Cookies and Crafts

Well, despite not getting to do near as much baking as I normally like this year, we have squeezed in a few little things here and there. We have managed to find a couple of recipes that are ideal for 2-3 year olds.

Today, we made butter mints from a recipe that I found on-line..somewhere. Anyway, it's an easy recipe and easy to do with kids of this age. Plus it's like play-doh so it keeps them busy! However, it does make more than pictured here. Seems Ruby takes after her mum and likes to make sure the dough isn't poisoned and has the right flavor and samples it throughout the process. Hmmmm...

Butter Mints

1/2 stick butter (room temp)

1 lb powdered sugar (4 c)

Ice water

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

food coloring

1. Cut butter into sugar with two knives, pastry blender or your fingers.
2. Add tbl of ice water, pinch of salt and the peppermint extract.
3. Press mixture into a ball. Add water a tsp at a time if it seems to crumbly
4. When it's in a nice ball, knead it for 3-4 minutes until it's smooth and satiny. Then divide into parts and add food coloring.
5. Roll into 1/2 inch balls and flatten slightly (or make whatever shapes you want).
6. Set uncovered at room temp for 3-4 hours and then keep covered in a cool place to ripen for 2 days. Will keep at room temp for 2 weeks or in the fridge for a month.

In between, we made a Christmas tree project. Ruby did ok with this one but she is currently obsessed with scissors so after she made this creation, she cut it up. Oh well!

The other recipe we made together last week, courtesy of my friend Shannon, was a perfectly easy little recipe to do and had lots of little things Ruby could help with...though again, there was a LOT of sampling!

Easy Peasy Cookies

1 tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

Mini Reese's peanut butter cups and/or Hershey's kisses

1. Cut slices of cookie dough and cut in half. Roll into balls and press into mini muffin tin
2. Bake at 350 and immediately upon taking them out of oven, press unwrapped chocolate into cookie.
3. Let cool and remove from tin. Tip: use the mini liners -- it'll be a lot easier that way. I'm also thinking it'd be fun to dye the cookie dough for holiday colors....

Ruby doing the unwrapping (and sampling)

With the finished product!

Maybe I'll get to do some real baking this year..but probably not so this will suffice. Either way, we had FUN!