Christmas Cookie Baking 2011

Every year, my sister and I get together at my mom's house to bake cookies. This year, Nick was able to "help*." He even wore an apron and a hat for the occasion.

*For anyone receiving cookies this year, let me just say that while Nick did indeed make cookies, none of those cookies were given as gifts. Most of them looked exactly like what they were: cookies made by a three-year-old.

Nick also got to use the cookie shooter to make butter cookies. I had been telling him all about this cookie shooter during the car ride up, and he was absolutely enthralled with the idea of a special shooter that shoots delicious cookies. I suppose that would be a little boy's dream.

Meanwhile, Henry tried his first few cookies. He still doesn't have any teeth, but he gave it his all and ate a few.

The verdict? He liked them. A whole lot.

We worked really hard all day, and our end result was a ton of cookies and candy. I think we worked hard enough to negate any calories from all of the cookies we tasted. Because, of course, if a cookie breaks, you can't just leave it there. We had to do taste testing, just to make sure everything turned out okay, you understand.

I love baking Christmas cookies. Unfortunately, they're mostly gone now, so it looks like Nick and I will be making more cookies tomorrow.

More 4th of July Fun

We did our fireworks on the 3rd of July, but on the 4th we stayed home and had company. Grandma Toni and Aunt Sarah visited, and Greg made homemade burgers and fries for dinner.

Nick and I, well, we made cookies. It's just what we do. I'm pretty sure when he is an adult, he'll have very distinctive cookie-baking memories. Recently, I've been reading a book called Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, by Michael Ruhlman. It breaks down cooking and baking into simple ratios, and shows you how to cook without a recipe. I like the way it's written, and I've been wanting to try some of the un-recipes in the book. You see, they're not really recipes, just ratios of how much fat/sugar/flour to add to make different things.

The cookies we made for the 4th of July are probably closest to shortbread cookies. They are called "The Essence of a Cookie Coookie" or 1-2-3 Cookies, because of their ratio: 1 part sugar, two parts fat, and three parts flour. I also added just a bit of vanilla and salt. They were delicious.

Basically, we mixed the ingredients by hand, then rolled the dough and put it in the refrigerator. I let Nick cut the cookies (with a butter knife, of course. I'm not crazy) and put on all the sprinkles. He did add a lot of sprinkles.

Henry, unfortunately, is not big enough to help bake cookies. See how upset he looks about that? What a face.

Henry didn't last too long without peeing in his holiday onesie.  I'm not sure how he does it, but he pees outside of his diaper all the time. In the picture below he peed in the front, but lately he's been doing this weird trick where he skips getting his diaper wet and somehow pees up his back, near his shoulder. Seriously, how does a baby pee on the back of his shoulder without getting his diaper wet? It is a mystery to me.

Anyway, Nick and Henry had some quality time with their Aunt Sarah, too.

Then, for dessert, we got to enjoy 4th of July cookies made by a two-year-old. They were pretty good, if not exactly uniform in shape or sprinkles.

Cookie-Baking Fun

The Saturday before Easter, Nick's Aunt Mandy came over and we baked cookies. Nick loves cookie-baking, and he gets super-excited every time I even mention making cookies.

I'll have to make a point of baking more healthy items this summer, but lately, I've been mostly craving naughty foods, like sugar cookies with sprinkles. Nick loves using the big rolling pin, and he can actually use it correctly now.

We made cookies shaped like chicks, bunnies, lambs and eggs. Nick did not ever want the cookie making to end. I think next year, though, I need to get some smaller cookie cutters. These cookies were huge!

Putting on the sprinkles was very fun for Nick, but I think he used too many sprinkles. The purple ones were his favorite--we let him pick.

For some reason, the Easter sprinkles I bought didn't come with a sprinkling thing on the lid. You know, the holes that allow you to sprinkle right from the jar.

We tried to teach Nick how to sprinkle, but he mostly just dumped.

Well, the cookies tasted pretty good, even if the sprinkles weren't on evenly.

I think Nick wins the award for the most flour spilled, as well. I don't mind, though, because I am a firm believer in the principle of: the bigger the mess, the more fun the kid had. He did have fun.  :)


*Pictures courtesy of Amanda Wiatr. Or Aunt Mandy. Because that's what Nick calls her.   :)

Cookies for St. Patrick's Day and the Need for a Lucky Charm

Nick and I decided to make cookies for St. Patrick's Day. We make cookies nearly every week, but these cookies were special. We made them green!

I didn't have any sort of shamrock cookie cutter, but I had plenty of green sprinkles left over from Christmastime. So we made sugar cookie dough and rolled little balls. Then we rolled them in green sprinkles. Nick loves sprinkles!

Nick's problem is that he likes to take big bites out of the cookies as he's making them. We lost a couple this way. Eventually he got the hang of rolling them around in the sprinkles, though. He loved flattening them as well.

By the way, yes, that's my belly in most of the pictures. It was awkward to take pictures at this particular angle, and my belly was always getting in every shot. Perhaps that's just Nick's younger brother trying to share the spotlight.  ;)

See Nick's shirt? It says "Mommy's Lucky Charm." I got it when Nick was just a tiny baby on the clearance rack at Gymboree. I figured he'd fit into it eventually, and I was right.

Greg's actually the one who could use a lucky charm this weekend, though. You see, he went to a seminar a few months back where the presenter explained the perfect method for potty training a toddler. Greg is an LCPC (a therapist, but also a supervisor for other therapists) and so he knows a lot about behavioral modification. Greg has been telling me that all he needed was some training pants and a giant bag full of cheap but exciting toys, and he could get Nick started on the road to potty independence, even though we haven't had a lot of success thus far.

The $8 apiece man panties have arrived in the mail, I bought out the $1 bin at Target the other day, and we've been hyping the potty to Nick all week. On Saturday, I'm going downtown with a friend to celebrate her birthday, so Nick and Greg will be all by themselves. . . except for the potty. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this method of Greg's works well. Otherwise, I'll be spending my spring break cleaning up puddles. Any positive vibes or lucky charms would be appreciated.

Valentine's Day Cookies for Daddy!

Last Saturday, Greg had to go to a conference for work. He was gone all day, so Nick and I decided to bake him a Valentine's Day surprise: chocolate crinkle cookies. Greg is an absolute chocolate nut--he loves any kind of chocolate.

I've been meaning to make these for awhile, but I was always out of either vegetable oil or unsweetened chocolate squares. According to Kristen at That's What She Said, both of those ingredients are critical and should not be substituted. (She's the one who gave me the recipe.) I was still out of vegetable oil, but I figured I'd be brave and try canola oil anyway. Yup, I'm a rebel. Oh, and Kristen? It was the chocolate that was important. Canola worked just fine.  : )

A few weeks ago, I bought Nick a present he likes better than any toy I've ever got for him: a step stool that allows him to reach the counters. Once or twice a week since then, Nick and I have made something together in the kitchen. I love these times because instead of pretending interest in some of Nick's toys, we're doing something that we both enjoy. "I stand on that!" Nick will insist all week. "I stand on that. Make cookies! I help!" He tells me this nearly every day, pointing next to the refrigerator where I keep our step stool.

On Saturday Nick kept sneaking into the pantry and grabbing random ingredients. It's a good thing he couldn't figure out how to operate a can opener, otherwise we'd have had cannelloni beans in our chocolate cookies.

Nick actually pours in every ingredient while we're baking. I usually have to measure, but he does all the adding and turns on the mixer. I made sure he did most of the work this time, because these cookies were Nick's Valentine present to his daddy. Sometimes, though, this resulted in spills. Like, for instance, when Nick tried adding the baking powder.

He missed.

Notice the pile of baking powder on the floor. Anyway, the dough worked out great, and it kind of had the consistency of thick brownie batter. It tasted just divine, too. I love brownie batter.

Nick got really mad, though, when I had to put the dough in the fridge for an hour and then in the oven.

He doesn't understand the concept of waiting for cookies. He wanted them right now. Nick was, um, a little perturbed when I put away the step stool.

The cookies, by the way, were delightful and enough to kill any chocolate craving. Though I think I actually prefer just eating the dough. I would call that "chocolate balls of joy."

Here's the recipe for "Chocolate Crinkle Cookies" if you're interested. The only thing I changed was that I used canola oil instead of vegetable oil. Oh, and I decreased the granulated sugar just a bit, added an extra 1/2 of an unsweetened chocolate square, and used white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. I guess I changed it a lot. They were delightful, though. Nick loved them.

Greg definitely liked his Valentine's Day present from Nick . . .

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Smashing Chocolate

 

Baking Cookies With Mommy

Last Monday, Nick and I decided to make peanut butter cookies. Perhaps I should amend that. On Monday, I decided that Nick needed something constructive to do, so I asked him if he wanted to help me make peanut butter cookies. (Also, I had a raging craving for some chewy cookies.) Nick's answer, of course, was a resounding "Yes!"

I got the recipe from here, but I omitted the peanuts, used white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose,  and added a little extra vanilla. My mother-in-law brought me some gourmet vanilla from her cruise, and I decided an extra couple of drops would add flavor to these yummy cookies.

When I say that Nick helped me, you're probably wondering how much help a two-year-old can actually provide. First, let me say that having Nick help made the cookie-baking process take twice as long. It also created twice as much mess. But it was easily five times as fun!

Nick actually helped for real. I measured, but I let him add in each scoop of flour and many of the other ingredients. Then, he got to turn the dial on my mixer, and use the spatula to help scrape the sides. He also managed to get quite a bit of flour all over himself. Nick's favorite part? Licking the dough off of everything.*  Honestly, that's my favorite part, too.  :)

I even let Nick try to help me roll the cookies into balls. He loved it, since he's done this with Play Doh before. He wasn't terribly successful, though. But Nick is at this stage where he wants to help with literally everything. So I've been trying to let him, even though it is far messier and more time consuming to let him help.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nick was very good at helping press the fork into the cookies. I do a crisscross pattern with a fork, in the traditional way.

The cookies turned out exactly right, chewy and delicious, but not too sweet. I've been pretty good lately about only having one or two cookies. Nick always prefers at least two cookies.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*Please don't worry. I know it is bad to eat uncooked dough if it has egg in it, but we just can't give up this yummy habit. So my solution is to add everything but the egg, then taste the dough on the spinny things. (What are those called anyway? The metal spinny things on a mixer. Nick is licking one in the picture above. I can't think of the name. Pregnancy brain rears its ugly head.) Finally, I add the egg and mix with a spoon that I, unfortunately, just put in the sink. It's a waste of yummy cookie dough, but we're not taking any chances.

My Cookie Monster Loves Target

Earlier this week, Nick and I went on a little excursion to the Target. Check out his cookie monster sweatshirt. Nicholas is my cookie monster indeed, and he especially loves the vanilla scones at Starbucks. Note the crumbs all over his clothes.

Every time I go to Target, I treat myself to a caffeinated beverage, usually a nice skim latte.  Actually, I think I may have the most complicated Starbucks drink ever. I've made baristas jaws drop as I tell my order. I order this way: "It's going to be in a grande cup, but it's a tall. I would like a tall, skinny caramel latte with an extra pump of the sugar free syrup (five pumps total), five splendas, extra hot, whipped cream up to the top of the cup, with a little bit of that caramel stuff on top."  Then I always remind them that it's an extra pump, not an extra shot. Someone like me will never sleep if I have a double shot of espresso after 4 p.m.

Lately I've been getting a cup of water for Nick, or else he tries to steal my latte. Yes, my boy likes coffee, and tries to sneak some whenever he can. He snatched a sip one time, and I told him, "No, yucky!" He replied, "Want that! Drink Mommy's coffee!" The last thing this boy needs is anything with caffeine in it, so distraction is the name of the game. Thus the cup of water and the vanilla scones.

I find myself having to run into the store for random things that I forgot more often now. Should I blame it on pregnancy brain? I suppose I can use that excuse for the next few months, anyway. At least I'm lucky that Nick loves shopping. He always asks, "I go shopping?" and then grins widely when I tell him that, yes, we have to go to the store. Something about the colors and the people watching makes him happy. Often there are other little kids he can wave at and say hi to, so he's a happy camper. Plus, in Target, I usually let Nick pick out something from the $1 bins. This time he got a Snoopy coloring book.

Is it weird that I actually like going to the store with Nick? At least on days when I'm not exhausted. We talk the entire time, about what we see, usually. He also helps me look for things. Like, if I'm looking for milk, I tell him, "Let's look for the milk." (Of course, I know right where it is, but I let him point it out.) Then, I thank him for helping me. When he's older, maybe I'll let him use a calculator to track the totals. For now, he's just my cookie monster, hanging out in the cart and letting me know where to find the cheese.

The Many Joys of Cookie Baking

Every year, we bake cookies to give as gifts. My mom, my sister, and I baked the weekend before Christmas this year, and man, did we bake a ton of cookies. Nick was our official cookie taster. Gingerbread is his absolute favorite. My mom let him sample more than a few of our prototypes. It's amazing how many cookies are "damaged" and need eating.  :)

It's funny that gingerbread is his favorite. I think it must be a taste acquired in early childhood. My sister and I love gingerbread, but then again, we ate it from the time we were little kids. I've brought some to work and discovered that only a small subset of the population prefers gingerbread. Greg doesn't really like gingerbread much. That's okay, though. More for me and Nick.

After we were done with the baking, decorating, bagging, and packing, I tried to get some cute pics of Nick in front of the Christmas tree. Each year I use them for my gift tags. Here are the ones I ended up using:

Tonight I am baking cookies again. In my family, our tradition is to bake cookies (tons and tons of cookies) to give away as Christmas gifts. Here's a link to our cookie baking from last year. We did indeed bake this year, but here it is the day after Christmas, and we're just about out of cookies. Tomorrow we're having Christmas #4 with Greg's dad and stepmom (plus tons of cousins, aunts, and uncles), so I figured I'd better bake more cookies so there would be some fresh ones to bring. I made gingerbread, because gingerbread is my favorite, too. Yum.