I once had a conversation with Andrew’s brother Ryan about making stuff with your kids; particularly baking cookies. I was relieved to hear him tell me that once, out of frustration and feelings of sheer inadequacy, he went to his mother exasperated after trying to let his kids help him make cookies (or a cake?). He asked her how in the world she let them stir a hot pot, man a mixer, or measure out ingredients. And you know what she told him? That she didn’t! At least not until they got older. Whew. Let me just tell you, I was visibly relieved, because honestly? Most of the time, I find that having little kids in the kitchen while I am cooking or baking is mostly dangerous, frustrating, and at times, annoying.
However, I do find great pleasure in teaching my boys how to cook and bake. I want them to learn the basics to build on so that they can cook a mean meatball, bake a cake, or whip up a delicious meal from scratch. There was a moment when I first found out that I was having a third boy that I felt a pang of sadness that I would never spend time in the kitchen cooking alongside my daughter as my mom had with me. Then, as quickly as the thought entered my mind, it left. Why can’t I teach those skills to my sons? After all, some of the best chefs in the world are men… oh, and if there’s no career in it, what a wonderful gift to give my future daughters-in-law: a husband who can cook!
Oliver has shown a real interest in learning how to cook. He wanders into the kitchen and asks to measure, stir, whisk, and pour nearly every time I am cooking or baking. His preschool teachers recently informed me that Oliver’s favorite activities at school are making cookies and painting. And with this interest comes some curiosity on Milo’s part. If Oliver is going to pour and stir, Milo would like to pour and stir thank-you-very-much.
And just to set the record straight, this is not a regular occurrence (though when they are a bit older, I hope it will be).
Here are my tips on baking with young kids:
- Measure out certain ingredients ahead of time. This way, they can use spoons or measuring cups to dump smaller amounts in at a time.
- Have them crack eggs into a small bowl rather than directly into the mixture. By doing this, you can encourage them to learn the skill and fish out the pieces of eggshell if it doesn’t go well. Then they can dump the egg into the mixer by themselves!
- Expect a mess. Embrace it, but also teach them to keep a clean work station. (If they spill, just hand them a wet rag to wipe it up)
- Keep it short. I allow a chunk of time for them to be very independent (even allowing them to work the mixer with supervision), then scoot them out of the room to play while I finish up.
Now for the recipe:
Our Favorite Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
So tell me… do you bake or cook with your kids? I’d love to hear how you make it work!
Keep teaching your boys to cook! My husband is the oldest of four boys (no girls!) and my MIL did an excellent job teaching all of them to cook. And, as his wife, I am so thankful she taught him all that she did.
Those cookies look awesome. Not sure it’s a good idea for me to have three dozen of them in my apartment, though! ; )
We do bake, but more break and bake if you catch my drift, which the kids are quite good at! As far as cooking goes, the kids like to prep. Reina is really good at carefully shredding cheese and both like to peel brussels sprouts. Even Liam can stir things up, like sauce into pasta or scramble eggs. They like to wash vegetables and for a good mess I get them to bread chicken for baking. I can sometimes convince them that setting the table is helping to cook. Bill somehow makes pancakes in the morning with them but that usually involves each getting a pile of chocolate chips to “put in” the batter. It is like a dance, keeping them safe in the kitchen, mess to a minimum and actually getting stuff made. It does feel rewarding to have taught them simple tricks and they feel proud when they eat what they made.
Also, I hardly ever am taking pictures while we cook. 🙂
Lauren, have you read Bringing up Bebe? One of my favorite parts is when they talk about French mothers baking with their children. The author makes the point that it helps to instill patience and responsibility, among other things. There is also a cute recipe in there for yogurt cake that is made by measuring out all of the ingredients with a yogurt container.
Such a great post! I love getting Gus in the kitchen (and we do it pretty regularly) but GOD I get so frustrated sometimes. The grabbing, premature adding of ingredients, the non-stop food processor button pushing…I can barely keep up with him! But I think in the long run it’s worth it. I didn’t know how to cook when I went out into the world and it’s something I really want to give Gus. It’s good to hear I’m not the only one who has to take a few deep breaths while their kid is in the kitchen!
And.. p.s. I’ve found that a large set of nesting bowls is really helpful for Gus’s age. I measure everything out before hand and then just put all the bowls on the counter for him. It’s streamlined, somewhat clean and organized, and just overall easier than other things I’ve tried! 🙂
Having a husband that can cook (he’s much better than ME!)…I say YES (!!!) to getting those boys in the kitchen!
Both Ben and Greta LOVE to help with cooking/baking. But I definitely have to be in the right mood to do it…patience, patience, PATIENCE!
When I was student teaching, one of my mentor Kindergarten teachers let 20 kindergartners sew with REAL needles. I remember being surprised, and she told me that children always rise to the occasion when given the chance…she was so right and I try to remember this. The other day I gave Ben a real knife…showed him how to use it safely, and let him help me chop vegetables for dinner. (Of course I was RIGHT there the entire time to make sure he was safe), but he DID it and was SO proud!
I was so happy to read this post. I attempted to bake with Harrison the other day, and he grabbed the flour bowl, and well…the baking had to stop. Glad to read these tips, and see messes in other people’s homes.
My Grandma made my dad and his brother cook Sunday dinner ever week. Practice paid off since he’s a great cook now.
Like you, I’ve learned to wait until my kids are a bit older. It’s a much pleasanter experience for everyone!
Our kids always wanted to be standing on a chair by the kitchen counter when I was baking. Although, it does require alot of patience, I feel it was worth it. Our kids all enjoy cooking and yes, their wives sure love having husbands that cook! Now, I bake with the grandkids. Oren and Iris will be helping me make the pies for Thanksgiving! Can’t wait.
Oliver is so darn cute sitting on that counter. W loves to help in the kitchen and he almost always stands on his tower at the counter but I really don’t let him help with much yet. I always let him wash the veggies, which means I put a little water in the sink with some carrots or whatever we are habing and let him play with them while I get the bulk of the cooking done. I hope to get him more and more involved as time goes on.
Yum… cookies!
At least one child helps me at least once per day. They are egg cracking machines! I started for my own sanity doing those muffin mixes with Daniel, sitting on floor together, and he was about 16 mo. I learned patience this way! Elsa hasn’t done the mixes, just regular baking, so I need LOTS of patience. Her favorite recipes are pumpkin related. She licks every bowl, whereas I was too afraid of salmonella with Daniel to ever imagine letting him have the spoon.
Amen, sister. My kids are always in the kitchen with me when I’m cooking. I mean, they’re in AND out. Out to wrestle with dad, in to stir marinara sauce, and then out again. I just take a deep breath and expect the worse and usually the outcome isn’t half as bad as expected.
Other times, the deep breaths aren’t enough and I set up a big coloring station on the floor of the kitchen so they can be with me but not WITH me. Then, I can use their cheap child labor if I see a fitting task. But, it’s not always pretty. One child (when the other is at school or something) is much more manageable. Just this week, Beckett and I have made apple sauce, muffins, pumpkin dog biscuits and granola. But, it’s only been successful because I can take my time and devote all my attention to him and the task at hand.
Ahem – my cooking does not involve plying them with chocolate chips – that is just a benefit. RMK knows all of the ingredients to get out, which bowls/spoons and how to measure and mix. All I do anymore is tell them where and when to put stuff. And then I eat the pancakes when they are too bored to do so.
Hmpf.
Ahhh! Those pictures are all so cute! And we always have spills like that too. Always.
I do bake with my kids, although I fully admit to slacking on it lately. I baked a lot with Julian when he was an only child. We really got serious with it when he was about 3 and had a lot more dexterity and listening skills built up. I even made him a tiny apron that matched mine. I’ve baked with Audrey a handful of times and she really loves it, so I know I need to carve out more time to spend with her in the kitchen. And when I’m cooking dinner, she says, “I pull up a sep-sool?” (step-stool) She likes to just hang out and watch, which I think is great. And now that Julian is older and can totally handle stuff, I’ve been teaching him how to work with the sharp knives and I let him practice cutting stems off strawberries or chopping vegetables.