Cupcakes with kids

While I was back in Iowa for Thanksgiving, and I made cupcakes with my two great nieces.  Nine year old Starr and six year old Kylie LOVE to help out in the kitchen.  We made boxed cake mix and divided it into three bowls, each being a different color. 

Then I let the girls spoon the colors into the cupcake papers.  It was funny because Starr went to town with eleven of them, and Kylie used the tiniest amounts of batter and worked on one cupcake the entire time.   Oh my, how she loved making that one cupcake!

After the cupcakes cooled, I made some buttercream and then "painted" stripes of gel food coloring  in stripes along the inside of the piping bags.  When the bags are filled with the buttercream and piped on the cupcakes,
SOME MAGIC HAPPENS!

Happy girls and swirly colors!

Starr's favorite cupcake is on the left and Kylie's beloved cupcake is on the right.  They were soooooo proud of them!

And what is sweeter than cupcakes?

Big smiles and wonderful memories.

Making sugar cookies with children

I was in Iowa last week visiting family, and had the delightful experience of making and decorating sugar cookies with my great niece Starr.  

I thought I would share a few tips for baking with children.

The most important thing to remember is that the experience is FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OUTCOME.

Involve the child in selecting the colors to tint the icing and the shape of the cutters.  Let them feel completely involved with the creative process.  

Show the child how to twist the top of the bag so the icing won't ooze out.  You will thank me for this.

It is going to be a MESS to clean up.  

Just deal with it.  

Cookie decorating is for any age - my 88 year old mother and 9 year old niece both had a wonderful time!  And I won't ever forget this afternoon spent with two people I love, sharing a hobby that I love.