Roll up your sleeves and tie on those aprons, cooking with kids can get messy but it’s definitely worth it!

With the school holidays upon us it’s a great time to get the kids in the kitchen and teach them an important skill for life. There are lots of benefits including getting them to try new foods and expand their palate and also understanding where food comes from and what different foods look like. Plus, they are more likely to eat it if they have helped prepare it!

We have selected five kid-friendly recipes featuring macadamias for you to have fun with these school holidays. Click on the dish title for the detailed recipe and instructions.

Macadamia chocolate crackles
Chocolate crackles are what many happy childhood memories are made of. And our take on this perennial favourite, macadamia chocolate crackles, will delight both the young and young at heart. Perfect for parties, cake stalls and sleepover treats, these chocolate crackles burst with flavour thanks to the addition of roasted macadamias. This recipe is sure to get your kids mixing, measuring and munching away.

Macadamia fruity snack bars
Great for a mid-morning snack, these nutrient rich macadamia fruity snack bars will provide a much-needed energy boost for active kids – and they’ll love helping you make them. With dried fruits, seeds and macadamias, these bars are made from wholesome ingredients, and importantly, taste delicious.

Prawn, fish and macadamia cakes with mint yoghurt
These prawn, fish and macadamia cakes are full of flavour and are quick to prepare – plus they’re a fantastic way to get seafood on your child’s plate. Simply process local prawns and boneless fish fillets, add the macadamias and other remaining ingredients then roll into patties (that’s the fun part!). Once cooked these fish cakes can be served with a simple mint yoghurt which is also kid-friendly to make.

Macadamia and quinoa chicken nuggets
Kids love chicken nuggets, and now you can make your own and know exactly what ingredients are included. Taking just 20 minutes to prepare, these macadamia and quinoa chicken nuggets are an easy dinner idea. Chicken tenderloin pieces are topped with a crunchy coating of macadamias and quinoa then oven baked for a crisp and flavoursome taste. You’ll find the full recipe here.

Macadamia butter biscuits
Baking these moreish, chewy macadamia butter biscuits is the perfect way to spend a school holiday afternoon. First, you’ll need to make up a batch of macadamia butter, see our recipe here. Then, add this to the biscuit batter, place heaped teaspoonfuls of the batter on a baking tray and flatten slightly. Ask the kids to place an extra macadamia on top of each biscuit. Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes and leave cool on wire racks. Just watch out for wandering hands during the cooling process!