Many of us this Mother’s Day will have to spend the day apart from our moms. While we’d all prefer to be together celebrating, there are still ways to connect with Mom. FaceTime, phone calls and gifts delivered to her door are a great place to start, but for me, there’s no substitute for the bonding that happens while baking.
My mom, Nancy, and I have been baking together for as long as I can remember. When I was small, she’d pull a chair up to the counter so I could top cookies with (way too many) sprinkles or candies. Eventually, I graduated to tasks that required more skill. Now, my mom and I bake together regularly. Recipes like poppy seed loaves, Dutch apple cake and spritz cookies are some of our favorites.
Since we can’t get together this Mother’s Day, I thought we could still make a little time to bake together—even if it’s from a distance. Here’s how you can do the same with your family.
Pick a Recipe
Lisa Kaminski/Taste of Home
Before you start that voice call, take some time to figure out what you want to bake. Do you and your mom have a favorite recipe? Or is there something you’ve both been meaning to try? And during these times, you have to ask what you can make with what’s already in the pantry.
My mom and I both combed through some of our favorite recipes, and we decided on this simple yet tasty chocolate chip blondie recipe. It’s exactly the kind of treat my mom would make for me as an after school snack. Plus, with only eight ingredients—all of which are pantry staples for bakers like us—it was a good choice.
Connect Virtually
Lisa Kaminski/Taste of Home
Once you’ve picked your recipe, figure out the best way for you and your mom to connect while in the kitchen. My mom and I often put one another on speaker phone while working around the house—even during noisy projects like sewing (we’ve both been stitching up homemade protective masks for all our friends). Just having a voice to walk you through a project is nice.
However, if you want to get a bit more high tech, try a video call with FaceTime, Zoom, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. There are lots of options out there for video calls. Just prop your computer, phone or tablet up on the counter and get baking!
Use Baking and Cooling Time to Catch Up
Lisa Kaminski/Taste of Home
When your bakes are in the oven or cooling off on a rack, don’t hang up the phone. Use this as a time to catch up. Share some memories about being in the kitchen together.
While our blondies were baking, my mom told me about her first baking memories with her mom—some stories I’d never heard before. My grandma would give my mom a few spoonfuls of cake batter to make into mini desserts for her and her dolls. Her most vivid baking memory, though, is the same as the one I have with my mom: Nothing ever came out of a box. From generation to generation, some things never change.
Compare Bakes
Lisa Kaminski/Taste of Home
While we both baked up the same recipe, my mom and I did this one just a little bit differently. I broke out my hand mixer to stir together the batter while my mom mixed everything by hand. My mom also added in a half cup of chopped walnuts. “Everything is better with nuts,” she always says.
Now while we can’t taste each other’s bakes, it’s still satisfying to have made the same recipe and to have had time to chat while working on our favorite hobby. It definitely made me feel closer to my mom—more so than just a regular phone call or video chat. If you’ve got the time on Mother’s Day—or any day—I can’t recommend baking with Mom enough. It’ll warm your heart and fill your belly.
Plan Your Next Bake
After the dishes are done and bakes are sampled, be sure to plan your next bake. After making these blondies, my mom and I got together again and made blueberry scones. Check it out here!
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