Homestyle Haunted Baking Championship!

Okay, peeps.

We staged a family event today that was several weeks in the making, and 100% inspired by the baking championship show we’ve been devouring this spooky season.

Spoiler alert pic of my crazy and happy babies at the end of our shenanigans:

And now…let’s backtrack for some context.

Basically, we’re super late to the party, but we happened across this show for the first time this year, and we’ve worked our way through three seasons already, and will probably finish a fourth before Halloween officially closes out our spooky time in a week.



For any uninitiated viewers (like we were), here are the only basics you need to know for the purpose of our homestyle copycat fun:

There are judges and baking contestants.

Each week, they’re given a themed, baking challenge.

They have a time limit to complete their challenge.

There are “twists” or “tricks” thrown in last minute. 

Each week, a baker is crowned the winner.

So, here are my silly, crazy babies when we called them down to start their challenge. :)





Though it would be loads o’ fun to set them loose with actual ingredients for baking, it would also be super complicated and fraught with many challenges. 

So I decided to do the next best thing and make it a bit more ready-to-decorate for the purposes of our event. At least for this year. So I bought three, identical haunted houses and pre-assembled them for the kiddos.





Then I gathered up some fun supplies: icing, sprinkles, gummy worms, bone candy, etc.



And we kicked things off with official instructions, gave a countdown and set them loose! Let the fun BEGIN.





We obviously set a time limit, just like on the show, and they were in it to win it.

Also. Their conversations about their strategies and decorating decisions were priceless. 











It was sooooo fun to give them a “twist” challenge when there were only about eight minutes left on the timer.

I tasked them with creating a haunted creature out of play-doh to incorporate into their overall presentation, and again, their conversations and executed creatures were priceless. 

It was full concentration until the final buzzer, tehe.



Then we sent them out of the room for a minute and the hubby and I dressed up (since the judges always appear on the show in costume) to award the prizes.



One by one, we called them up to present their creations and give us insight behind their decisions. And it was just sooooo adorable to watch them mimic the presentation of the actual contestants on the show. :)





Then it was time to give recognition where it was due. :)

Naturally, I didn’t want to bum anybody out, so we had three lovely awards to pass out, and it just so happened that each kiddo was angling for a specific—and different—one. Woohoo!



Their nerves and anticipation over these hilarious, homemade awards was just the BEST. EVER. They were genuinely on pins and needles and just so excited over their “wins.”







I mean…these glorious, proud smiles made all the prep SO worth it. Hands down.



This activity was a wild success for our household and just so, dang fun. And it was so rewarding as a Mama to listen to my babies continue to talk about the fun after it was all said and done and they were upstairs together.



A happy, spooky memory, indeed.

Inspired by a great viewing activity we’ve greatly enjoyed as a family this year.

An annual tradition in the making, perhaps.

HAPPY SATURDAY, peeps!

Over and out. 

P.S. Apparently, baking fun has just been our jam this October, as we attended a little birthday party for friends in the neighborhood last week that was super adorable. It was a cupcake baking challenge and my kiddos had an absolute blast. So cute to watch a gaggle of young kiddos zone in on their baking creativity. They were all over the challenge.

Smiles for miles these days, peeps.

Keep ‘em coming!