Cooking Oatmeal Coconut Cookies with Your Kids

There are many benefits of cooking with kids. I've discovered how special it is spending time with my children, together or individually, and the bonding that takes place over a batch of oatmeal cookies or prepping ingredients for a nice pot of soup. It's not the end result I relish but the process of cooking together. When I see my kids beaming because they were able to cook scrambled eggs perfectly, I am filled with pride.

A few years ago, my husband and I went out to dinner for my birthday. My mom and dad were babysitting the kids, and my oldest daughter (who was 5 years old at the time) decided to bake me cookies. She had no recipe and just winged it using the knowledge she learned from our time baking together. When we arrived home she presented me with a platter of what I thought were brownies because they were brownish-black in color. Initially, I was confused by my special birthday treat because my mom does not bake and she has never cooked from a recipe. However, I was so touched when I learned from Mom that the girls told her they knew how to make cookies, and they jumped right in including using the stand mixer by themselves. I was so proud of them for taking the initiative to get into the kitchen and use their creativity.

The moment I took a bite into Abbi's homemade treats, I told her how special her brownies were. They're not brownies, they're cookies! They were perfect in every way despite the fact they were burnt to a crisp.

My mom is now living with us, and I'm teaching her how to bake. Even Eli loves baking, and he and my mom are learning together how to make savory and sweet delights with a lot of fun and bonding in the process.

If you're looking for a fun activity to do with your child, why not invite your child into the kitchen and whip up a batch of these oatmeal coconut cookies? Your child will feel special knowing they helped create such a delectable treat!