Use a boxed brownie mix or a simple cookie/muffin recipe. Measure everything out and show your tot what you're doing. Help them pour everything into the bowl and have fun! Help them turn the mixer on, teach them how to crack an egg. Supervise closely and be ready for spills and messes :)
It helps if you have everything out ahead of time and then bring your child in to help. I try to have all my ingredients and utensils on the counter so I don't have to leave him standing on the chair alone. With his short attention span, having everything out helps move things along before he gets bored.
Recently, my tot and I made banana bread together! Click here for my favorite easy recipe.
You can never supervise too closely. Case in point: In the photo above, we were pouring in eggs. In the photo below is what happened when I watched but didn't help. He actually almost dumped the egg into the bowl but as he pulled the cup back, the egg dropped to the floor! Haha!
Janet--I agree with this and just want to add that limiting the activity time to what your toddler can handle is key. For Halloween, I bought a roll of premade cookie dough, rolled it out and had Madeleine help me cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Then she helped decorate them with sprinkles. She lasted for one pan and then she was off doing something else. I finished the rest of the cookies later while she took her nap.
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