This post is very delayed since Baker made his big debut on my Instagram a couple months back! If you haven’t seen it, I suggest checking my saved stories on Instagram  for a real treat LOL. (link below!)  So here it finally is in writing.. Cake Mix Cookies!

These are desperately easy to make and VERY kid friendly if you have a curious and eager helper in the kitchen! They can be customized in so many ways and are a real crowd pleaser but with minimal effort- who doesn’t like that??

I’m going to talk a little about baking with littles so if you only want the recipe just skip ahead!

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Baking and cooking with kids can be intimidating! So many of you replied to my stories saying “you are so patient! I don’t think I could have my child help…”  My reply was always the same: it took a LONG time for me to be as patient as I am today. So, don’t beat yourself up if having your child help in the kitchen makes you want to pull your hair out- trust me, been there!! Also, if having them help just isn’t your thing, that’s ok too! But I read something somewhere that stuck with me: the more we tell our children something isn’t their place, the more they believe us. This goes for all things in the home: cooking, cleaning, basic maintenance etc. If you find your child interested, why not lean into it? It may take you longer to get the task done but you’re teaching them a skill they will have for life. OK, here are my tips!!

1) Tell them what they CAN do. I use the “hands on your belly” rule.   Kids want to touch everything.. or at least mine do! I always prep Baker ahead of time that he has to have “hands on your belly!” until I am ready for him to touch and help. It’s an easy way to tell them what they CAN do, instead of saying “NO!” a thousand times… yes, one thousand times. I counted once.

2) Use the right tools. Use bowls with a rubber bottom and towels to your advantage. I learned this from Kate @naptimekitchen!  That way, the bowl and its contents are much less likely to move around and spill!  The towel underneath it all also makes for easy clean up.

3) Put them in charge of something easy. You don’t need your child to crack eggs if it is going to give you a nervous breakdown.  They will be just as happy to be in charge of mixing or rolling the dough in the sprinkles.  Taste testing works too 😉 

4) Embrace the chaos. Once I got over the fact that baking with Baker was going to be one million times messier and take much longer, it was a lot more enjoyable.  I found myself getting frustrated when he would spill or something went wrong and then I thought “why is this making me so mad??”  He is two… I want to teach him mistakes happen and that is ok, so it was a good reality check for me.  I also put him in charge of “washing the dishes” after, aka playing in the sink so I can actually clean up the mess- win win!  

5) It’s OK to say “No”.  Somedays I just don’t feel like having Baker help, plain and simple!  Cooking & baking are soo relaxing for me and sometimes I want that time to just be for me.  On those days, I let him know that mama’s job is to prepare dinner/ bake/ whatever and Baker’s job is to (insert activity).  

And without further ado (I just had to google how to spell that) here is the recipe for my Cake Mix Cookies!

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