heaped tsp baking powder
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

What you do

  1. Start by preheating your oven to 180℃
  2. Pulse the poppy seeds and porridge oats in a food processor until you have a flour
  3. Next, melt the butter in your FlavorStone Pan over a medium heat
  4. Meanwhile, mix the flour, oat and seed flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl – add a pinch of salt
  5. Stir in the honey, melted butter and vanilla extract until you have a wet dough
  6. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up
  7. Line your FlavorStone with greaseproof paper
  8. Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto the paper-lined FlavorStone – you should get about 12
  9. Bake for 10 minutes until just golden
  10. Leave in the FlavorStone Pan while they cool, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Cookies minus the sugar

These sugar-free wonders use the natural sweetness of fruit – delicious!

What you need

  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 2 nice, ripe bananas
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 225g porridge oats
  • A good handful of raisins

What you do

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 170℃
  2. Melt the butter in your FlavorStone Pan then pour into a bowl
  3. Use a piece of kitchen towel to spread the remaining butter all around the FlavorStone
  4. Peel and mash the bananas into the butter, then whisk in an egg and the vanilla extract
  5. Mix in the porridge oats, cinnamon and raisins until it’s all combined
  6. Dollop the dough into your greased FlavorStone – you should get about 12 – then bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely golden
  7. Serve warm with a bit of ice cream, or leave to cool and enjoy with a glass of milk

Nice-and-Healthy Brownies

These brownies make great little treats for your kids’ lunchboxes

What you need

  • 35g plain flour
  • 3 tbsp good quality cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 50g desiccated coconut
  • A good handful of dates – chopped
  • 60g butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

What you do

  1. Preheat your oven to 160℃ (140℃ fan)
  2. Lightly grease your FlavorStone then line it with greaseproof paper
  3. Chuck all your dry ingredients into a food processor, then pulse until fine
  4. Pour in all your wet ingredients then pulse until just mixed
  5. Use a spatula to scrape the mixture into your FlavorStone Pan and spread out evenly
  6. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until set – if it wobbles when you take it out, leave it in for another 5 mins
  7. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then serve warm with a splash of cream

Banana Bread

This tastes so good, you’d never know it was low in sugar

What you need

  • 250g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 nice, ripe bananas – mashed
  • 2 tbsp runny honey – or more if you like it sweeter
  • 4 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

What you do

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 170℃
  2. Melt the butter in your FlavorStone then pour into a bowl
  3. Use a piece of kitchen towel to spread the remaining butter all around the FlavorStone
  4. Stir the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda into the butter bowl, the whisk in the honey, yoghurt, vanilla extract, bananas and eggs
  5. Use a spatula to scrape the mixture into your greased FlavorStone
  6. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes – it’s when a wooden skewer inserted into the mixture comes out clean
  7. Cool in your FlavorStone until safe to handle, then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely

FlavorStone Diamond Edition - The Pan That Can

The FlavorStone Diamond pans are versatile enough that you can use them on the hob or in the oven. For more delicious, nutritious and simple recipes have a look at our complete FlavorStone Pan recipe collection here.