After baking with my children twice in the last week I have decided that I am now qualified to give expert advice.
I found a fun recipe for sugar cookies while blog-hopping and decided we would give it a shot when the baby was napping.
Here are my best tips:
1. Give everyone a bowl and a spoon. Whether they all need one or not, just give it to them, preferably the same color and size to prevent grabbing, whining and ear-numbing repetition of the phrase, “I want THAT one.”
2. Gather all ingredients but do not put them in front of your children. Place ingredients close enough so that you can reach them, without leaving your children at risk of walking clear off of a kitchen chair, but far enough away that no one can roll themselves in flour before it is added to the recipe.
3. Instruct children on keeping all materials out of their mouths and holding utensils down so that no one loses an eye.
4. Mix ingredients.
5. Remind children that, in order to mix ingredients, they must be inside the bowl.
6. Begin losing hope for the edible quality of finished product as children stuff their faces and squish dough between their fingers.
7. Take away cookie sheet as dough begins to fly and fork cookies yourself. Return cookie sheet to the little pokers and hand over the sprinkles.
8. Curse yourself for not getting out two jars of sprinkles. Remind children to share ten million times.
9. Put cookies in the oven and turn on a show that will hypnotize the children while you recover your kitchen from the tornado that just went through.
10. Enjoy!
(Tip from the sous chef: Clothing is optional but eat at your own risk, those sprinkles can end up in some pretty tricky places.)
Here is my favorite sugar cookie recipe:
Mrs. Hein’s Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter (2 sticks at room temperature)
1 cup sugar, plus extra for fork dipping
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
Sprinkles for decorating
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Beat until well blended.
The dough will be stiff and slightly crumbly when done.
Form the dough into round balls using about a tablespoon’s worth of dough. I make my tablespoonful rounded. Flatten the dough balls with a fork, dipping the back of the fork into some sugar before pressing. Top with some sprinkles if you like.
Bake cookies on ungreased cookies sheets for 10-11 minutes. Allow to cool on sheets for 2 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container lined with wax paper. I yielded 27 cookies with the size of my dough balls.
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That looks messy but oh, so fun!
Hi. I met your through Shell’s blog. I am not commenting on your latest post because that would have been way to easy. Plus I always wonder how people have the patience to bake with their kids. I finaly understand I was worried too much about an edible product. What can I say? There are days I like cookies more than I like my kids!!
It is very nice to meet you and follow you as I do not know where I am going at any give time.
Wine anyone?
Yum yum looks like fun! We’ll have to try that – can you believe I don’t have a real oven? That’s a long blog story.
Hope you’ll stop by and visit my ultimate blog party post at Dayngrous Discourse in Miami and follow along if you like what you read. Have a great weekend and keep partying! :::: tossing confetti ::::
@Dayngr
Ha ha! I love it! Too funny! I will have to try and make those with Dustyn. Thanks for sharing.
I assemble ingredients during mandatory 30 minute ‘quiet time.’
That way all they have to do is pour it in. Makes me regret baking a whole lot less! We learn as we go don’t we?
Oh that is a good idea, I should try that next time. Thanks for the tip!
I can just send Mad to bake at your house, right? She won’t eat the dough, I promise.
Love the pics and tips 🙂
I tend to bake after everyone goes to bed, and the kids think stuff magically appears.
That’s great. Children love to cook and it’s such a good idea to get them going with the idea that they can make their own fresh food. All my kids love to cook.
Very cute post! Cooking with kids is really fun! At my daughter’s speech evaluation last week, the tester asked my daughter how to make cookies. She went into great detail about mixing together your dry ingredients in one bowl, your wet ingredients in another, then adding the dry ingredients slowly. After the assessment, my husband pulled the tester aside to tell her that we had just baked cookies a few days earlier! LOL
I’ve been too cowardly to attempt something like this! Now that I’ve seen the adorable pictures and memories made in your house, I wanna woman up and get going on something yummy!
The recipe sounds good, but my kids baking with me usually makes me lose my appetite. Which might be a good thing anyway.
Oh, I love baking with my kids! But you are right on with your advice, and it holds true at any age! Fairness a BIG issue…
And I was half expecting for a food fight to break out near the end!
Yummy and so cute (your kiddos AND the cookies)…a mess now, but a good memory, no?
I love baking with my son – he’s engaged, usually on his best behavior, as he awaits the “bowl licking” phase.
This had some good tips for when they both get to help.
Now I want cookies.
Love it, GF! The cookies sound great and the tips? Perfect! LOL! XO
This is completely unorganized compared to your book making post. I need you to come whip us into shape!!
I love 6, 7 & 8! Hilarious! I’m a terrible baker so my stuff always turns out un-edible regardless of kids. You’ll see – I have a post for next Monday on Sprinkles cupcakes gone wrong. I think I’ll send Lanagan to your house for baking lessons. 😉
Okay, I will trade you McKenna and Parker for an afternoon of baking with Lanagan. They don’t nap but 1 out of 2 uses the potty all the time.
How cute. I also have to provide my children with aprons and hats for baking. I never let the kids handle the sprinkles, I learned that the hard way.
Love the pics!
I love the pictures. Soo cute!
Whenever my nieces and little cousins come over I get them to help me bake chocolate chip cookies – they love it … though it’s way messier than when I do it by myself. haha.
That’s great! A tornado sounds about right, looks like it was totally worth it though!
I love that post! Although …. now I want to eat some cookie dough! Thanks a lot! hahaha
I love that clothing is optional! One of my sons loves to wear no shirt around the house “just like Daddy” LOL – Cool and Yummy post!!
When reading the title thought is was something from Hansel and Gretel, and you were going to use the children as an ingedient. Jess as alway a joy to find out what you and the crazies are up to!
Adorable! I am guessing that between photographs you were in the kitchen helping out? Otherwise, I am VERY impressed with your kids!
Hi I am following from Twitter! I saw you through “The Lazy Christian” & thought I would stop by. I must say I am amazed by your stories & love your honesty and openness with the world. I hope to hear more wonderful things from you & I have 3 so yes baking is quite a FEAT of patience! Blessings!
Another good recipe for kids is the butter cookies on the inside of the Land-O-Lakes packages. I roll them into balls, then roll them in sprinkles. They’re delicious, and they look super fun!
We have a problem with inhaling ingredients at my house. It makes cooking interesting.
Loved the photos, you are a brave woman…save me a cookie!
I will, I have been trying to keep them out of the cookies all morning. Despite the craziness they are really good.