Why Should We Let
Kids Bake Cookies?

• Baking is an ideal exercise in time management, organization, responsibility. Speaking from experience, cookies bake quickly and will burn miserably if a baker neglects to watch his/her oven and its temperature. Good organization reduces preparation time and makes cleaning up a breeze.

• School aged children, especially those in elementary and middle schools, are comfortable with concrete ideas, situations, or examples. Therefore, letting your kids bake cookies is an effective way for them to familiarize with basic mathematical concepts such as fractions, conversion, measurement, etc.

• When kids bake, they have less time to passively watch television. Baking cookies is a constructive and proactive way for them to socialize.

• Baking together teaches kids the value of teamwork. The ultimate reward is sweetest and most delicious when everyone participates and shares the work equally.

• Baking encourages creativity and gives kids a real sense of accomplishment. When kids bake pressed or spritz cookies, wafer cookies, even rolled or cut-out cookies, they have fun and develop manual dexterity at the same time.

Kids Bake With Easy Cookie Recipes

1. Animal Shaped Cookies
2. Applesauce Cookies
3. Bouquets of Cookies
4. Butter Crunch Clusters
5. Candy Cane Cookies
6. Chocolate Heart Cookies
7. Chocolate Truffles
8. Cookie Decorating Project
9. Homemade Cookie Gift
10. Cookie Sun Catchers¹
11. Easter Egg Nests²
12. Oatmeal Bars³
13. Potato Chip Cookies
14. Sandwich Cookies
15. Stained Glass Cookies
16. Wonton Cinnamon Crisps

Not only that kids bake these cookies for fun, but they can also easily instill the theme of their parties or celebrations in them. Besides the following ingredients, they will need a few patterns that are appropriately associated with the special occasion.

Unsalted butter, softened	3 Tbsp
Vegetable shortening	1/3 cup
All purpose flour	2 cups
Egg	1 large
Granulated sugar	1/2 cup
Milk	1 Tbsp
Baking powder	1 tsp
Vanilla extract	1 tsp
A pinch of salt
Hard candy, finely crushed	1/2 cup

• Cream softened butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar together until light and fluffy.

• Add egg, milk, vanilla extract and mix well.

• Gently fold in flour and baking powder until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate it for a couple of hours.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

• Roll out about half of the dough at one time on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. Keep the other half refrigerated. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters or patterns of your own design.

• Carefully transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets. Cut out small shapes in the centers of cookies and remove the dough. Spoon just enough crust candy into each center to fill the hole.

• If you like to hang these cookie sun catchers, put a small hole at the top of each cookie with a toothpick before baking it.

• Bake for 7 or 8 minutes until cookie edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Cool completely on wire racks.

• For hanging, thread a strong string or wire through the hole at the top of each cookie.

With just a little imagination and time, kids bake or rather prepare these jellybean nests and become even more popular than the bunny on Easter Sunday.

Ingredients:

Chow mein noodles	3 cups
Sweetened flaked (or shredded) coconut	1 cup
Butter	¼ cup
Miniature marshmallows	3 cups
Vanilla extract	1 tsp
Small jelly beans	½ cups

Tools:

• A large bowl
• A medium saucepan
• A wooden spoon
• Cookie sheets lined with
  parchment paper

Directions:

• Place noodles and coconut in a large bowl.

• Carefully melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to keep it from burning. You may want to ask an adult for help with this step, or at least let one know that you are working with the stove.

• When butter is completely melted, add marshmallows and stir until smooth.

• Remove from heat and mix in vanilla extract.

• Quickly pour mixture over noodles and coconut, stirring until well coated.

• Slightly butter your fingers, then remove small portions of noodle mixture and drop them onto cookie sheets.

• Make an indent in the center of each portion with your thumb and index finger, then quickly fill it with jelly beans.

This recipe gives you about 30 nests.

These gluten free bars are so crisp, buttery, and delicious. Don't be surprise if kids bake them as often as you may not like them to.

The trick is packing the mixture firmly into a baking pan. The tighter you press it to the bottom of the pan, the firmer these bars are.

It’s also important to cut them the minutes they’re out of the oven, and let them cool in the pan. They will break and crumble if you try to cut them when they are cool.

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter.

• Beat softened butter with sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute or until blended and smooth.
  
  
  
• Mix in the oatmeal thoroughly and press the mixture evenly in the prepared pan.

  
  

• Bake for about 30 minutes or until edges are light brown and top is golden.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Remove from oven and immediately cut into 16 pieces. Then cool completely in pan.
  
  
  
  
  
• Store these bars in airtight containers at room temperature for about one week.

²Adapted from Kids Can Do It - Bake and Make Amazing Cookies by Elizabeth Macleod.

³The original recipe is in 125 Cookies to Bake, Nibble and Savor by Elinor Klivans.