Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toddlers

What better way to spend an afternoon than at home baking, with the weather being so cold at the moment ?
We recently received our first shipment from "Kids Cooking" so I decided to put it to the test with the little ones. I got them an apron and hat set each, as well as matching cooking bowls and spoons. Then we got started with making some chocolate chip cookies, using a "Yummie's Mummy" kit. Two eggs and 400ml of water was all we needed to add to it.

The LOs love cooking and baking with me anyway but with their new aprons and hats on, they felt it was even more special and even more fun. They giggled and laughed so much that the flour went flying everywhere...... Having said that, they did pretty much manage to make the cookies all by themselves ! I had to help them with measuring out the water and a little bit of stirring right at the end but the rest they took care of themselves.

Luckily, after quite a few tasting sessions (no doubt because they wanted to make sure the flavouring was right) before the cookies went in the oven, we still managed to save some baked ones for our friends that came over for tea.


If you'd rather bake them from scratch, here is a superb recipe I found on "allrecipes.co.uk" that I normally use.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

170g unsalted butter, melted

200g dark brown soft sugar

100g caster sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

325g chocolate chips

Preparation:

1.		Preheat the oven to 170 C / Gas mark 3. Grease baking trays or line with parchment.
2.		Sift together the flour, bicarb and salt; set aside.
3.		In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and caster sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough onto the prepared baking trays, with each cookie around 4 tablespoons of dough (for smaller cookies, drop 1 rounded tablespoonful and adjust baking time as necessary). Do not flatten the dough. Cookies should be about 8cm apart.
4.		Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking trays for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Ps. What is your favourite baking/cooking "project" with your kids ?

Grab a good cleaning cloth, a vacuum cleaner, a bit of patience.... and Happy Baking !!!