Simple Infant Finger Food Recipes

Fruity Breakfast (age 6 months+)

1/2 small banana

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1-2 tbsp fresh, ripe peach, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1-2 tbsp baby oatmeal/porridge

(or regular oats ground in a food processor)

1. Mash the yogurt and banana together until well blended.
2. Add the peach cubes and stir well, until the cubes are coated.
3. Roll the cubes in the oatmeal flakes to make them easy for baby to pick up, then serve

Sweet Potato And Cinnamon (age 6 months+)

1 sweet potato

ground cinnamon

1. Bake the sweet potato in its skin, until tender. 
2. Cool, then carefully remove the skin. 
3. Cut into cubes, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.
   

Butternut Squash Ravioli (age 6 months+)

Soft and ‘squidgy’, this ravioli makes the perfect gummable finger food for tiny diners! You can, of course, substitute the butternut squash filling for another of your baby’s favourite veggies – but we think this recipe looks great and tastes yummy just as it is!

2 oz (1/2 cup) flour (unbleached)

2 oz (1/2 cup) semolina flour

2-3 fl oz (1/3 cup) very warm water

1 tbsp olive oil

around 6 oz (3/4 cup) butternut squash, peeled, cooked and mashed

pinch of sweet paprika (optional)

1. Mix the flours together, then slowly add the oil and water, mixing well (this is easiest to achieve with a food processor set at the lowest speed).
2. The mixture should become a ball of dough – if it seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time until a ball is formed.
3. Knead the dough thoroughly, then divide into two pieces.
4. Roll out each piece VERY thinly.
5. Stir the paprika into the butternut squash.

THEN EITHER

1. Take heaped teaspoons of the butternut squash and place at intervals along 1 sheet of pasta.
2. Place the other sheet of pasta over the top and press down around the ‘mounds’ of butternut squash.
3. Next, cut around the butternut squash mounds with a very sharp knife.
4. Create a decorative edge for your ravioli by pressing all the way around the edge with the wet prongs of a fork.

OR

1. Splash out on some ravioli moulds. They are inexpensive and make it much easier to create perfect ravioli shapes!

NEXT…

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then carefully slide in your ravioli shapes (we find it best to cook just three or four at a time).
2. When the shapes rise to the surface of the water, they are ready. Carefully remove them with a slotted spoon.
3. Serve as they are – with a fresh tomato sauce for babies already enjoying tomatoes – or even with a sauce of another veggie puree thinned with a little stock!

Readers' Pics

Yuuuummmyyy Ravioli!!! 

My son Daniel LOVES this recipe. I started by using the Butternut Squash Ravioli recipe and have now tried lots of different veggies inside the ravioli and he can’t get enough.

He is 11 months old in this picture.

Heather – Ada, Michigan, USA

Send in your baby food photograph!

Baby Chicken Fingers With Apple (age 7/8 months+)

8 oz (1 cup) ground chicken

1 medium carrot

1 medium apple

1/2 garlic clove

1/2 small onion

1 small egg yolk, beaten

1 oz (1/4 cup) fresh breadcrumbs

pinch crushed, dried thyme

pinch freshly ground black pepper

1. Peel and grate the carrot, apple, garlic and onion.
2. Place into a mixing bowl, along with the ground chicken.
3. Add the beaten egg yolk, breadcrumbs, thyme and black pepper. Mix well.
4. Take small balls of the mixture and roll into 8 little “sausages”.
5. Place on a grill pan (broiler) and heat under the grill for 10 mins on each side.
6. Allow to cool.
7. Serve, or store some in the freezer for future use (if you haven’t already eaten them!)

Cheesy Vegetable Nuggets (age 7/8 months+)

8 oz (1 cup) frozen broccoli florets

4 oz (1 cup) dry breadcrumbs

6 oz (1 1/2 cups) Cheddar, grated

2 1/2 tbsp water

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Heat the oven to 375 deg F, 190 deg C.
2. Cook the broccoli, then drain and chop well.
3. Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Form the mixture into nugget shapes and place on a greased baking tray, about 3 in apart.
5. Bake for 20-25 mins, turning halfway through the cooking time.
6. Serve warm.

Tempting Tofu Nuggets (age 10 months+)

1 package of firm tofu

4 oz (1 cup) finely crushed cornflakes

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated finely

dash of garlic powder (optional)

egg yolk, beaten well (or milk if you want to avoid eggs)

1. Heat the oven to 375 deg F, 190 deg C.
2. Cook the broccoli, then drain and chop well.
3. Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Form the mixture into nugget shapes and place on a greased baking tray, about 3 in apart.
5. Bake for 20-25 mins, turning halfway through the cooking time.
6. Serve warm.

Baby Meatballs (age 10 months+)

8 oz (1 cup) lean minced/ground beef

4 oz (1/2 cup) mashed potatoes

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg F, 180 deg C.
2. Combine the ingredients and blend well.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls.
4. Place on a baking tray and cook for around 20 mins.
5. Drain the fat, then cool and serve.

Applesauce Muffins (age 10 months+)

2 oz (1/4 cup) softened butter

2 oz (1/4 cup) sugar

1 egg (if your baby is under 1 year, you may prefer to use these egg substitutes)

3 oz (3/8 cup) applesauce (here’s our sugar free applesauce recipe)

4 oz (1 cup) flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 200 deg C, 390 deg F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light.
3. Beat in the egg until fluffy.
4. Beat in the applesauce.
5. Stir the dry ingredients together and add them to the bowl, blending just enough to moisten the dry ingredients.
6. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake for around 15 mins, until golden.

Readers' Pics

I used banana instead of egg, whole wheat flour, & homemade applesauce. What a great breakfast and snack! So easy and quick to make! Steven loved them so much he gobbled 2 right up!!!

Cara – Plainfield, IN, USA

Send in your baby food photograph!

Cheesy Zucchini Muffins (age 10 months+)

These zucchini (or courgette) muffins are the ideal infant finger food for encouraging your little one to eat up his veggies!

2 eggs (if your baby is not yet eating whole eggs, you may prefer to use these egg substitutes)

6 fl oz (3/4 cup) milk – use whole milk, formula or breast milk

5 fl oz oz (2/3 cup) olive oil

4 oz (1 cup) all purpose flour

4 oz (1 cup) whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 medium zucchini (courgette), grated

1 to 2 tsp dried oregano (adjust according to your baby’s taste)

3 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 450 deg F, 230 deg C..
2. Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl, then stir in the oil.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
4. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until the flour is moistened (the batter should look lumpy-don’t try to make it smooth).
5. Carefully stir in the zucchini and oregano.
6. Spoon into greased muffin tins (you should get 12 muffins) and top with the cheese.
7. Bake for around 20 to 25 mins, then cool and serve!

Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels (age 12 months+)

Lightly toasted bagels are ideal finger foods for older babies who are comfortably biting and chewing – and this recipe includes honey,making it suitable for babies of AT LEAST 12 months of age (honey should not be given to infants before their first birthday).

12 fl oz (1 and 1/2 cups) water at 100-115 deg F (check with a thermometer as the temperature is important in achieving a good result)

1 package of yeast

1 and 1/2 tbsp honey (see note above)

8 oz (2 cups) whole wheat (wholemeal) flour

8 oz (2 cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Combine the water, honey and yeast in a bowl, then allow to stand for 5 mins.

1. Stir in the salt and flour, mixing thoroughly until the dough forms a large ball. Add a little extra flour if the mixture is too moist,or a little extra water if the mixture is too dry.
2. On a floured surface, knead the dough thoroughly for 10 mins until it is smooth and elastic.
3. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap. Leave to rise for one hour.
4. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, then divide it into 10 equal pieces.
5. Shape the pieces into balls, then cover them and allow them to rest for 15 mins.
6. Next, add 2 tbsp sugar to a large saucepan of water and heat until boiling. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F (200 deg C).

Now it’s time to make the ‘bagel’ shape. There are two ways to do this…

You can roll the ball into a sausage, then join the ends together to form a circle (although we find our bagels sometimes come undone when made this way!)

OR

Push your thumb through the centre of each ball to make the hole, then stretch out the circle to a traditional bagel size (much easier!).

Carefully place the bagels, 2 or 3 at a time, into the boiling water and boil for 4 mins, turning them over after the first 2 mins.

Remove each bagel with a slotted spoon, blot with a paper towel (do this gently – the bagels will be sticky), then place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 mins until golden. When ready to serve, split the bagels, toast them and top with cream cheese… or whatever your baby enjoys!

VARIATION: Try adding raisins and a teaspoon of cinnamon when your stir in the flour (soak the raisins in apple juice first to soften them).

You can read about this recipe here on our blog

A yummy finger food recipe with apples…

Sweet Potato and Apple Pancakes

Sugar free and made with mixed whole grains!