When Baking with Kids Goes Off the Rails (But Still Turns Out Sweet)

Let’s be honest — baking with kids doesn’t always look like the smiling stock photos. Sometimes it’s sugar on the floor, a measuring cup mess, and a timer going off at the worst possible moment. But in between the messes and the meltdowns, there’s something sweet and real about the whole experience. It’s not about the perfect bake — it’s about the memories and time you spend with your kids.

Hi, Amy here! I'm the business manager for Itty Bitty Bakers. My seven-year-old daughter, Mia, is one of the founding students. It’s a source of pride for both of us. She absolutely loves her baking classes and would gladly attend every single one, from the toddler classes to the teen classes, were I made of money.

Right now, Mia’s school system is doing in-person classes four days a week, with Wednesdays reserved for at-home studies. To maximize our hours of mother/daughter time on Wednesdays, I suggested that we bake together — nothing too complicated, as I am a relative novice in the baking arts. I told her she could choose what we bake and take the lead by reading the recipe, making sure we had all the right ingredients, and assigning each of us tasks.

Mia and I — ready to bake!

She loved the idea of being Boss Lady, of course, and deemed these to be "Private Baking Classes" — emphasis on the quotation marks very much implied.

Last week was our first attempt. We decided we’d make Brookies, but we would take them up a notch by baking them INTO A PIE. This might sound complicated, but really, it just consisted of mixing up some brookie box mix and pouring it into a frozen deep dish pie crust. Easy peasy, right? Well…

The hours that Mia and I had alone slipped away in a jumble of other activities. We picked up her little brother, Wyatt, and, honestly, dear reader, I should have known. I should have seen it coming.

We had our aprons on, the oven preheated, and whisks at the ready. She began to mix up the brownies, everything was going perfectly…

…until my Energizer Bunny of a son hopped into the kitchen — literally. Within seconds, he and Mia were chasing each other around while I endeavored to warn them away from the hot oven, continuing to whisk the brownies and whisper-yell, “INSIDE VOICES!!!!”

Brookie Pie

From that point on, our little mother/daughter exercise really became more of a solo act. Oh well.

The Brookie Pie turned out delicious, though — a little TOO delicious, which is why I immediately gave half of it away. I can’t have that stuff in my house! The temptation is too great! Maybe it’ll all go a little better next week. Maybe.

All that to say, if your “baking with kids” moment turns into a circus instead of a cooking show, take heart — you’re doing it right. The best part isn’t the picture-perfect dessert; it’s the laughter, the learning, and the little memories baked in along the way. Even when things go off the rails, they can still turn out sweet.