The Things You Learn

First a child needs to decide what shapes we can use: rabbits, cats, fish, butterflies, dog bone shapes and trees NOTHING ELSE!!!! (results in screaming IF and only IF the boy child is actively helping you)...see I snuck in a star! :)
Then one builds cookies
Then one lets cookies bake and cool:
Then watches rabbitry and child enjoyment....


And then one discovers the folly of making "boy" that the boy child didn't approve of....

We had fun. It did prove to be an interesting and learning experience for all concerned. :)

More Baking Done

I've done some more cooking, here's my first batch.

Puffed Wheat Squares - I made two batchs as this is popular here
1/3 c butter
1/2 c corn syrup
2/3 c. brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
8 cups puffed wheat... NOTE: also works with cheerios, puffed rice and other plain cereals.

Measure out cereal in large bowl. Combine first five ingredients in sauce pan. Heat until boiling. Pour over the cereal. Mix together thoroughly. Press into a greased 11" casserole. Chill for two hours and then cut into pieces.

NOTE: the boy child thinks this one is fun! Alfie dig it? Mmm....Alfie eat 'em all up? :) Alfie being an excavator from Thomas the train series. :) He had his own little bowl of them.

Lemon Coconut Squares
Base:
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. white sugar
pinch salt
1/c c. flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
Topping:
2 eggs
1 c white sugar
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon rind (I use watkins lemon rind)
1 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp icing sugar

Base: Cream butter with sugar. Stir in salt; blend in coconut, then flour. Press into 8 inch square pan. Bake in 350F oven for 15 minutes or until firm and light biscuit colour. Set aside.

Topping: Whisk eggs until blended. Whisk in sugar, then flour and salt. Stir in lemon juice, rind, butter and b. soda. Pour over base. Return to oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are LIGHTLY browned and topping looks set (it will firm when cooled). Sift icing sugar over top. Let cool completely. Cut into small squares. Makes about 20 squares.

Mother's Cookies
4 c flour
1 lb. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar

Cream butter
add sugars
mix in flour
Roll into balls (3/4-1 inch round), press and bake. 350 oven for about 11 minutes.
Let cool on tray for one minute before transferring to cooling rack.

I like this recipe. It's BIG! That means I can divide it up and do different stuff with it and get lots of variety. My variety this year: Set on top:green and red cherries (glazed ones - Justin stuck them on top and pushed them in), Mixed into recipe: chocolate chips, mixed fruit (like the glazed cherries but different), coconut and then I did some just plain.

NOTE: doing ball cookies in front of a boy playing with trains is just asking for said boy to take some of those balls (before I pressed them) and give them train rides, or to cause train accidents, or any host of things (aka make gates for those trains to crash through...). Fun fun for a boy child. Guess which cookies HE gets to eat? :)

I have yet to make my peppernuts...but I'm making those next week so that hopefully some will make it to the open house....Jim eats them like candy...NOT that I don't either! Hoping also to make Santa's whiskers cookies too. But for now my baking is complete.

Baking for Our Open House

Most years we like to do a Christmas Open House.
We get the house clean. Decorated for Christmas. Then we invite friends and family - both church and birth, to come over for anything from 5 minutes to two hours.

This year we've set the date as December 14, and have (since we have a toddler that still sometimes naps) set the hours from 7-9 p.m. Consider this your invitation to come. :)

Today I set out to do some baking for this event. And yes I always go more than I need to, but what's leftover I can bring our Christmas Program on the 16th...7 p.m, if you are close by, come on out, we'd love to have you. :)

Justin helped me make:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar (I used white)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Recipe calls for minis but I always use regular.

NO FLOUR! :) Nice when cooking with toddler. :)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar and egg.
2. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Scoop level tablespoonfuls and roll into balls.
4. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork.
5. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes,or until browned

You get about 2 dozen cookies.
Justin watched me flatten the cookies...about three of them, and said "I do that!" He did the job really well.

Rice Krispy Squares

1/4 cup butter
1 250 g bag mini marshmallows --- or about 40 regular marshmallows, 5 cups minis
1/2 tsp vanilla
5 cups rice krispy cereal

Directions:

1. Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in vanilla. Stir in rice crispy's cereal until well coated. Using lightly buttered spatula, press into buttered 3.5 L (13 x 9") pan.
3. Allow mixture to cool. Cut into bars.
   

Justin contributions was to eat the cereal and marshmallows..PAN HOT!

Then Justin went to bed for a nap..Yes...this week he is napping again... go figure must be the cold. and he's eating good too...perhaps he is growing again too.

I made
Cinnamon Lemon Cookies
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cup white flour
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp salt
cinnamon sugar

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Combine dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, b.powder, lemon peel and salt. Add to butter mixture. Blend well.
3. Cover and refrigerate two hours until firm.
4. Shape dough into small balls, about 3/4 inch diameter. Roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.
5. Set cookies 1 inch apart on lightly greased sheet
6. Bake at 360 for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
7. Cool slightly on pans, then remove to racks to cool completely.

Not sure what else I will bake, but I'll try to post what I do.
Oh..will do peppernuts, italian sprinkle cookies and something else. Not sure what. :)