Snickerdoodles with the Little Guys

Thought I'd share some pics with you from our Little Guys (2 to 4 year olds) Snickerdoodle class we held this past Tuesday.

I get a lot of calls from parents who are ready to get their kids cooking while they're still in diapers! Seems a little soon to some, but I love that even kids this young can get in on the action in the kitchen. This is the first one of these that I've held, mostly because everyone's schedule is so crazy, I'm never sure when to put it on our class calendar.

I thought it would be best to prepare a really simple recipe for our first outing: Snickerdoodles. It doesn't get much easier than that (butter, sugar, flour, eggs) plus the kids get the extra-added bonus of rolling the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar before baking.Remember, with little kids it all has to be about the action. Children this young have a difficult time sitting still and always want to stir, whisk, and roll, so it helps to measure everything out ahead of time. When you're 3, you have no idea what a fraction is, so measuring 1/4 of a cup will bore you to tears. But holding a whisk (even if you don't really need one), now THAT is exciting stuff!

Here we are getting ready to turn on the mixer (watch those fingers!) and get our dough moving.

When my own children were younger, we used to give them their own cupboard that they could go in and out of and play with pots, pans, bowls, and large wooden spoons until their heart's content. I think that helped to give them a certain comfort level in the kitchen and it also helped me to learn how to work around them. Not to scare you, but don't forget how dangerous the kitchen can be. As you start including your kids, pick simple recipes that don't use the stove (ovens are ok, as long as you're the one going in and out), have lots of action, and of course, taste yummy!

A great resource for working with kids is http://www.familyfun.com/. I've mentioned it before, but it really is good for finding age-appropriate activities. I'm actually working on my own book for teens and tweens, but I'll give you more info on that later.

On a side note, please check out our class calendar down at The Kitchen Studio at http://www.kitchenstudiofrederick.com/. We certainly appreciate your business and would love to plan a class that interests you and your friends. Just let us know what you're looking for class-wise and we'll see what we can come up with. We're even hosting a bachelorette party in a few weeks, so there is a multitude of possibilities!