One week ago I was on my way to Minneapolis to hang out with a fabulous group of bloggers so I thought I would finally recap the crazy day we spent in Betty Crocker’s kitchen.

We were invited to the kitchens to play with all of Betty’s boxed mixes but before they let us loose in the kitchens, we went on a brief tour of General Mills headquarters and also learned the history of Betty Crocker over breakfast.

I think all 30 of us had to wipe the drool off our faces when we looked down into Betty’s kitchens. They are amazing. Ovens around every corner and so much counter space to work on. What more could you ask for?

We were broken up into groups so that we could take turns at the different station they had set up and at each station they had a Betty Crocker consultant to teach us about the mixes and nudge us along when we got distracted talking about all those things that only bloggers talk about.

There was a definite fall feel to the cake station. We made a Jack-o-Lantern Cake and Mini Pumpkin Cakes and also got to sample Ice Cream Cone Cakes and Tie-Dyed Cupcakes.

Next up was the brownie station. You guys know I don’t use boxed mixes often but I can almost guarantee I have a brownie mix in my pantry at all times. I love the boxed brownies!

At this station, we made Brownies ‘n Berries Dessert Pizza and Brownie Pops.

They also had Brownie Goody Bars (which I heard were amazing) and Rocky Road Brownies for us to sample.

Believe it or not, the Bisquick station was my favorite. I had never bought Bisquick before and I thought the only thing it was good for was pancakes.

We had Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake (didn’t make it into the picture) and Apple Oven Pancake to taste while we made Fresh Lemon Cream Crepes and Caprese Pizza with Crispy Pancetta. I can’t find links for the last 2 but if anyone wants either, just email me.

The pizza… oh the pizza. The pizza was the only thing I sampled all day. I saw it when we walked it and vowed not to ruin my appetite on brownies. And it was worth it. Beyond delicious.

After lunch (where we learned that Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread, and Snickerdoodle cookie mixes will be out this holiday season!!) we went to our final station: cookies. I had no idea the cookie mixes were so versatile. I’ve always used cake mixes to make different things, but cookie mixes? Who knew.

We made Citrus-Kissed Fig Thumbprints and Cranberry Macadamia Bars and also had Red Velvet Rich and Creamy Cookies and Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars to sample. Since coming home, I’ve seen more than one blogger who was at the event make those Fig Thumbprints so they must be really good!

Right before we left for the airport, they took us on a quick tour of the photos studio and prop room. It was really cool to see how they set up for magazine and cookbook shoots and to see just how many people it takes for a single shot. One guy said they were able to get 10 shots on a good day… imagine how long they spend on each shot!

I had an amazing time at Baking with Betty and my only wish is that we could’ve had more than one day in the kitchens.

General Mills paid for my trip and all expenses but I was not asked to blog about or even mention this event. The opinions are all mine.

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