Easy Bake Thanksgiving with Kids

I've always had this dream that someday my boys join me in the kitchen as I bake, we'd crack jokes, swap stories....and churn out dozens of the peanut butter and Hershey's kisses cookies we love. Now only if I actually had time to bake like I used to...and then there is the fact that my 7 year old just isn't that into baking (Luca loves it, though). Alessandro, on the other hand, usually splits at the crack of the first egg.

But that all changed a few months ago when I brought home some of the new Zebra Mixes to do some baking to celebrate the first week of school.



Created by local husband-and-wife team Lisa Burgess and Brian Alm (whose combined resumes include time at Starbucks, Pagonia, Cibo Naturals and more), these baking kits—available in chocolate chip cookie, brownie bite and cupcake and frosting mixes—are essentially add-eggs-oil-and-water type boxed mixes. However, they take the experience up many notches with 1) the fact that they are organic and 2) a really cool instruction manual. The "Safari Baking Map" is a colorful table-sized (18 by 24 inches) fold-out poster with step by step instructions that the kids check off as they complete each step. There are also some quizzes and games on the map.




Maybe it was their usual competitive nature (I had to make sure each one took turns checking off the boxes), but my boys were totally into it. I have never seen Alessandro, especially, so excited about cooking.

And the best thing yet—besides that the experience is brief and simple—is that the treats are truly tasty—and cook up just the right quantity so I don't end up eating the surplus (I have no control).

I liked them so much, I put them in our December Best of 2009 issue, on newsstands soon. They're also my favorite new birthday gifts for kids. Although a couple of the everyday kits ($5.99 each) would make a great gift, this fall, the company launched a series of gift kits that come packaged in a small lunchbox sized metal zebra striped box ($12.99) and more elaborate decorating kits ($24.99).



You can find them at Sur la Table, Whole Foods, Borders Books, and at zebramix.com.