LAKE JACKSON 'That's the way the cookie crumbles" took on a whole new meaning for the young participants of a baking course as it became the main ingredient in their recipe for success. Baking Gators, an instructional baking course offered through the Brazosport Community College Enrichment Program, offered Saturday was the first of four being offered, with each session broken down into three age groups. The middle age group featured students ranging from 9 to 12 years old and attracted nine participants who spent a couple of hours learning to bake and decorate cookies with experienced baker Bryanna Romo.
“The thing about cooking and baking is that there’s no mistake; you just work it out,” Roma said. The young bakers were serious about decorating their cookies in the fun-filled atmosphere infused with upbeat music and the aroma of freshly baked sugar cookies in the Community Education Demonstration Kitchen. “Let's just feel happy.
Play music, and we're going to have fun and just enjoy each other's company,” Roma said as she began the cooking class. Roma, an experienced private chef and baker, caters local events and cooks meals for family and friends. She teaches cooking classes in the Community Education Youngsters Enrichment Program, making learning to cook fun and useful for kids.
Lucy Castillo, 10, with only two months experience in the kitchen and whose favorite dish is brownies, says she took the Baking Gators course to gain new skills. One of the course's highlights was making a Blue Cookie Monster Crumble Cookie. To make the cookies, the group diligently pounded plastic baggies filled with chocolate chip cookies until they reduced them to crumbs, which they then incorporated into a cake batter along with more chocolate chips and blue food coloring.
After removing the huge cookies from the oven to cool, the bakers adorned the gooey, warm creations with candy eyes to complete their tasty treats. The majority of those present, including 12-year-olds Kaylie Kennemer and Journie Oakes, said they took the course to experiment with new recipes and have fun. Ryleigh Kennemer, 10, said she has experience in the kitchen and learned something new during the class.
"I liked how we used cake mix for the batter instead of the packaged cookie mix to make the cookies,” she said. Abby Ledbetter, 10, with two years of cooking experience, said “how to cream sugar and butter” was a new skill and she planned on sharing her creation with her siblings. Melanie Covey, 9, who has experience making chocolate chip brownies at home, said she was going to share the cookies she baked with her family.
Roma chose "The Blue Cookie Monster Crumble Cookie" for the baking course because Halloween is approaching, everyone is returning to school and people are dressing up as the Cookie Monster, she said. "I also thought it would be enjoyable for the kids to create a basic, simple and beautiful sugar cookie," Roma said. Three more Baking Gators sessions are planned — Oct.
5, Nov. 2 and Dec. 7.
Three age groups are available, ranging from 6 to 17 years old. Sessions will begin at 9 a.m.
for ages 6 to 8, 1 p.m. for ages 9 to 12 and 4 p.
m. for ages 13 to 17. Session are $30 each.
To register, visit choosebc.info/YouthEnrichment or call 979-230-3600..
