So, several months ago I guess I signed The Boy up for a weekly breakfast making, er, I mean, weekly cookie baking class through our local parks & rec. dept.! 😉 BEST. SPENT. MONEY. EVER.
I was a little apprehensive about what the class would actually entail, but this cookie baking class was a wonderful learning experience! Here are just a few of the “objectives” the kids learned in the 4 week session:
- used listening skills in waiting for the instructor to call out the next ingredient or to explain the steps of the recipe
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learned about the chemistry of the ingredients and how they work together
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got to explore the taste, feel, smell, and sound of each of the ingredients (ever taste baking soda?!)
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learned an important home economics skill
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got to see the inner workings of an industrial kitchen
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tested patience in sharing and passing ingredients and supplies and an even greater test in waiting on cookies to be baked and cooled
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learned the importance of teamwork in helping out fellow bakers and cleaning up
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used hand-eye coordination in pouring ingredients into the bowl and not onto the table
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practiced fine motor skills in measuring out ingredients and cracking eggs and large motor skills in mixing batter by hand and rolling and shaping the dough
And let me tell you……the stress relief between parent and child in being able to mess up somebody else’s kitchen and just enjoy each other and be in the memory-making moment of it all?! PRICELESS. Yes, we were covered in flour and gooped up to our elbows in sticky ick, but it was wonderful! We learned some fun and easy recipes, and every week we made dozens and dozens of super yummy treats to take home! This was by far the best extracurricular activity we have ever done and I cannot recommend it highly enough. So much so, that we have signed up for another session!
We took our time in making this recipe, so the “prep” time may be shorter if you are going it alone. 😉
- ½ cup and 2 tbsp. firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. baking soda
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
- Heat oven to 375°.
- In a large bowl (or on medium speed using a stand mixer) mix brown sugar, shortening, and vanilla until creamy.
- Add the egg and mix well.
- Add in the flour, salt, cocoa, and baking soda and stir gently (or mix on low speed) until well incorporated.
- The dough should be stiff and resemble play-dough. Kids can dig in and use (clean!) hands to mix the dough - sprinkle on a little flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Add chocolate chips and mix well.
- Roll dough into 1" balls and leave in the mixing bowl (watching as your kiddo gently smashes each neat little ball that you form *sigh*).
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar over the balls and shake the bowl until the balls have absorbed most of the sugar. This will help the powdered sugar stick and give the cookies that "Krackled" look.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of powdered sugar onto the balls and shake the bowl to ensure all of the cookies are coated.
- Place cookie balls about 2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. These cookies will not spread, so if you want flat cookies, you can smash them down a bit!
- Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until cookies are set.
- Let the kiddos watch the cookies "Krackle" in the oven like dinosaur eggs! The insides will be a little like a cakey brownie or truffle.
- Cool completely (or as long as you can possibly stand to wait!) and enjoy these yummy rich treats with a cold glass of milk!
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