Hi!  I know everyone is feeling a little gloomy from being cooped-up inside.  The kids are home, you are trying to work,  the noise level is crazy . . .  oh, wait . . .is that just at my house?  Anyway, these may not be  the fanciest in the world, but I thought I would share two fun things you can do with your kids to pass the time and start feeling festive!

This first recipe is the best because kids can make it ON THEIR OWN and there is no baking involved – yes, that is right!  Set out the ingredients and let them go at it while you finish that conference call!

“Mama Needs a Break” Cookie Recipe for Kids

** WARNING – you need powdered milk for this, so plan ahead because that is what we usually forget when we promise our G he may make these **

Tell your little ones to grab the following –

mixing bowl

1/2 cup measuring cup

tablespoon measuring spoon

a big, strong spoon to stir

Ingredients –

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup instant dry milk powder (do not worry – we do not keep this around either.  order it once and you will have it for the recipe forever . . .)

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons (or however many your kid crushes) graham crackers – crushed into crumbs

Get It Done!

Put the powdered milk and then the peanut butter into a bowl – do it in this order and you will dirty only one measuring cup.  Kiddos might need a spatula to scrape-out all of the peanut butter.  Add that honey and stir it up!  Shape those cookies in whatever form and roll them in the graham cracker crumbs.

** NOTICE** do not have your kid make these cookies  if your child has a peanut allergy.  Seems obvious, but . . . . Anyway, legal stuff, legal stuff, legal stuff . . .

Easy Sugar Cookies that are perfect for all those cookie cutters you have gathering dust!

What your kids need –

stand mixer or hand mixer (might seem scary, but kids are pretty darn good with these)

bowl (if using a hand mixer)

plastic wrap

1/3 cup measuring cup

tablespoon

teaspoon

Ingredients –

6 tablespoons butter at room temperature

1/3 cup vegetable shortening (yes – that is right.  You want a good cookie, right? Crisco is the reason you loved your Grandmother’s cookies.)

2 cups flour  – the all purpose kind is fine

1 egg

3/4 sugar

1 tablespoon milk (I sometimes skip this because I forget . . . the dough comes out fine)

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Let them at it!

Beat the butter and shortening together – heck, let them do it at high speed!  Stop.  Add the egg, vanilla, milk (if you remember), baking powder, sugar, salt and HALF of the flour.  Turn the mixer on slow at first so you are not covered in flour, then increase the speed until all those ingredients are incorporated.  Now mix in the rest of the flour – not at a high speed.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least three hours.  Pour a glass of wine.  You deserve it and you have to listen to 3 hours of complaining until the dough is chilled.    If you have any dough left after three or so hours, pull off a hunk and roll it out thinly enough that your cookie cutters actually cut out a shape or not – we tend not to fight when our son is at cutting out holiday cookies and we really do not have to supervise  :).  Put your cut cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake about 8 minutes at 375 degrees F.  Technically, you should cool the cookies on a rack, but we find that few of the cookies are left for decorating!  After the cookies are cooled, let your kids at them with all the icing, sprinkles, candies, etc that they love!