National Post (National Edition)
Cookie recipes to keep the kids in the spirit of Christmas.
HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES THAT KIDS WILL LOVE TO BAKE THEMSELVES
“Kids love to bake,” Deanna F. Cook says. “It’s part of a happy childhood. Baking something sweet and spending time with a parent or an older sibling or even by themselves is very joyful for them. It creates wonderful kitchen memories.”
In working on her latest cookbook, Baking Class (Storey Publishing, 2017), the awardwinning kids’ book author had nearly 30 junior kitchen helpers. The breads, cookies, cakes and pies that appear throughout its pages were largely made by the budding bakers.
Cook created her baking companion with children ages 8 to 12 in mind. Each of the 50 recipes is accompanied by step-by-step photos, clearly illustrating tasks like how to measure ingredients, mix and knead dough, and shape loaves of bread.
Baking is a natural entry point for kids in the kitchen, Cook says. It’s hard to beat the payoff: even a lopsided cookie or collapsed cake makes a fine treat. The craft is also an important life skill, and provides a springboard for education in areas such as science and nutrition.
“Learning how to make anything from scratch is very eyeopening for kids. Baking teaches a lot about kitchen science and the transformation of a liquid into a batter into a solid. And they can learn about where the ingredients come from,” Cook says.
Making edible gifts for the holidays is an ideal time to get kids baking, she says. Cookies – such as snickerdoodles and coconut macaroons – and homemade quick breads, braided loaves or cinnamon rolls are all portable and tasty options for children to make for their teachers and coaches.
One of Cook’s favourite holiday baking projects for kids is “an edible art project” — making and decorating cookies. They can cut simple sugar cookies into fun shapes and beautify them with tinted buttercream frosting or sprinkles.
“They love the stirring and the cracking of the eggs and the little bit of mess. The dusting of flour in the kitchen and licking the frosting,” Cook says. “All that good stuff.” Set up a practice station so kids can master using a pastry bag on parchment or wax paper before moving to the cookies.
“Holiday baking is a good excuse for parents to stop for a minute. Don’t go to the mall. Stay home and bake some cookies to give as a gift instead of buying something at the store,” Cook says. “And be together because that’s what the holidays are all about.”
SWEET & SIMPLE SUGAR COOKIES ❚ 1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened ❚ 3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar ❚ 1 egg ❚ 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract ❚ 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) flour
1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg. Then mix in vanilla.
2. Slowly mix in the flour, and continue mixing until a soft dough forms.
3. Turn the dough out onto the countertop, and pat into two balls. Flatten each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least ½ hour (or up to 4 days).
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.
5. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
6. Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Decorate with buttercream frosting, if desired. Store cooled cookies in a sealed container for up to 1 week. Makes about 2 dozen. Note: Make chocolate cookies by adding ½ cup (125 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder in step 2.
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
“Tint the whole batch a favourite colour, or colour just a portion of it to pipe on decorative swirls and designs,” Cook writes.
❚ 1 cup (250 mL) butter, at room temperature
❚ 3 3/4 cups (925 mL) confectioners’ sugar ❚ 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract ❚ 2–4 tbsp (30-60 mL) milk
1. Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until it’s nice and creamy.
2. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, mixing at low speed.
3. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the milk, and mix at low speed.
4. Mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, you can add more milk a bit at a time to make it more spreadable. Makes 3 cups (750 mL). Kitchen Creativity: Flavoured Frostings
❚ Chocolate Icing — Substitute 1 cup (250 mL) of unsweetened cocoa powder for an equal amount of confectioners’ sugar.
❚ Cream Cheese Frosting — Substitute 4 to 6 ounces (½ to 3/4 cup; 125 to 175 mL) of softened cream cheese for the same amount of butter. SNICKERDOODLES Cookie dough: ❚ 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) flour ❚ 3/4 tsp (3 mL) baking powder ❚ 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) salt
❚ 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened ❚ 3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar ❚ 1 egg Topping: ❚ 1/4 cup (50 mL) sugar ❚ 2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing well between additions.
5. Roll the dough into balls about 1½ inches (4 cm) wide.
6. To make the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls in the mixture.
7. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
8. Gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until brown on the edges. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes on the pan, and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Makes 2–3 dozen.
COCONUT MACAROONS ❚ 1/4 cup (50 mL) flour ❚ 2 cups (500 mL) shredded coconut
❚ 2/3 cup (150 mL) sweetened condensed milk
❚ 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).
2. Stir the flour and coconut together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and mix well.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease it. Drop the dough by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet. Make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, or until light brown.
5. Immediately remove the cookies from the cookie sheet with a spatula. Place on a cooling rack, and cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with chocolate if you’d like. (See the drizzling instructions below.) Makes about 14. Kitchen Creativity: Chocolate Drizzle
For fancy macaroons, drizzle them with chocolate. Put ¼ cup (50 mL) of chocolate chips in a bowl, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir the chips, and continue microwaving in 10-second bursts until the chips are completely melted. Drizzle the chocolate on top of the cookies with a spoon. Excerpted from Baking Class, © by Deanna F. Cook. Photography by © Carl Tremblay. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.