I like to keep homemade desserts around the house. Not good for the diet, but I'll sacrifice for the good of the family. There is just something about the aroma of fresh baked cookies that says "HOME." I hope that someday when my kids leave our home & have homes of their own that the smells of baking will remind them of the times we had together as a family.
As you can see, we made chocolate chip cookies today. While not the most creative or experimental, they are a family favorite. It's something that I have made from scratch so many times that I can make it without a recipe.
I don't think it's possible to bake anything without the help of my kids. The second I start, each of them push up chairs from the dining table to the counter so they can be a part. So each child (today just Samantha & Tyler as the older two were still at school) took a turn dumping in an ingredient as I measured it out. Of course their favorite part of the whole thing is getting to lick the spatula or mixing spoon afterward.
I have come to discover that along with the joy of sharing the baking with my children, there is a definite enjoyment in having the right tools in the kitchen. One of those is my KitchenAid mixer. This was a gift from a friend early in my marriage & I have put it to good use. While it's very heavy & a pain to get out of the cabinet due to its weight, I makes baking a delight. I just have the classic model, but it does what it does very well. I would love to purchase some of the attachments for it, like a bigger bowl or a splatter guard (flour gets everywhere if you have the speed up to high when you add it to your mix!), but I'm pretty content with what I have at this point. Tyler is licking the mixing paddle there on the right.
Another of my favorite baking tools is my Pampered Chef Mix 'n Scraper. The one Samantha is nibbling on I have had for 4 years now & it looks nearly brand new, even after all the nibbling. This spoon scrapes every last bit out of a bowl while baking & even has a bit of a bowl to it so you can use it like a large spoon as well. It goes in the dishwasher & is virtually indestructible. Pampered Chef carried a couple sizes of this; I have both of them.
No, I do not sell Pampered Chef, although I probably should. I own I large portion of their tools & cookware. There products are very high quality, easy to use & durable. There are very few of their products that I have used and don't like.
Lastly, for baking cookies, I love the Pampered Chef Mediums Scoop. No, this is not an ice cream scooper. I have it from a good source that attempting to scoop ice cream with it will break it (no, it wasn't me!). Basically it you scoop up just the right amount of cookie dough with it & using the squeeze handle dish it on the baking sheet. No messy fingers & all your cookies are just the right size.
Having the right tools for any job just makes the job more fun!