Recipes: Sweet treats for kids parties

Kid’s party. Those two words can strike fear into the heart of any parent, myself included, especially when it comes to feeding the little darlings.

More than any other party, children’s parties pose the age-old dilemma of how to balance sweet stuff with healthier savoury options. In some ways, I guess, it depends on whether you have a bouncy castle or games that let them burn off all that sugar- fuelled energy before you send them home, exhausted but elated, to their grateful parents.

Then there’s the minefield of trying to please everyone, even though inevitably there are a few fussy eaters who will spurn your culinary efforts with all the disdain that only a person under three feet tall can muster. Sometimes though it’s the parents that you know silently tut-tut what’s on offer. I reckon saying No to fizzy drinks gets a thumbs up all round. Crisps and popcorn are de rigeur. Homemade croque monsieurs or homemade chicken goujons are always popular with small and big folks and pizzas are always a hit.

At the last party, I made a big pineapple fruit salad which was completely forgotten about and probably served me right for trying to create an illusion of blissful and united healthy eating. The heavily branded, luminous-pink store-bought cake was the culinary highlight of the day. Sometimes you just have to give in, I thought, as I looked at the best before date on the cake packet. Seems like this baby would be good for at least four years.

Of course, a children’s party wouldn’t be a party without at least some sweet stuff. If it’s going to be homemade, I tend to make just one or two things and one of these can of course be the cake. It is this less-is-more approach that shaped my recipes this week.

Following on from last week’s yummy Noma-inspired brownies, I experimented with its cookie recipe. And oh my, these are good, so good that I used them to make ice-cream sandwiches. This option is definitely for older children as (a), it’s pretty substantial and (b), littlies tend not to like darker chocolate so much. We made a huge batch for the column but I put half the raw dough in the freezer for, yes, my little one’s birthday party, and they turned out just as nice.

The second recipe, a version of millionaires’ shortbread, uses peanuts for its crunchy base, so it’s less sweet – only marginally, though, as it has the usual topping of caramel and chocolate. These can be cut into any size so are good for parties, but they are also more than good enough for adults. When the kids go home, who wouldn’t want a cup of tea and something sweet?