Making cookies is part of the holidays–and I’ve discovered you either fall into one of three camps on the whole make your own:

1. CAMP ONE –  you buy store bought, have learned that if you put them in the microwave you can achieve some of that fresh from the oven warmth. (If you’re rolling your eyes at this you clearly belong in Camp 2.)

2. CAMP TWO– Homemade from scratch- You know who you are–the thought of using a mix seems downright immoral, unethical–for wimps.  I applaud you guys but it’s not my thing.  My entire family mourned when one of our neighbors moved away – and took her weekly delivery of fresh baked cookies with her. Yet, there was no grand rush to do it ourselves.

3. CAMP THREE – You’re a middle-of-the-roader. You like the idea of homebaked but you don’t have the time or inclination to join Camp 2.  In fact, every time I look at the big Kitchen Aid mixer–I pause and think of the pair of really amazing shoes that could be purchased instead.  Whie  I am well-knowned for my home baked cookies – they are I must admit  courtesy of the flat brick from the kind folks at Tollhouse.  The innovation of the brick from the roll was one of the best things that happened in the world of pre-made dough…really.

Last year when Nestle had a slight problem  with their pre-made doughs (something unfortunate like E. coli) my younger son looked really crestfallen–no cookies?  When I suggested we could make them from scratch, he took a double take “you know how to do that?”  With that gauntlet thrown down, I bravely walked where this mom had not be in a very long time…the baking aisle.  And while we completely enjoyed the experience of adjusting the recipe as we made several batches (we left a key ingredient out of batch two–who knew that leaving out the baking soda could make a difference)  – we agreed — the Tollhouse brick was still our favorite.  It’s kind of like really enjoying Heinz ketchup or JIF peanut butter to fancier versions.

So when we first received the Zebra Mix Cookies Activity Set (Zebra Mix) –we were curious but I didn’t feel I could be completely impartial when it came to cookies, toys yes…but cookies?  So we quickly dispatched the kits to two of our clutch family testers.  They LOVED them. 

One family wrote:

“Literally the friendliest step by step instructions! I was able to leave the kitchen while the kids stirred and poured, I was only needed for entering the cupcakes into the oven and for mixing the icing. The instructions are in the form of a map which made following the instructions so easy for the girls…So instructions and packaging was great but most importantly TASTE! The cupcakes tasted great! ”  Both families loved some of the kits come in Zebra printed metal lunchboxes–that all the kids wanted to use immediately.

So could you make cookies for less at home, of course. The kits range from $14.95 to about $22. But if you’re looking for a fun project or birthday present that may spark an interest in baking…these kits are worth considering. Click here to read our full review.