Crispy Wontons

Too often, a hungry baby can turn into a picky toddler. At mealtime, toddlers can become less interested in mushy foods and a lot more interested in playing, watching the dog eat food that falls from the highchair, and finger painting with the food on the tray. They also become a lot more interested in the textures of food. They begin to prefer foods they can chew, foods that are crunchy, and foods that have a lot more flavor than those old mushy piles of applesauce and pureed green beans they used to love.

Enter the wonton. Wonton wrappers are a great way to spruce up even the simplest foods. Fill wonton wrappers with foods a toddler likes (or even foods he / she does not like so much), and suddenly the old and bland is a new experience.

Baby's Age: 1 year

Consistency: crispy pieces

Crispy Wontons

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 oz cream cheese, softened
5 wonton wrappers
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup canola oil OR 4 tablespoons butter

If preparing this recipe for a baby less than 1 year old, place diced apple pieces in a very small pot with 1/2-inch of water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Drain excess water from pot and add cream cheese, stirring to combine. If your baby is more than a year old and can chew raw apple bits, you do not need to cook the apples beforehand.

In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk and a teaspoon of water. Set aside.

Lay out a wonton wrapper and place 3/4 teaspoon of the apple filling on the wonton. Using a small pastry brush, moisten the edges of half of the wonton with the egg yolk and water mixture, then fold the edges together to create either a triangle or a rectangle shape. Do not overfill the wonton; the filling will expand during cooking and can leak out if overfilled. Set aside wontons.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, heat the canola oil or butter just until warm. If the oil is shimmering, it is too hot and will burn the wonton. The butter should be just bubbling, otherwise it browns in the pan before the wonton is done. Working in batches of 2 or 3, fry the wontons for a minute on each side, just until brown. Transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel or to a wire rack to cool.

Cut wonton into pieces appropriate for toddler's age. Wontons can be left whole for older children. For younger toddlers, trim the very crisp edges, as they are often a bit harder to chew.

Wontons can be filled with a variety of fillings - go crazy: chicken, broccoli, and cheddar. For older kids, mozzarella and diced pepperoni! They can even be made into a desert - diced peaches and cream cheese with a sprinkle of sugar on them just as they're hot out of the pan. Wontons can also be frozen and reheated for use later.

Enjoy!