Oatmeal Cookies: Your Kids in the Kitchen

I'm taking a break from the kitchen today while my 12-year-old son, Jack, takes over. Do you like to bake with your children? Mine have been baking with me since they were very small. Now they are at the point where they can read most recipes and follow them through to a finished product. For simple stuff that is.

I have taught my kids to always read through a recipe first. Then they should collect all their ingredients and put them on the counter. After mixing everything together, it is important to read the recipe again to make sure they did everything properly and didn't leave anything out. And of course, they MUST taste the dough or batter to be sure it tastes right :-)

Today Jack is making Quaker Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts in them. These really are the best oatmeal cookies in my opinion. Nice and chewy when not over-baked!

We like to make them all kinds of ways. Sometimes with no additions, sometimes with chocolate chips or butterscotch chips. White chocolate chips and cranberries are an especially good combo. My personal favorite is raisins and walnuts.

Do you have this recipe around? We usually buy the generic brand of oats, which of course, does not have the Quaker recipe on the package.  I have a really great cookbook called, "Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars," and the Quaker recipe is in it.  Did you know that they first printed this recipe on their oats package in 1955? I didn't.

If you don't have it, here it is.

Happy Baking with your children!