Food Glorious Food: Easy Bake Oven

Kids, today’s my birthday.

Now, a lady doesn’t tell her age (bats eyelashes, smiles coyly…) but I can reminisce over past birthdays and what wonderful times I’ve had. I’m fortunate to not really need or want anything but when I was a kid, there was always one thing that made the list up until my 21st birthday.

An Easy Bake Oven.


image: Shazam791

Yes friends, the Easy Bake Oven, the queen of all vintage food toys (with the Snoopy Snow Cone machine in a gracious second place.)

I remember telling my parents—don’t think of this as much as a present for me, but an investment in my future as a bakery tycoon.  With this one machine, I had not only culinary dreams to live out, but an ability to turn this plastic encased light-bulb into my own baking empire. Watch our Mrs. Fields, Miss Dottie will take the helm!  Every chat with Santa, every birthday–heck, I’d even hit up the tooth fairy if need be–the wish was always for an Easy Bake Oven. But did I get it as a kid? Sadly no.  Boxed sets of Nancy Drew mysteries, yes. New pajamas, yes. But Easy Bake oven? No.

For some reason my parents didn’t buy me any fun cooking toys.  I do remember the toy ironing set they gave me (?), but no cooking toys, which is weird since I loved making mud pies galore as a child and was desperate to help my mom in the kitchen but was normally relegated to setting the dining room table. FIE!

This little lady knows she’s  THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD with her sweet Easy Bake Oven. Awww yeah!


image: Homemakers.com Dana McCauley

This is the version I lusted after in my younger days, the groovy plaid seventies version.  How rad would a plaid oven be today?


image: Squidoo

Oh—check this out—remember that pushing thingy? Awww yeah! And I love the cover of instruction manual for the EBO (Easy Bake Oven).  Could it be possible for that little girl to crank out all those baked goods from her old skool EBO in the aqua.  Wait a sec–are those pretzels? And is that a red velvet cake up front?


image: MirandaCeleste

To be fair, the actually baked goods that came out of the EBO weren’t all that good. Let’s just say in a world where Magnolia Bakery set the bar for cupcakes, I fear the EBO creations wouldn’t score that high.  I wonder how many Dad’s gagged down those little cakes out of pure love for their daughters?  I love this lucky little girl rocking not only the EBO but the sassy red tights and dress combo!


image: ScorpionsBB

Oh what love I had for that Easy Bake Oven. The dreams.  The wonder.  I wonder what the Peach will love? Perhaps something like this:

Happy Monday!

8 thoughts on “Food Glorious Food: Easy Bake Oven

  1. I wanted one too- but when we went to a dinner party (I doubt I was more than 4 1/2) me and another little girl plugged in the easy bake oven the little girl of the house had… put in a pan and left it on. Needless to say while eating dinner the mom of the house smelled smoke and went to investigate. There is the saddest picture of me after getting in trouble for playing with it. I still to this day have never gotten to play really with an Easy Bake Oven. Boo Hoo. I DID, however, have the snoopy snowcone machine!

  2. happy birthday!! i hope you get some nice cupcakes!

    you guys crack me up! great post.

    i did not have one but my friend angie did and i recall the cakes being the best things i ever tasted! lol!

  3. happy birthday!!! i had a holly hobbie easy bake oven. it was blue i think and looked like an old stove.
    oh the cakes i used to make in those. that’s probably what started my love of baking!!!

  4. i never got an easy bake oven either! i definitely will get one for my son though…i have been thinking about getting him a kitchen set, because he loves the one at daycare…but i get such looks from people who think they are inappropriate for BOYS. that is total nonsense, alastair needs to learn to cook and love food…it is not just a girl thing anymore!!

  5. Aww, thanks for the birthday wishes! It made my day! And I agree Flo, an easy bake oven is great for boys as well as girls!

    The Snoopy Sno Cone machine is going to be another post! There is a whole story behind my love of that machine!

  6. Hi Dottie! By following your fascination about ‘Easy Bake Oven’ I would claimed you as a promising future cook! I was also passionate for Barbie and I had a huge collection of that. Thanks for sharing your memorable stuffs of childhood.

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