Last month, my daughter and I attended an Easy-Bake Oven 50th Anniversary celebration with celebrity chef Gail Simmons. Walking into the venue and seeing years of Easy-Bake Ovens lined up brought back so many childhood memories. I remember waking up one Christmas morning and opening an Easy-Bake Oven. I was over the moon because I remember wanting one for a long time and Santa delivered it. That gift brought so many lasting memories of baking with my brothers and friends in my childhood home. I’m excited to watch my girls when they receive their first Easy-Bake Oven and all the joy and great memories it brings them.
At the event, chef Gail Simmons, shared her memories of using an Easy-Bake and shared recipes inspired by her childhood. As we approach the Holidays kids can help prepare Holiday meals, snacks, or desserts in their Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven. Create your own recipe or use these Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven recipes by Gail Simmons (from ABC NEWS):
Gail created recipes, The Hummingbird Cookie & Double Chocolate Rocky Road Layer Cake, for the easy-bake oven celebration inspired by her own childhood memories.
Hummingbird Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For cookies:
- 1 Easy-Bake Pink Sugar Cookie Mix
- 1 teaspoon water
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ ripe banana, thinly sliced, then quartered into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
For cream cheese frosting:
- 1 Easy-Bake Vanilla Frosting Mix
- 1¼ teaspoons water
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened 4 1-inch chunks fresh pineapple, thinly sliced
Directions:
- Plug in Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven and turn it on. Preheat for 20 minutes.
- Spray baking pan with cooking spray and spread it evenly. Set aside.
Make the dough:
- Pour 1 Pink Sugar Cookie mix and 1 teaspoon of water into a bowl and stir to combine. Add vanilla, banana and pecans, and mix well.
- Press the mixture together to form the dough.
- Sprinkle flour on your hands and roll the dough into a ball. Then, split it evenly into 12 smaller balls.
- Place 6 of the dough balls on the baking pan, spreading them out as much as possible, and lightly press each one to flatten.
- Follow Easy-Bake directions for cookies through step 11. Baking time: 15 minutes (instead of 9).
- Hand wash the baking pan, spray again, and repeat with the other 6 dough balls.
Make the frosting:
- While cookies are baking, pour vanilla frosting mix and 1¼ teaspoons of water into a small bowl and beat with a fork until smooth. Then beat in cream cheese. Refrigerate until ready to use.
When cookies have cooled, spoon the frosting into a plastic sandwich bag and cut one corner with scissors. Squeeze a large drop of frosting onto each cookie. Top with a slice of fresh pineapple before serving.
Double Chocolate Rocky Road Layer Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 Easy-Bake Devil’s Food Cake Mixes
- 12 teaspoons water, divided
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts, divided
- ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
For the frosting:
- 3 Chocolate Frosting Mixes (water as per directions)
- ½ cup mini marshmallows (approximately 40 pieces), 20 cut in half lengthwise
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts (because I have a daughter
Directions:
- Plug in Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven and turn it on. Preheat for 20 minutes.
- Spray baking pan with cooking spray and spread it evenly. Set aside.
- Make the cake batter:
- Pour 1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix and 6 teaspoons of water into a bowl. Break up any lumps and stir until smooth. Add chopped walnuts and chocolate chips, and mix well.
- Spoon the batter into the baking pan. Spread evenly using the back of a spoon or a small off-set spatula.
- Follow Easy-Bake Baking Basics directions. Baking time: 20 minutes (instead of 16).
- After removing the cake from the oven, let it cool completely. Once cool, slide a butter knife around the edge of the cake and remove it from the pan onto a flat plate, upside down. Set aside.
- Hand wash the baking pan, spray again, and repeat with the other Devil’s Food Cake Mix.
- Make the frosting:
- While the cake is baking, pour 3 chocolate frosting mixes and 3 teaspoons of water into a bowl. Break up any lumps and stir until smooth.
Using a small spoon or off-set spatula, frost the top of the first cake with about 1/3 of the frosting mix in an even layer. Place the 20 halved marshmallows, in 4 lines of 10 halves, across the cake, flat side down. Top with the second cake, upside down, pressing lightly to secure it. Frost the top of the cake using another 1/3 of the frosting mix. Then carefully frost all sides. Scatter the remaining marshmallows over the top of the cake and gently press the chopped walnuts against the sides to cover before serving.
**Allergy Warning: My oldest daughter, not at the event, has a Peanut/ Pistachio Allergy so we do not use any nuts at home. When I make these with her, I plan on leaving out the nuts or using an alternative such as sunflower seeds. Also, make sure to always read the labels of the mixes before using. There are online resources for Easy Bake Oven mixes made from scratch.
Fun Facts about the Easy-Bake oven:
- Twelve EASY-BAKE oven models have been released since 1963, each designed to reflect the colors and oven style of its time. The EASY-BAKE oven has appeared in a variety of colors, including avocado green, harvest gold, pink, purple, and aqua.
- Past EASY-BAKE oven menu items included treats from popular food brands such as Betty Crocker, Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts®, M&M’s®, Dunkin’ Donuts® and OREO®. Not just cakes and cookies, savory EASY-BAKE snacks over time have included popcorn, TV dinners, potato chips, macaroni and cheese, pizza, French fries, and more.
- In 2006, the EASY-BAKE oven was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
- The EASY-BAKE Ultimate Oven retired the light bulb in 2011 and introduced a way for chefs-in-training to bake up tasty treats using a heating element similar to a conventional oven.
- The EASY-BAKE brand has inspired a number of celebrity chefs and famous fans throughout the years.
The Easy-Bake Oven will definitely be featured in my upcoming gift guide!
What’s your favorite Easy Bake Memory or Recipe?
Disclaimer: This product is not recommended for children under 8. I received an Easy Bake Oven at the event which I plan to wrap under our tree this year. My girls are under 8 but I intend to use it with them with full supervision. Check back for a full review and recipes we create together. All opinions expressed are my own unless otherwise noted. Information in italics came from a press release.
Tastefully Childish 