Like most families with young children, we are figuring out each year what will become our annual Christmas traditions. And I think we just found a new one! My oldest son and I wandered over to The London Chef on Victoria's Fort Street for a class in Christmas cookies, and it pretty much charmed the red striped socks off my kiddo.
He got to see and do a lot while at their beautiful cooking school, and it all started with decorating his very own paper chef hat with crayons, stickers, and stamps.
The face of The London Chef is Chef Dan Hayes. His obvious passion for teaching kids in the kitchen is infectious, and the kids responded by answering his questions excitedly and craning their necks to see inside a big bowl of whipping cream he was preparing for the peppermint hot chocolate. Their eyes were like saucers while he chopped dark chocolate, filled cups with candy canes, and passed around nutmeg for them all to smell.
Only one little kiddie didn't want hot chocolate, and guess who that was? Yup, my little monkey is a bit funny about hot drinks for some reason. I'm convinced one day he will finally try hot chocolate and realize how very wrong he's been all this time!
The kids all rolled their own ball of cookie dough and chose from a selection of festive cookie cutters to form their cookies. When it came to decorating, they iced and sprinkled (okay, my guy started munching pretty much from the start) their cookies to bring home in a box to show their families.
It really was a charming morning. A couple friends of mine brought their own kids to the class too, so we got to catch up while the kids learned from the best and filled their little bellies with yummy, sugary treats.
What kinds of Christmas cookies are you making this year? Are the kids getting involved? Leave a comment and share your tips on baking with kids!