I am definitely the type of person who has a hard time relinquishing control. You’ll find me asking my husband to do something for me, and I will ultimately take over because he’s doing it wrong.

That, of course, translates into how I operate in the kitchen. But if my 3 year old daughter gets out all of the ingredients and asks to make muffins, I just can’t say no. But it takes everything not to freak out when she wants to scoop the batter in or stir everything together. And if I’m being honest, those freak outs do happen…a little bit.

What I try to do, to maintain my composure, is to just tell myself that everything can be cleaned up easily. I used to get nervous about her getting raw ingredients in her mouth but we’ve been making scrambled eggs together recently and she does so well making sure not to touch anything until I can wash her hands.

And when she spills the batter over the sides, inside I’m going “ahh, the waste!”. But then I just take a deep breath and realize that she’s only 3, and I need to embrace these times that we spend together. At one point I did snap and it made her cry. Gah, that was not a proud mother moment! I cleaned up a little bit and then I hugged her and told her I was sorry. We went right back to it. And she really is so proud when I tell her she’s doing a good job.

And the muffins we made? They came out delicious!

Chocolate Chip Muffins
From the Williams-Sonoma Muffin Cookbook
Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet (plain) chocolate chips

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2) In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
3) In another bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk mixture. Beat until smooth and well mixed, 1-2 minutes. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips just until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
4) Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup.
5) Bake until golden, dry, and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let cool completely. Serve them at room temperature.

I love this little granite trivet from my aunt and uncle! Can you guest which state they live in?? My aunt found the granite near the coast and my uncle carved it.

Do you enjoy cooking with your kids? Any tips on how you manage them helping you in the kitchen?