Children who bake

It is a very good thing to teach your children to bake. This means that when you come in from the barn having finished morning chores that more often than not you are greeted with some freshly baked item just waiting for you. Today, L. made a pumpkin spice cake with pecans. It was very good. I can't think of a better way to start the day along with a good cup of coffee. (OK, in full disclosure, that would be the second or third cup of morning coffee. The first happens before I have even gotten out of bed.)

Then, it is equally often that some child will make cookies for tea time. Not today, but we did have cookies for the past three days, so I can't really complain. 

And sometimes, you even get something for dessert for after dinner. Today G. made a flourless chocolate cake with a chocolate frosting. I didn't get a picture of it, sadly, but it was very good. G. was thrilled to have mastered making meringue which the recipe requires. 

Y. and K. are equally able to decide to bake something in the kitchen. D. is going to teach Y. to bake bread this week, and G. is happily going to pass that task along. More often than not, any of the four of them will also clean up after themselves. I can't think the last time I had to answer a baking question or explain how to do something. 

So for those of you who are still in the learning and mess-making kitchen phase, hang in there; it's worth it. And there could be many yummy baked goods in your future.