Several years ago my mom introduced me to the 3-2-1 Cupcake. She got the recipe from a Weight Watchers meeting, but I have no idea where it originated. All that really matters to me is that it is easy, delicious, and my four-year-old daughter loves to make them. Plus, she learns all kinds of skills while she makes them. This makes me very happy. This especially makes me happy when we have rainy or cold weather and need something fun to keep her occupied.
The premise of the 3-2-1 Cupcake is super simple:
3 - tablespoons of box cake mix (any flavor - Beth likes vanilla and strawberry best)
2 - tablespoons of water - mix well
1 - minute in the microwave
Viola! A fresh cupcake! The best part is that Beth makes her own. She has learned to count the numbers of tablespoons, how to measure and lift the cake mix gently out of the bag without spilling it, how to mix the water with the dry ingredients, and how to set the microwave to 1 minute. We also talk about how the heat makes the ingredients cook and rise. These are all skills that will translate to school when she starts, as well as being excellent real-life skills.
Once Beth had mastered the 3-2-1 Cupcake, we moved on to making cookies. I will admit that I don’t have a lot of free time, so we often use the prepackaged bags of cookie mix and doctor them up a little. It would be more beneficial to have Beth measure out all the ingredients, but that is a task we save for rainy weekends. Either way, she has learned a lot from helping me make cookies. She is very good at counting and cracking the eggs for me, she knows how to turn on the mixer and keep her hands away from it while it is running, she can scoop and measure the cookie dough, and she is a world-class cookie dough eater.
We normally add a few extra ingredients to the mix, just to personalize it a little and give Beth more of an opportunity to measure out and add ingredients. I like to add a half cup of chocolate chips or dried cranberries (depending on the style of cookie we are making) and a teaspoon of Mexican vanilla (makes everything taste better!). We usually share the task of measuring and scooping the dough...Beth does the first 12 and then I finish it. Her little hands just aren’t strong enough to work the dough scoop for more than a dozen scoops. Sometimes she misses the mark and puts a cookie too close to the edge. They come out with a flat side, but we like to sing the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood song about how things still taste good, even if they don't look exactly like you want.
Baking can also be a fun chemistry lesson. I’m not a chemistry teacher, and Beth is only four, so I simplify the process as much as I can. We talk a lot about how when air gets hot, it gets bigger and rises (that’s what makes a hot air balloon work). We also talk about yeast, and how it is a teeny tiny microbe that produces different gasses that get bigger as they get hot (just like blowing up a balloon). As the air in the oven gets hotter and heats the cookie dough, all those gases get released inside the dough and make it get puffy. That’s why we have to leave space between cookies and why the cookies puff up as they cook. It’s also why the cookies sometimes fall back down as they cool off after we take them out of the oven...the gasses inside cool back down, too.
If you haven't already, try some simple baking projects with your kids. They will learn science and life skills, and everyone will get a delicious treat!
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