Baking Cookies with Addy-Mai (pic heavy)
Addy-Mai’s favorite two phrases right now are “I help please” or “Help me please”. She is both so independent and so newly dependant all at the same time. She’s at that age where she’s long-ago mastered a certain skill but learns that if she asks nicely enough someone will surely do it for her and save her the trouble. She is only interested in doing what she is either not allowed to do or has not yet mastered. Its a dangerous age. While I blog this, she is watching Dora upside down while doing a handstand against a chair alternating with running over to empty my purse and wallet of its contents and then (if I’m lucky) reassemble them in her own unique way. But not until she paints herself with lipgloss and considers popping a few coins in her mouth. Gotta watch her every.single.second.
Today Addy and I decided to baked up some cookies together. She LOVES to cook. It definitely fills the need for “I help please” and passes the time for both of us.
We decided on chocolate mocha meringue cookies, mostly becuase they fit into my new healthy lifetsyle*
First we measured out the sugar and the cornstarch and whisked it all together (and by “whisk” I mean shake the container very hard):

I cracked and separated the eggs and Addy poured the whites into the mixer

While we waited, Noah showed Addy how the bowl can make beautiful music if you bang on it over and over again:
When the eggs were frothy, we added sugar by the tablespoon. This was Addy’s favorite part!

Then we waited and watched while the eggs and mixer did their magic:


Addy felt great a new love for the Kitchen-aid that she had yet to know before:
The eggs take a very long time to get stiff. While we waited, I broke the hard news to Miss Mai that her cookies would contain chocolate. Oh the joys of chocolate are not lost on one so young!

There was much “Help me please” going on in the hopes that I would open the chocolate:

But in the end, she found her own ways:

Finally! Finally she got to add the magic chocolate:
Oh the magic that chocolate preformed! It changed our eggs to brown!

She added some coffee and when I wasn’t looking, added a little extra for good measure:

We put our cookies into the oven:

And an hour later, we had meringue goodness!

Mmmm!! Deeee-licious!

*this is the Healthy Lifestyle by which I expect to lose a significant amount of weight over the next year. It is not a resolution. It is not a diet. It is boring to talk about. But you can damn well be assured there will be gratuitous pictures when all goals have been met!












January 17th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Mmmm…those look yummy…recipe?? And quite the cute sous chef you have!
(here via MDC blogroll)
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January 17th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Oh those look YUMMY! Addy is so cute! Baking with my kids is not fun. Yours always seem to be natural born chefs/bakers.
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January 17th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
The recipe is from the latest Everyday Food magazine but you can see it online here: Meringue Cookie Recipe
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January 17th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Good luck with your healthy lifesytle and she looks like such a great helper!
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January 17th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I love all of the pictures. She is such a great little helper. Good luck with the healthy lifestyle. Can’t wait for the reward!!!!
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January 17th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Aw, she looks like she did such a good job! She is such a hoot - and just so dang smart. I think she is going to keep you very, very busy over the years in a whole new way from your boys, but in the most amazing way and I have no doubt you figured that out a long time ago!
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January 17th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
You are so good about involving your kids in cooking. I hate cooking so very much that I can’t find a way to make it “fun” with the kids (aside from simple cookie baking of course). I bet Addy grows up to be an awesome cook.
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January 17th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
mmmmm, they look great!
I love that magazine!
Skye is my helper too, I am NEVER cooking in the kitchen that she’s not there ‘helping’.
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January 17th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Those cookies really look delicious. Too bad we don’t have scratch and sniff capabilities on our computers!
It looks like Addison had a ton of fun in the kitchen with Mom! What a great helper she seems to be. Cute, cute pix.
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January 18th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Wow, those cookies look really good! I like Susan’s idea of scratch ‘n sniff technology. Now that would be cool.
Addy is one serious chef. I love her serious looks as she carefully pours the ingredients. Too sweet.
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January 18th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Those are such sweet photos! Thanks for sharing them.
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January 18th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Yumm! I am about ready to lick my computer screen. Good luck with the new healthy lifestyle. I’m trying to do the same thing (and so far have lost 4 of the 12 pounds I’ve gained). But I can’t eat eggs, which makes me sad, because I really want to make those cookies. Hmm . . . minus the cofffee, maybe.
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January 18th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
The pictures are great. Aren’t Kitchen Aids just the best?
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January 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
what a cute budding chef! I love love love all the pictures. you are such a good mommy!
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