Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

Today is St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s a day to sport the color green, feel festive and hopefully receive some good luck.  I always like to bake some kind of special treat with Jack on holidays as a fun way to show and tell him what it’s all about.  He loves to help me bake and I love sweets so we are a perfect combo.  Below is a recipe we’ll be making today to celebrate this fun green holiday.  If you have time you should make them, too!

Lucky Shamrock Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz. about 40) regular marshmallows OR 4 cups  miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups  Rice Krispies®
• Canned frosting or decorating gel
• Green decorating sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool slightly. Using cookie cutter coated with cooking spray cut into shamrocks. Decorate with frosting and decorating sugar (if desired). Best if served the same day.

Enjoy!

It’s hard to imagine Halloween is just around the corner. With temperatures still in the low 80’s it just doesn’t feel like Fall has arrived. Although, last Sunday, when Jack and I were strolling through the neighborhood on our daily walk, we were fascinated by all the orange and black that seemed to take over our street. This is the first year of Jack’s life where he can somewhat grasp what Halloween really is. He pointed out every pumpkin, scarecrow, bat and witch he could get his eyes on. I’m sure he will quickly learn that candy is a large part of Halloween, too!

Seeing all the decorations from our walk inspired me to be a little festive and bake some Halloween cookies. Jack was my assistant and we had a blast making a mess in the kitchen. We turned on the iPod, listened to some “scary tunes” and started in on the fun. Jack helped me pour in all the ingredients and mix the batter. We made some yummy chocolate and vanilla sugar cookies with candy corn on top. It is a great kid-friendly recipe to help teach your little one(s) the joys of baking. I wanted to share the recipe with you so you and your little one(s) could experience the spirit of Halloween just like we did.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• About 36 candy corns

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour, and mix until a dough forms.

2. Chocolate Variation: Reduce the amount of flour given in the recipe to 1/2 cup. Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder along with the flour in step 1, and proceed.

3. Scoop out level teaspoons of dough, and roll into balls (chill dough briefly if it becomes too soft to handle). Place balls on baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

4. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch (do not let cookies color), 10 to 12 minutes.

5. Remove from oven; gently press a candy corn into center of each cookie (surface of cookies may crack slightly). Let cookies cool completely.

Happy Baking….. ’til next time!