Ehsan’s friend Gianna hopped in our car after school yesterday, and that was a big deal, because she doesn’t typically go on playdates or with other moms easily. After what felt like hours of wild, noisy running, I heard them stomp upstairs to my desk where I was working.
“We demand cookies!” they shouted in unison, holding up signs they had made “in protest.” Naturally, I found this funny. Authentic reasons to write. Of course I’d bake for them.
I started with dried oats and added half an apple tube left in the fridge. I wanted lots of protein in them so I cracked four eggs, then continued to eyeball ingredients I knew they needed.
Some brown sugar; a squeeze-full of agave.
Cocoa powder.
A pinch of cinnamon, some ground flax, some baking soda.
My mom always told me not to forget it needs some good fat, so I added a hefty tablespoon of Nutzo. Spun the blend for awhile in the Kitchen Aid mixer I use several times a week- a persimmon-colored gift from my childhood friend, slid the first batch of six into the oven at 375.
The kids gravitated toward the smell of the baked goods as I was pulling out the pan.
“What kind are they?” Gianna asked.
”Oh, she never knows,” Ehsan told her.
“What do you mean?” Gianna crinkled her brow. I leaned in.
“My mom doesn’t follow recipes. We never get the same batch twice.”
I grinned. My boy knows me. I I told them to taste the first ones and see what else they needed, and help me decide how to change them to make them even better. That’s what my mom always did with me.
The first reports came in. They’re a little dry, and you nearly burned the edges. We wouldn’t mind some more sweetness, too.
I opened the fridge, scanning to see what else I could add. Perfect! Date paste. I emptied the jar and re-spun the mixture.
Good move mama. They came out fluffier, and everyone was pleased.
The whole thing made me smile. Here were two eight-year-olds, watching a grownup remix and remake based on their suggestions. They watched me change it up based on their feedback to improve my product. I riffed off my mother’s original recipe- I know the basics by eye- and made my own, healthier, heartier (dinner) version. It’s precisely what Cornelius and I talked about in a session we presented a few weeks ago, too – about remixing the way we approach teaching practice to do right by children.
Sometimes kids can help us find a better way, if only we leaned in to listen.
You can see the difference between the first and second batches here.
From the Literacy Consultants’ Coalition February 2022 session with Cornelius.
From the Literacy Consultants’ Coalition February 2022 session with Cornelius.
OMG– I thought I was a recipe-free kind of chef, but you are on a whole different plane. Love the connections here, as well as how you captured the interactions between E and G, as well as their authentic purpose for writing.
Beautiful connections to formative assessment, involving kids in the process, and revision – LOVE IT. Now that my kids are off at college, I don’t bake as much. This is inspiring me to bake today. Thank you!
What fun! It sounds like you’re virtually a vegan with the date paste and agave . . . but the eggs though. Love the collaborative "recipe" writing and rewriting.