cooking with a toddler: cookies

i love cookies and i love to bake.  what better way to spend time with my son than to bake and eat cookies together?  i found this recipe through pinterest (my other love and newest recipe resource) and made these cookies over the weekend. they were definitely a hit in our house and are already gone!

peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

(recipe: kristineskitchenblog.com - which i doubled)

ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup rolled oats

2 cups chocolate chips (i used semi-sweet)

method:

          whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  on medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes.  add the eggs and beat to combine. on low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined.  stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.  if desired, you may refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, but no more than 36 hours.  a few minutes before you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  line baking sheet with parchment paper.  use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden and just set in the center. cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

kai is super excited to bake!

"put the butter in the bowl."  he takes instruction quite literally, wrapper and all.

pouring the flour into a separate bowl.

mixing together the dry ingredients.

adding the sugars to the butter to be creamed.

add peanut butter to creamed butter and sugar.

add eggs.  this is where kai started to lose interest.  he really wanted to just EAT the cookies.

added the oats after i already combined the flour mixture.

mix in the chocolate chips.

drop cookies on prepared parchment lined baking sheet.  bake for about 10 minutes.  i like my cookies a little underdone, so they are chewy.  you can choose to bake them a little longer if you want them to be crispy.

although kai didnt help me through the entire baking process, he had a really good time helping me in the beginning.  he still loves to pull a chair up the stove every evening when im cooking.  this is becoming a fun tradition in our house and i hope you can make it one in yours too.

happy baking!

- the mrs.

cooking with a toddler: PB and Js!

ever since i started letting my son help me cook his eggs in the morning, he wants to help me cook EVERYTHING!  its so fun to see him run over to the dining room table and attempt to drag a chair back into the kitchen.  i have considered purchasing a learning tower, but we dont exactly have the space to store it while not in use and i dont really want it hanging around my kitchen.  if i had the extra space in the kitchen, i would definitely buy one.  they come in a bunch of colors, so you can find one to match your decor or choose your child's favorite color.  for now, a dining room chair will be just fine.  

kai wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the other day for a snack, so we made one together.  

all the ingredients on a paper towel on the kitchen counter, including one knife for each spread.

kai spreading the peanut butter.  initially i spread the peanut butter on the bread to help him and he finished.  someone was too hungry to wait until we finished...

sneaky!

spreading the jelly...

closing the sandwich.

sneaking ANOTHER bite before we sit down...

finally seated and enjoying his sandwich!

doing even the little things, like making a PB and J sandwich, is a big task for a toddler.  i know my son really enjoys it and feels a great sense of accomplishment.  the next time your toddler wants a sandwich, let them help you make it!

happy snacking!

- the mrs.

cooking with a toddler: scrambled eggs

over the last few days i have been trying to get my 19 month old more involved with our family cooking.  my husband and i cook dinner just about every night of the week.  we probably go out to dinner on average once a week, but some months we dont go out at all, or we make quick lazy dinner that doesnt require much time in the kitchen.  ultimately, if you want to live a healthier lifestyle, cooking for yourself is the best bet.  you have control over the portion size and obviously the ingredients.  restaurant food is delicious, but they spare no calorie.  full fat cream, butter, salt, oil, sugar... you name it.  its yummy, but not entirely healthy.  

i want my son to grow up knowing how to cook and i believe teaching him at a very young age with help foster independence and confidence.  cooking for himself at a young age also instills a sense of capability: i can!  it also shows my son the confidence i have in him and that i trust his ability in the kitchen..  if you start showing your children the right way to things at a young age, you dont have to be worried about them hurting themselves or doing the "wrong" thing as they get older.  teach them WHY they cannot touch a hot stove, dont just tell them NO.  TEACH and SHOW them how to use the kitchen tools.  you cannot expect them to know... we all need guidance and experience to learn.  :)

my son loves eggs, so this morning he made his own scrambled egg!  

i pulled a dining chair up to the counter for him to stand on.

after he cracked the egg into the bowl, he used a fork to scramble it.

i showed him how to spray the pan with cooking spray.  his attempt to spray the pan resulted in a stove covered with canola oil.  haha, better luck next time.  he quickly poured the egg into the pan on the stove and grabbed the spatula and started stirring.

he LOVED using the spatula and stirring the egg in the pan.

i set out a bowl for him to scoop the egg into.  he didnt get a single part of the egg in the bowl, but it was fun to watch him try.  next time...

enjoying his egg.  job well done!

happy cooking!

- the mrs.