Kiddie Chemistry

There is something magical about cooking, and baking in particular. Anytime I make a cake, I marvel at how different (and wonderful) the finished product is compared to the ingredients. Think about it. On the kitchen counter of your imagination, line up butter, sugar, eggs, flour, salt, and baking soda. Now envision a glorious layer cake. Definitely greater than the sum of its parts, wouldn’t you say?

The secret is chemistry. When you combine all those ingredients in the right order, and apply the right amount of heat for the right length of time, you get cake.

My mom had me cracking eggs into a bowl at age two. Somewhere around age eight or nine, my parents gave me a chemistry set, which I had been begging for. I loved carefully mixing all the exotic powders and liquids and following the special instructions, and watching amazing magical things unfold. Then one day I thought: Wait a second! This is cooking, without the snack at the end. Wasn’t this what I’d already been doing in the kitchen with Mom? Carefully mixing powders and liquids and following special instructions? Afterwards, I still had to clean up a big mess, but a well-executed experiment did not produce brownies. I’d been had.

I really enjoy cooking with kids because they still believe in magic. Oh, at the right age, you can explain what chemistry is and why this and that causes the other to happen. But what they really love is getting to play in the abode of adults (oooh, the dangerous kitchen!), having license to make a royal mess, concocting a potion of weird stuff, then putting said potion into a magic hot box and poof! Out comes brownies/pizza/cupcakes/whatever. Suddenly, amazingly, a glass of milk shows up. Twenty years later, there’s still a memory etched in their brain about milk and cookies and sunshine and roses.

When I think about the wonderful little people I’ve spent time with in the kitchen, I like to think that one day the smell of a bakery will make them remember the magical experiments we did together. And it makes me downright giddy to think they might pay it forward.

Miss Cate and I recently made peanut butter cookies.

Outdoorsmen have a slogan about this that I really like: “Take a kid fishin’.” So many wonderful things happen when you do. I’m going to come up with a similar slogan about letting kids into your kitchen. When you see it on a bumper sticker, you’ll know it was me. In the meantime, take the time to introduce a child to the magic that awaits them right there in your own home. You’ll be glad you did.

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Before I share this week's recipe, I have some well-timed bragging to do.  My niece Kacie took 1st Place in the Candy Category and Best of Show in the Youth Division of the Brazoria County Fair Baking Competition, with Grandma's Peanut Butter Fudge.  Talk about kids and cooking.  Way to go, Kacie!  Aunt Laura couldn't be more proud!!

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Here's a great cookie recipe to make with kids, using ingredients you can keep on hand. There’s no special equipment required, not even an electric mixer. My cousin Bobbye Anne contributed it to a cookbook that my mom put together for us as a wedding gift.



Cake Mix Cookies


1 box cake mix, any variety
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients with a fork until well blended. Stir in any of the following, if desired:


• Chocolate chips
• Peanut butter chips
• Chopped nuts
• M&Ms
• Raisins


Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, at least one inch apart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.


The combinations are endless! Let the kiddos choose, or get started by trying yellow cake mix with chocolate chips and pecans, or chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips.