Baking tips for beginners: Bake it till you make it!

Getting started is often the hardest step when it comes to anything new. 
I’ve met countless people who tell me they can’t cook or bake to save their life. More often than not, these people have had a couple of bad experiences in the kitchen or have tried a recipe that was way out of their depth, scaring them out of the kitchen for good.
Like I tell all the great, talented kids who learn from me, the scariest part of baking, for a beginner, is getting started.  
Here are seven baking tips that will work if you’re just starting out or want your kids to enjoy the thrills of baking! Good luck :)

1. Have fun!

​This is always my first and last tip, and every tip in between :)
Baking is a fun and easy activity that you can do with your friends, family, or even by yourself as you gain more confidence in the kitchen. 
The moment you stop worrying so much about the outcome and focus on having a good time, you know you’re doing it right.

2. Don’t skip the preparation

There’s nothing that screams rookie more than starting a new baking project only to realize you’re short of, or worse, missing, a key ingredient. 
If you’re showing your kids the ropes, teach them that once they’ve picked a recipe, they need to do a little reconnaissance in your pantry (with your help, of course) to scope out what you have. 
Tell them to make a list of what they need and make sure you get all the ingredients on your next grocery store visit. 
​Once you’re all set with your ingredients, make sure they’re laying everything they need on the counter and that their utensils are clean and ready for action!
​It’s also important to make sure your space is clean and is a safe place for you and your kids to bake in.

3 .Learn your way around the kitchen

Another important piece of advice I share with my young learners, in my online classes, is that they need to know their way around the kitchen. 
Before you bake anything, you need to know where all your ingredients are stored.
​It’s also a good idea to have an understanding of baking basics like how to measure ingredients or how to operate your oven safely, which will serve you well as you start spending more time in the kitchen (AKA my favorite part of the house!).

4 .Take your time

No one is a MasterChef right out of the gate.
Whether you’re waiting for your cupcakes to rise or for your butter to reach room temperature, baking can test your patience sometimes. Especially when you learn the hard way that opening the oven multiple times while waiting for your creations to finish doesn’t help you produce the desired outcome!
Make sure you take the time to read and understand your recipe, gather your ingredients, measure everything correctly, and follow every step.
You’ll soon find that baking is one of the most relaxing activities you and your kids can do :)​

5. Don’t sweat the small stuff

You may leave some batches of cookies in the oven for a smidge too long or accidentally overbeat your mixtures. What I can almost guarantee is that these little missteps will still make for a delicious outcome.
You don’t need to be an expert pastry chef to make delicious food. 
Something I always tell my own kids is that there’s absolutely no learning experience like a few slip-ups in the kitchen, and nothing a little frosting can’t fix (especially when it’s over the burnt part of your cookie—I speak from experience!).

6. Bake what you love

Most of the fun that comes out of cooking or baking is learning how to make the things you enjoy eating. You’ll find that the baking process is tons more fun when you can’t wait to eat the end result! 
Start by mastering an easy recipe and then start adding your own unique twist to take your favorite treat to the next level. 
Here’s a recipe for easy heart cookies you can try if you or your kids are into baked confectionery.

7. Again, have fun!

No, I wasn’t kidding when I said this would be my first and last tip!
If you’re not having fun whipping up a storm in your kitchen, then you’re definitely doing it wrong. I'm a firm believer that even cleaning up, and taking pride in your clean kitchen, feels like a game when you’re doing it right! If it doesn’t feel like that to you at the moment, this is nothing that can’t be fixed.
​Where there is a will, there is a way, and I am confident that once you get back into that kitchen, and the scent of your first batch of homemade baked goods wafts through your home, there’ll be no getting you out! 
If you were waiting on a sign to start your baking journey, then this is it. Follow these easy tips and you or your kids will be whizzes in no time at all :)