Le Petit Baker

Alright, I hope you don’t die of too much cuteness! You have been warned. 

On Sunday evening after a day full of our usual shenanigans, I thought it would be a good idea to recruit Asha’s help in baking.  Halloween is upon us and what could be better than some chocolate chip and pumpkin cupcakes!? So while she napped, I found a recipe from my trusted JoyofBaking.com and laid out all the ingredients to cut down on any mishaps later.  My expectations going into this were lowest of low.  I was fully prepared for spilled ingredients, flying batter, crying, and constant licking of the raw mix (as I frantically try to explain to her about a little bug named salmonella).

I have learned however, that when one expects nothing more than chaos, surprisingly awesome things can happen.  Asha pretty much owned it!! She did the measuring, the mixing, the cracking of eggs, the lining of muffin cups, the scooping of batter. She looked like she had done this a hundred times before.

And now for some unsolicited parental advice because everyone is always looking for it, right? Despite of the mess that was my kitchen at the end of this experiment I can’t describe to you the sense of pride and accomplishment that was in Asha’s eyes.  I think it is so so important to get kids to do grown up things. They will surprise you in the best ways, all the while learning an important skill. Supervision is key of course and so is patience.  Take the chance and get your kids involved not just in the kitchen, but in other activities that you enjoy.  First time might be a failure but persistence will pay eventually.  And no, there is no such thing as being too young.  There is always a small (or big) role they can play in the activity.  And then think of all the cupcakes you too will be eating without having to bake them yourself!!

The love of my life baked some terrific cupcakes and I tried really hard not to eat her up! Devang and Asha had a good time rough housing while the cupcakes cooled. Then we all shared one to taste and agreed that it was a chocolate-y and pumpkin-y (and not just because my kid baked it).  You can find the recipe here.  Next time I will add about 1/4 cup more chocolate chips.  Please give it a try whether or not you have your own un petit baker at home. And incase you are wondering, the apron is from anthropologie bought a few years ago.