We have another snow day in Michigan. Many of us are rejoicing (at least the kids are).
But for those at home with the kids, it’s trying to figure out what to do with them all day. I have a couple of ideas. But it depends if you have them in your home. (Wouldn’t want you to run out and hit the road. . .)
First idea:
If you have playdoh or crayloa clay, get that, grab your rolling pin and cookie cutters ~ especially easter cookie cutters, make easter ornaments. Playdoh and crayola clay will dry within 24 to 48 hours. While Playdoh is already colored, you can paint them with acrylic or use markers to add more decorations to them. You can use acrylic paint and use marker on Crayola clay too. Don’t forget to poke holes in the ornaments so you can hang them on your easter tree.
Second idea:
This was my favorite project to do when I was babysitting way back when. That is to make stained glass cookies. They are delish! But they are also quite pretty and you can make them to create ornaments too! If you have life savers or jolly ranchers – get those and set them aside. Make this cookie dough:(they’re sugar cookies with a bit of molasses. If you don’t have molasses, don’t worry about it. I’ve made them with and without, molasses just adds a little bit of “brownness” to them, not a whole lot to the flavor.)
Stained Glass Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
30-40 hard candies (such as Life Savers), preferably in several flavors/colors (20 Jolly Ranchers)
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated. Add egg and mix until light and smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture. Use electric mixer to blend just until flour is incorporated. Divide dough in half and flatten into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 2 days. (You can also freeze the dough up to 2 months before baking.)
Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.
Remove any wrappers on candies and separate them by color into plastic bags. Using a mallet or rolling pin or a pan to crush candies.
Place one rolled up dough between two large sheets of waxed paper and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Using a smaller cookie cutter or a knife, cut shapes into centers of cookies, reserving these center bits to add into extra dough.
Use a spoon (or fingers) to sprinkle the crushed candy into the hollowed-out centers of the cookies, filling to the edges. Try to keep the candy within the centers. Any candy specks that fall on the cookie will color the cookie. (I found it easier to use a piece of paper, rolled up, to pour the crushed candy into the centers. I also found that you need to add the candy until it is slightly domed, otherwise there won’t be enough candy in the middle after it melts.)
If cookies will be hung as ornaments or decorations, poke a small hole in the top of each cookie before baking. (I used a toothpick to do this. If your cookies are larger, you can use a straw. Remember that as the cookie bakes, it will expand slightly, making your hole a bit smaller – so you’ll need to take this into account when creating your holes.)
Bake 9 to 10 minutes. The candy should be melted and bubbling and the cookies just barely beginning to brown. Remove baking sheets from oven and place on wire racks to cool. Allow cookies to cool on pans at least 10 minutes; otherwise, the candy centers may separate from the dough. When cookies are completely cooled, remove and store in an airtight container. String with ribbon if you want to hang as an ornament.
Yield: 2 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make them.
The kids always loved this. First, it was a lot of fun breaking up the hard candies. (noise making) Then making the cookies. Often I would let them “sculpt” whatever they wanted to make rather than using cookie cutters. Just made sure we could scoop out areas where the hard candies could fill in to add color. And at last, eating them was fun too! (and messy)
Happy Snow Day.
