When my mom was in town a few weeks ago we stopped in at one of my favorite thrift stores. As we browsed the kid-clothes my daughter found her heart's desire: the Easy Bake Oven. I wasn't so sure; she's been cooking with me since she was big enough to hold a whisk and I didn't want to, well, ruin her early cooking experiences with a dinky little plastic oven. I tried explaining that it's for eight year olds, that it made not-so-delicious desserts...but nothing could keep my mother from being moved by her granddaughter's wish (particularly since she's usually more than happy to put things back with a simple 'no') and into the cart it went. Honestly, it's not that I didn't want her to have the oven--I have nothing but fond memories of my own, I just wasn't sure whether she was old enough for it and really wasn't sure what my husband would think about our foray into lightbulb cookery.I could not have been more wrong.
It was a completely worthwhile $2 investment for a number of reasons:
First: My 5 1/2 year old really can use it all by herself, down to doing her own dishes (hey, that lesson can't start too early!).
Second: It makes tiny treats that are just enough to satisfy
Third:I quickly figured out that I wasn't going to spend a couple of bucks for a mix that makes one cardboard-y little puck of a cake or a few tasteless cookies. Instead, we've been using some store-bought cake mixes I had on hand and finding great recipes to mix up our own treats.
Here are a few especially good recipes to try:
Brownies
2 T. sugar
1 t. oil
1/8 t. vanilla extract
4 t. chocolate syrup (like Hershey's)
2 1/2 T. flour
1/8 t. baking powder
Stir everything together.
Pour batter into a pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake 15 minutes.
Blondies
2 1/2 T. brown sugar
1 t. oil
1/8 t. vanilla extract
3 T. flour
1/8 t. baking powder
optional: a few white chips, chopped nuts, or 1 T. shredded coconut
Stir everything together.
Pour batter into a pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake 15 minutes.
Homemade Easy Bake Cake Mix, lemon or chocolate
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. lemon-flavored unsweetened Kool-Aid (lemon cake) or cocoa (chocolate cake)
1/3 c. vegetable shortening (I used trans-fat-free Crisco)
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and drink powder or cocoa.
Cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal.
Distribute about 3 T. mix into each of 10-12 ziploc bags.
To use: Combine mix and 1 T. milk. Mix together, bake 15 minutes.
Easy Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 T. peanut butter
1 T. butter
2 t. brown sugar
1/8 t. baking powder
few drops vanilla
Stir everything together.
Roll into 1/2" balls (or scoop with a 1/2 t. measure) and flatten a bit with a fork (4 per batch).
Bake 10 minutes.
Easy Bake Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
Combine oats, flour, baking powder and brown sugar.
Stir to blend.
Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles corn meal.
Spoon about 1/2 c. mix into each of 8 ziploc bags.
To use: Combine 1/2 c. mix with 2 T. milk. Stir until smooth, bake 15 minutes.
The Easiest Chocolate Frosting
1 T. chocolate chips
1 t. cream or half-and-half
Melt chocolate chips in dish on top of easy bake oven.
Stir in cream or half and half until smooth, then frost immediately. (you can also use peanut butter chips for variety)
To use boxed cake mix (think Duncan Hines):
Method 1:Combine 2 T. mix and 1 T. milk. Stir until smooth, then bake 15 minutes.
Method 2:Combine 2 t. milk and 2 t. mayonnaise (it's just eggs and oil!), stir into 2 T. mix. Bake 15 minutes
We've used a few different kinds of mix--devil's food was good, german chocolate was great with a few white or semi-sweet chocolate chips thrown in, and 'funfetti' was cute, but I wouldn't call it delicious. We just keep the rest of the box of mix in a tupperware and mete it out 2T at a time. Enjoy!
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