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Designer Oatmeal Cookies: Baker’s Spotlight with Brooke Stamm

Designer Oatmeal Cookies: Baker’s Spotlight with Brooke Stamm

Designer Oatmeal Cookies: Baker’s Spotlight with Brooke Stamm

Brooke Stamm, Program Manager, Washington County 4-H and Youth, River Valley District, Kansas, has been baking as long as she can remember.  “I learned to bake while growing up doing 4-H. As young as I can remember, my mom showed me everything I know.”

Recently the Home Baking Association presented roundtable SPARK sessions- Heat is an Ingredient and Baking with Friends – plus a Baking Builds STEAM workshop at the state 4-H Program Rally, Emporia KS.  Brooke was in every session and prepared herself to go back to lead, and bake.  “I had to have a copy of the Baking with Friends book with teaching guides, reading list, skill check list and certificate.”

“I came straight home and did some baking with my 3-year-old daughter. We made the very first recipe, Designer Cookies, and when I took them out of the oven they looked just like my grandma’s signature cookies. She passed away in July, so the emotion in that moment was more than I can put into words.” It was a way for me to share what she shared with me with my daughter Chloe. 

Designer Cookies recipe from Baking with Friends

The benefits of baking with young people are known by most youth educators—at home, in 4-H or in classrooms.  Literacy of all types—reading, math, science, history—are just a few. Baking with Friends provides “Top Ten Tips” to begin baking and tasks different ages can do. As they progress there’s a chart to “check off” what’s being learned. All downloadable too.

We asked Brooke what tips she would share with others: “I’ve learned I have to stop caring about the mess being made and just let her have fun. After we make a mess we clean it up together (and moms make messes too sometimes!) The most important part is seeing the joy on her face when she’s learning and making memories with me. She’s pretty much only mastered pouring and stirring so far, but she likes to pretend to read the recipe.” Choose age-appropriate tools and tasks and then the important part is to START young when they can’t wait to help.

“Thank you so much for reminding me to get with it and make some more memories with my girl. Can’t wait to try some more recipes together.”

Thank YOU Brooke! You’ll find so many more resources!  Check out the latest Bake for Family Fun pages for Getting Started, Baking for a Valentine, Building History and Traditions and Baking for Others.

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