Baking Red and Green Oatmeal Cookies with a Toddler

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Tis the season to be baking, right?

As a kid, I remember the mega baking sessions we’d have a few weekends before Christmas. My sister, mom, dad and I would stay in our PJs for the day and work up batch after batch of different cookies to enjoy for the holidays. Now that Brielle is 2 I want to pass along that fun memory to her and include her in some family baking time!

She LOVES oatmeal and of course the occasional “special treat” so a batch of soft oatmeal cookies with festive red and green M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis was in order! I also picked up these cute Glad® Holiday containers to keep them fresh!

The first order of business was to shop for the basics and for that we went to good old Target! (Ya know, that glorious place that you always go for “only one thing” and end up buying tons of “must haves” that weren’t on the list!) This is who she met upon walking in this holiday season! Isn’t he cute? Once inside, we were focused on our cookie mission and picked up M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis, Quaker Instant Quaker Oats and a pack of Glad® Holiday containers.

• 1 cup butter (softened)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 cups Quaker Oats
• M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis

I put all the ingredients in their own little bowl or cup in order for her to easily add them to the mixture. Sure it was more dishes but it was worth it to see her having fun helping to make cookies! First we creamed together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.

Next I added in eggs one at a time and then the vanilla.  Ok here’s the only place I break the rules. The recipe calls for combining the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl and then adding it to the creamed mixture. I know traditional bakers will do just that (still not sure why), but I’m a one bowl baking gal so I just add it directly in. Still tastes fine to me! :)

Next we mixed in the Quaker Oats. Since the dough was getting tough for the mixture, we added in those delicious red and green M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis and did a little hand mixing on this step.

A close up of the colorful dough! Cover and chill dough in the fridge for at least one hour. (This is a great recipe to do with a toddler as you can prep the mix before nap and do the baking later once awake and refreshed!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and place on cookie sheets. We slightly smushed (yes, technical term) the balls down and added some extra M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis on top for color.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Then enjoy!

I know Brielle had fun actually getting hands on and helping to make the cookies vs always just watching mom do things. And I am positive she enjoyed the fruits of our labor when sampling one after baking. To avoid eating them all at once, we wrapped them up in these great Glad® Holiday containers and tucked them away until Daddy was home!

In case you’re still on the hunt for more red and green baking recipes and packaging ideas, you can go here!