My Kids Have Mad Baking Skills

My kids have lots of skills, mad skills, but I am very proud of their baking skills!

A few years ago, they traded off planning and cooking dinners on Wednesday. My son loves a good sandwich and has quite a few keepers in the recipe book, while my daughter likes to try new things....like a red pepper vegan soup. Not the best soup I've ever had, but I was very proud of her for trying it. I just wanted them to know how to cook, to understand how to read a recipe, follow the directions, and not burn down the house!

Dinners also included desserts. Before long, the kids were asking if they could bake something on a night that wasn't "their" dinner night. I gave superficial supervising, such as melting shortening or using a sharp knife, but for the most part it was all them.

And now it is all them. Last night, their Dad asked if someone wanted to bake chocolate chip cookies. Our son excels at brownies and volunteered to make those. We said cool. While we were outside working on things, and the kids decided to look through all the cookbooks to find something new. They picked a recipe from Mrs Fields Best Ever Cookie Book called Marshmallow Clouds and didn't even need to ask, they just knew they could do it.

I personally had marked it years ago as a yummy looking cookie, but it seemed too time consuming to make, what with the marshmallows being "stuffed" into a ball of dough. I am so glad the kids tried them though, they are like my new favorite cookie! Chocolate cookies, with chocolate chips, with marshmallows inside...hot from the oven they were unbelievable yummy. The next day, still super good and I admit, I ate one for breakfast!

Were the cookies worth this mess I had waiting for me on the counter? Absolutely!
Usually the kids are much better at cleaning up their messes. It's the deal we have. Yes, L can make omelets for breakfast or D make the best stove top quesadilla I've ever had, but they have to wash the pan and clean up all their mess. But Wednesday nights are my one and only dish washing night, and how could they deprive me of the joy of cleaning up a baking mess?

The answer is they couldn't. Still, totally worth it. Good job kids!