COOKING WITH KIDS: Emory’s Everything Cookies
Now that families are in back-to-school mode, it’s a great time to try out this month’s recipe for Everything Cookies. They’re packed with protein, fiber, and flavor and they’re great for breakfast on-the-go, lunch boxes, and afternoon snacks. If you want to turn them into a fancy fall treat, add a scoop of ice cream between two cookies and make an ice cream sammie.
My 5-year-old niece Emory loves putting these cookies together. It’s a great opportunity to teach kids about measuring and math skills. Don’t worry about the mess (that’s what brooms and vacuums are for), and simply concentrate on having fun. As you measure the flour or oats, make it a teachable moment. For example, if two half cups equal one full cup, let’s see how many quarter cups of flour it takes to fill up a whole cup.
If you have a stand mixer, let your kids amp up the speed level by level. You can do the same with a hand-held mixer but be sure to use a deep bowl to get everything blended.
The recipe also calls for cracking eggs—something all kids love to do! Encourage them to tap the eggs on the counter—not on the side of the bowl—to keep pieces of shell out. When it comes to opening the egg, remind them not to squeeze; instead, open the egg as if you were opening the lid of a box. Pretending there’s a hinge on the side of the egg opposite the crack makes this concept easy to understand.
DRY INGREDIENTS:
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
WET INGREDIENTS:
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup canola or coconut oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Stir in ½ cup dry oats.
- Fold in 1½ cups of anything else that you want: dried figs, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, cocoa powder, cherries, nuts and seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, orange zest, ginger, cardamom, marshmallows, tiny cubes of raw sweet potato, shredded carrots, peanut butter. You name it—you can put in everything!
- Spoon the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack and then share with all of your friends!
