Kids in the Kitchen

I think it's safe to say that we all have that one thing that we remember loving to help our moms bake when we were growing up (or dads - though certainly not mine. Love ya, dad!).  I used to love when my mom would let my sister and I help her make our birthday cakes, brownies or, the best of the best, Toll House chocolate chip cookies.  Getting to help pour the sugar in the bowl, crack an egg (if we were lucky!) and lick the beaters seemed like the coolest thing ever.  I'm pretty sure I liked helping make them more than actually eating the finished product.

Chocolate chip cookies are a staple baking item in our house and Toll House is the only way to go in my mind.  If you don't know the recipe by heart, I'm not sure we can be friends.  Kidding, but seriously if you don't already use this recipe, you should probably try it out immediately. ;)  The pan cookie/squares version is even better and easier because you don't have to spend time switching cookie sheets in and out of the oven! :)

It was a dark, gloomy, ugly, rainy morning on Tuesday and I was looking for something different to do to keep Ellie occupied for a bit.  She is usually sitting on my hip or in the kitchen sink when I'm cooking, but I haven't done much baking with her (though we did make some delish gingerbread cookies together at Christmas time).  I wasn't sure if she would be entertained for a whopping 35 seconds and then book it down the hallway, searching for a cat to chase or some crayons to doodle with.  Much to my surprise, she sat on the table the entire time it took to make the cookies and was more than interested in helping me out. :)  It was super messy (though what isn't messy these days?), but so sweet to see her smiling about getting to do something so simple.  I measured + she dumped the ingredients in the bowl... and on the table, the egg carton, her legs and her toes. She thought the hand mixer was pretty mind blowing and wanted to help hold it, and her eyes lit up when I gave her the jar of sprinkles to add as a finishing touch!  It was a total "you serious(ly gonna let me do this), Clark?" moment.

donut jammies // bow c/o Isla Ann Inspirations

Some music, our jammies + a little mess making (and sprinkle sampling) was a perfect rainy day activity.  I'm not sure if Ellie liked baking them or eating them more, but I could tell she had fun and it was nice to do something a little bit different than the usual gonnagocrazyifwecan'tplayoutsideintwoseconds activities.  I'm sure we'll be baking and cooking together more as time goes on, and would love to hear what your favorite things to make with your children are - breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, anything!  Or maybe you have something you loved making with your own mom as a kid? :) Here's to making messy memories + always stopping to lick the bowl! ;)