When I was a kid in the 90s, we took home economics at school. We learned to scramble eggs, bake chocolate chip cookies, and make pizza dough. And I used those skills, too. The summer between 5th and 6th grade, I was on my own because both my parents worked. Like I said, it was the 90s, and things were just a bit more unsupervised back then. I was bored, so I started to cook. I made cookies, breads, and eventually stir fries because I was tired of my parents’ steak-and-potatoes dinners.
Now I’m in my 40s, and I’m an excellent home cook, if I do say so myself. I really credit home ec, and I wish it was still taught in schools — cooking is an essential life skill.
This summer my 11-year-old got involved in our meals. She started coming on my weekly grocery trips, and she’s learning her way around noodle bowls and the toaster oven. And she has started to bake, too.
I quickly realized while watching her that baking mixes are a great way to build confidence. They have minimal steps and a sweet reward to entice her to make more and build her skills. She didn’t have any camps scheduled for last week, so I decided to make it a cooking week. It turns out that Trader Joe’s has some great, affordable baking mixes. I let her pick five, one for each day of the week. I decided to be very hands-off unless she asked, and I let her do everything on her own from start to finish. If I could do it at her age, so can she, even though I was nervous she would burn herself.
Here are her bakes, what she thought and which one was the best. Spoiler: None of us could agree.
Blueberry Muffin Mix
On Monday, she tried the blueberry muffins. I let her try to make them on her own, but she interrupted me during a call, asking why the recipe needed 11 sticks of butter. It said “1 1/4.” Hey, at least she asked, and that’s how you learn. Following directions and figuring out measurements are all skills that translate to math and science. The muffins turned out great. She learned she needs to be more careful about filling the muffin cups to all the same height, and if you don’t, you get some that are too big or small and overcooked.
Overall we all felt the muffins tasted ok. They were pretty standard blueberry muffins flavor but as a family we decided we like versions with a crumble top or some lemon.
Blondie Bar Baking Mix
On Tuesday, she made these blondies. The recipe seemed very straightforward. She did ask about appropriate pan size and how to grease it; she got all the other steps with help. Once it was cool, the bar has a very cookie-like texture: super buttery and chocolatey. They would be great with some ice cream for dessert. I am totally stocking up on these next time I do a TJs grocery run.
Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix
On Wednesday she made these everything cookies. These were my least favorite in terms of flavor but my husband disagrees — he loved the oatmeal in them. The dough had lots of bits in it and she was confused how to shape it into cookies. So she made it into a bars like the blondies. She said it was the hardest recipe because the ingredients didn’t really come together and she wasn’t sure if she did something wrong. Overall, these were good but not outstanding.
Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
On Thursday she made brownies. She was able to complete the whole recipe on her own, but when they came out of the oven I thought they looked under cooked. We did a test with a screwer and it came out clean but they were very fudgy. The flavor was great but definitely had a gooey brownie vibe. Her brother loved these because he added the last of the ice cream and some whipped cream.
Celebration Cake & Baking Mix
She used this kit to make cupcakes. The steps were very similar to the blueberry muffins and blondies — just mixing and portioning it out into the muffins cups. The frosting was new technique; I showed her how to cream the butter and add in the provided powder sugar and then decorate with sprinkles. They tasted great, with a classic birthday cake flavor.
It was the cutest thing to see how proud she was of her creations. We all taste tested them and congratulated her on her success. It’s so satisfying to see your kid find something they like to do but want to learn more about. The experiment went so well that she asked if she could sign up for a cooking camp. I found one that has a chocolate theme, geared towards tweens, and she’ll be attending. I hope this is the beginning of a life exploring food. I’m looking forward to sweet treats and hopefully working up to someone else making me dinner.
Katy Elliott is the Personal Stories Editor at Scary Mommy. She loves to cook, garden, and chat with people about anything from how much you love your kids to how much your kids drive you nuts. She’s a mom to two kids and lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
