A recipe for getting tweens shaking and baking

Wilton is teaching a group of 16 tweens at the Brookline Public Library. "Disposable pastry bags are one of my favorites," she tells them, picking up a plastic bag pointed end down, and pushing her hand inside to demonstrate where the filling goes. "But what happens if I put the filling inside now? It's going nowhere because I haven't cut the hole. Now, please don't cut it too small or you'll be there all day trying to squeeze."

The pastry bags will be used for those cheese-filled strawberries and for deviled eggs as soon as the kids divide into groups and start cooking. Each station is equipped with a printed recipe, hand sanitizer, and all the ingredients and equipment they'll need. Above the din of a blender whirring with yogurt fruit shakes, Wilton circulates to see if anyone needs help.

Wilton is a practical cook, which means she doesn't make cupcakes that look like bunnies. The energetic former middle school teacher believes that kids ages 9 through 14 will build confidence and learn much-needed kitchen skills by following basic recipes. She delivers this message through demonstrations, television appearances, and her self-published cookbook, "You're the Cook!"

She also tested her recipes with children. "This age group doesn't like to be babied," says Wilton, who lives in Middleton. Even though the current generation of tweens was raised with more convenience foods than any previous generation, Wilton says kids still like the chance to do more than press buttons on a microwave.

That may be because of the Food Network, she says. "It makes them aware of food products, although if you ask them what they made after watching a show, it's very little," she says. A graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Wilton's approach combines the showmanship of a celebrity chef with the practical, hands-on skills of a home economics teacher.

To find out what kids like to cook, Wilton surveyed 83 of them about their favorite foods. The results helped her organize "You're the Cook!" around ingredients such as cheese, eggs, pasta, and berries. Within those categories, you'll find French toast, quiche, and quesadillas.

During the class, one boy is having trouble peeling hard-cooked eggs. "This egg white is broken," Richard Kumahia, 9, tells Wilton as he peels the shell and pulls off most of the white along with it.

"I guess you can eat it," says his sister, Elinam, 11. A few minutes later, Wilton stops by and shows Richard how to chop pickles for the filling. "He's never cut anything before!" his sister exclaims.

Over at the fruit shake station, Lucy Abrams, 10, discovers a variation on the recipes she usually makes at home. "I learned that you could put frozen stuff in shakes," she says, as she pours a sample into a cup. Across the room, another girl takes a bite of a strawberry she just filled with cream cheese and gives a thumbs up.

The biggest crowd-pleaser seems to be pizza wontons. These are made from square wonton wrappers filled with a round slice of string cheese and pepperoni, then folded over and pan-fried in an electric skillet. Filling variations might include peanut butter and jelly.

Wilton believes that most kids are naturally enthusiastic about cooking, but parents can stand in the way. "Adults are afraid something won't work, or it will make a big mess."

Even though many recipes are designed to be made with minimal supervision, Wilton encourages parents to stay in the kitchen and put together other parts of the meal, which can lead to an easy back-and-forth between parent and child.

"All of a sudden the child starts to open up and talk." says Wilton. "It's a nice way to spend time together, and you have to make a meal, anyway."

On July 7, Katie Wilton will be at the Newburyport Public Library at 10 a.m. and at the Flint Public Library in Middleton at 3 p.m. "You're the Cook!" ($13.95) is available at Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-566-6660, New England Mobile Book Fair, 82-84 Needham St., Newton Highlands, 617-964-7440, and other stores. For more information go to www.cookingwithkatie.com.