If you've read any of my other articles or witnessed my brave attempts to make rocky road whilst I was vegan for Lent, it probably comes as no surprise that I adore baking. Chocolate Covered Katie's site is my life manual and if I need to procrastinate, she's the first person I turn to.
So when I enthusiastically asked if I could bake cookies when I was round at my sister's house, she didn't hesitate in saying yes. There was just one condition: her two-year-old son had to join in.
I was a little apprehensive to say the least. My nephew and I are best buds and I love him to pieces, but I could imagine exactly how this was going to go — with more flour and butter on the table than in the mixing bowl. I'm not the tidiest of bakers as it is — adding my nephew to the equation could only end in disaster.
But, as it turns out, he proved me wrong.
Let the baking begin
Surprise, surprise, not a huge amount of flour actually stayed in the bowl once we got the whisks out. I still haven't worked out if that's because of him or because of me, but either way, the kitchen became a mess almost instantly. I didn't mind; my sister probably did.
We ate more than we baked
Okay, so this isn't entirely true but it's close enough. Our variation of the recipe called for chocolate buttons and after carefully pouring the correct amount out, we promptly ate nearly an entire bag before actually adding any into the mix. #NoRegrets
I had to be an actual adult
Of course, he wasn't allowed to go anywhere near the oven once it was on, so I had to take my turn at adulting, including not burning myself while the cookies were actually baking. Considering the fact that I'm a total klutz, I'm not used to being the responsible one. I felt the pressure!
The cookies were to die for
In the end, the cookies came out remarkably well — at least, he seemed to think so. I'm pretty sure he ate more than I did but I definitely grabbed my fair share too! Having a two-year-old helping did not seem to hinder the end product at all!
It was so much fun!
Not only would I 100% do it again, but I'd also encourage anyone with younger family members to get messy in the kitchen with them, too. I got to spend valuable time with my lovable nephew and we made some kick ass cookies whilst we were at it. Admittedly, the cleaning up wasn't half as fun as the baking but we (or rather, I — he immediately bailed to play with his trains) survived it all the same.