As a stay at home mom in Seattle, I hear a lot about the importance of eating healthy food. We buy organic and eat a vegetarian diet. My two children ages 4 & 1 are encouraged to eat lots of fruit and vegetables as well as eat in moderation. I find myself pouring over articles titled “How to get your child to eat more vegetables” and thumbing through healthy cookbooks. But – it gets a little exhausting. Sometimes, we need to let our hair down a bit and eat chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes.

There is something magical about making cookies with a 4 year old. He wants to pour (and taste) everything. “I pour, you measure” he tells me. We get out all the ingredients and start to make the batter. He stirs and scoops the flour and pretends that he is a digger machine, constantly asking if he can have a lick.  Finally, we scoop the cookies onto the baking sheet and stick them in the oven. The house starts to smell like cookies and I am reminded of all the times I did this same exact process with my mom.

Out come the cookies and little fingers grab one and then another. “One more?” he asks? Sure. How can I say no? Cookies bring a sparkle to his eyes the way broccoli never will.