Nana's Great Cookie Bake Off
A bake off? The grands were here and wanted to make chocolate chip cookies. Well, I opened my recipe box and out came at least 7 recipes for chocolate chip cookies!! Which one should we use?
Well the grands had the answer to that question! Let’s EACH make a DIFFERENT recipe and see which one we like best!
Great British Baking Show- what's that? ha!
So Nana’s Great Cookie Bake Off happened way before I ever heard about The Great British Bake Off!
3 Kids, 3 Recipes- what could go wrong?
I was swept away with the idea. What could be more fun than this? I was teaching FACS (Home Ec) in the high school and monitoring 4 different kitchens whenever we did a lab. No problem!
Thus was birthed…Nana’s Great Cookie Bake Off!
Um…so I know what you are thinking. And you are right. It was a crazy idea. But we had such a great time.
Choose the Bake Off recipes
Each kid chose the recipe they wanted to try. We had an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, a plain chocolate chip cookie and a chocolate-chocolate chip cookie recipe.
These are old photos (and taken during the craziness of the event) but I just love them. I only got a few taken on the actual day of the great bake off, so I added a couple extra from other cookie baking adventures.
Put out all of the ingredients and equipment
So each child had their recipe, and we got the ingredients out on the counter. Of course the ingredients are similar in any chocolate chip cookie recipe. Butter, sugar, salt, baking powder and/or soda, eggs, flour, etc. Then there are a couple ingredients that make them different like a pudding mix, oatmeal, or cocoa.
Of course three mixing bowls were needed and then there was an attempt to have a bit of order as we went through the recipes.
They shared the electric mixer, and each had a wooden spoon as well. Step by step we worked through the recipes. It took some patience.
Learning how to measure and read a recipe
The youngest needed help with reading the recipe correctly and getting the right measuring equipment and learning how to use them. But it actually went quite well.
The Bake Off- Chill and bake
After a slightly chaotic bit of time, the cookie dough was mixed and chilled and the baking began.
We baked one tray of each kind of cookie dough and let them cool. Then we had a Nana’s Great Cookie Bake Off tea party or in this case, taste test.
Bake Off taste test tea party
At first each child wanted their cookie recipe to be the favorite. But then they shifted their thinking and wanted to find their actual favorite chocolate chip cookie.
Want to know the favorite?
Drum roll….
They all liked the chocolate-chocolate chip cookie recipe the best! At least this time- ha! The recipe is found below.
Who gets their own Baking Show???
So, it takes Nana’s Great Cookie Bake Off to decide which grandchild should have their own great baking show (and find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe)!!
The quest is over, for now!
I did throw away one of the recipes and have stopped collecting more. My quest is over- well at least for now.
The WTN YouTube Channel is available for those that like that format. Watch the Nana's Great Cookie Bake Off Video on YouTube by clicking here!
Holiday baking day?
I thought this would be a fun activity for the holidays. But you may want to try one recipe at a time and make a couple different types with your kids or grandkids (or your friends).
I know several families that have a big baking day in early December and do all their holiday baking. The baked goods are wrapped and, in the freezer and off their mind. I think that is a great idea!
Let me know what you do for your cookie baking or your holiday baking. And if you are crazy enough to have a Great Cookie Bake Off at your house!
More Christmas recipes from Nana
Looking for some more fun in the kitchen? Try out these recipes for Christmas treats that you and the kids can make together!
- Christmas Wreath Rice Crispy Cookies
- Homemade Hot Chocolate
- DIY Marshmallows
- Gingerbread Cookie Ornaments
Enjoy!
If you try this craft, let me know! Go ahead and leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo with #WelcometoNanas wherever you post.
Come join the fun at https://welcometonanas.com
Nana's Great Cookie Bake Off Winner Recipe: Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Mixer
- Wooden spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 small package pudding mix (vanilla or chocolate)
- ⅓ cup cocoa (optional- leave out for plain choc chip cookies)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pkg chocolate chips or M&Ms (I like mini chocolate chips)
- parchment paper
Instructions
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with a Mixer until light and fluffy in a large Mixing bowl.
- Add the pudding mix, cocoa, 2 eggs, and vanilla and mix.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking soda.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the first bowl and mix. You may need to do this by hand as the dough may get too stiff for the mixer.
- Mix in the chocolate chips with a Wooden spoon.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Scoop out spoonfuls of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. May use parchment paper on the Baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes.
Video
Notes
Supplies for Nana's Great Cookie Bake Off
- Recipes for your own Bake Off!
- Ingredients for your recipes
- Mixing bowls
- Mixer
- Wooden spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Baking sheets
Shelly says
Have you found YOUR favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?
The pictures of the kids are priceless.
Granny Hev says
Please can you tell what we can use instead of the small pkt pudding mix.
And how much of the alternative should we use ?
We’re in the UK and can’t find your pudding mix.
My grandson also has a bake off for school and would love to use your recipe.
Help would be much appreciated
Thank you