When I was a child in the 1990s, we studied home economics in school. We learned to scramble eggs, bake chocolate chip cookies, and make pizza dough. I also use these skills. The summer between fifth and sixth grade, I was on my own because both my parents were working. Like I said, this was the 1990s, and things were even more unregulated. I was bored so I started cooking. I made cookies, bread, and eventually a stir-fry because I was tired of my parents’ steak and potato dinners.
Now that I’m in my 40s, I’m an excellent home cook if I do say so myself. I really believe in home education and I wish schools still taught it – cooking is an important life skill.
This summer, my 11 year old participated in our meals. She’s starting to join me on my weekly grocery trips, and she’s learning how to use a pasta bowl and toaster oven. She also started baking.
As I watched her, I quickly realized that baking mixes are a great way to build confidence. They entice her to make more money and build her skills with minimal steps and sweet rewards. She didn’t have any summer camp scheduled last week, so I decided to make it a cooking week. It turns out that Trader Joe’s has some great, affordable baking mixes. I asked her to choose five, one for each day of the week. I decided not to interfere unless she asked and let her do everything on her own from start to finish. If I could do it at her age, she could do it too, even though I was worried she would burn herself.
Here are her bakes, her ideas and which one is the best. Spoiler alert: none of us agree.
Blueberry Muffin Mix
On Monday, she tried blueberry muffins. I asked her to try making it herself, but she interrupted me on the phone and asked why the recipe called for 11 sticks of butter. It says “1 1/4”. Hey, at least she asked, that’s how you learn. Following directions and calculating measurements are both skills that translate to math and science. The waffles were well done. She learned that she needed to be more careful when filling the muffin cups, otherwise she could end up with muffin cups that were too big or too small, or even overcooked.
Overall, we both thought the muffins tasted pretty good. They are a pretty standard blueberry muffin flavor, but as a family we decided we liked a version with a crushed topping or some lemon.
Blondie Bar Baking Mix
On Tuesday, she did these blondies. The recipe looks very simple. She did ask about the appropriate pan size and how to grease it; she did all other steps with help. Once cooled, the bars have a very cookie-like texture: super buttery and chocolatey. It would be great with some ice cream for dessert. I will totally be stocking up on these next time I run to TJs grocery store.
Everything But Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix
On Wednesday she made these cookies. These are my least favorite flavors, but my husband disagrees – he likes the oatmeal in it. There were so many pieces in the dough that she didn’t know how to shape it into cookies. So she turned it into a bar like Blondie. She said it was the hardest recipe because the ingredients didn’t really mix together and she wasn’t sure if she was doing something wrong. Overall, these are good, but not outstanding.
Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
On Thursday she made brownies. She was able to finish the entire recipe on her own, but when they came out of the oven, I thought they looked undercooked. We did a test with a screwdriver and they came out clean, but they were soft. It tastes great but definitely has a gooey brownie vibe to it. Her brother loved these because he added the final touch of ice cream and some whipped cream.
Celebration Cakes and Baking Mix
She uses this kit to make cupcakes. The steps are very similar to the blueberry muffins and blondies – just mix and portion into muffin cups. The frosting was new; I showed her how to cream the buttercream, add the powdered sugar provided, and then decorate with a dusting of powdered sugar. They taste great and have that classic birthday cake flavor.
It’s the cutest thing to see how proud she is of her creation. We all tasted them and congratulated her on her success. It’s so satisfying to see your child find something they love to do but want to know more about. The experiment went so well that she asked if she could sign up for a cooking camp. I found a chocolate-themed activity for teenagers that she would attend. I hope this is the beginning of exploring a life of food. I’m looking forward to dessert and hoping to help others make dinner for me.
Katie Elliott is the personal stories editor for Scary Mom. She loves cooking, gardening, and chatting with people about everything from how much you love your kids to how much your kids drive you crazy. She is a mother of two and lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
