Spring Holiday Cookies

spring holiday cookies

Making these adorable spring cookies was a successful family affair.  It was still chilly outside on Sunday morning so instead of running out to the playground we decided to make cookies.  John and I were excited but Gabriel beamed once he realized that the step-ladder his daddy brought over was meant to facilitate a first class engagement with the goings of the kitchen countertop.  All the ingredients were ready to go but things with a toddler have to move fast otherwise he or she will start fidgeting in anticipation of the next activity.

We started by measuring flours and plopping them into the mixing bowl.  I realize that plopping is not an elegant word but it is accurate to describe Gabriel’s technique.  Flour and happiness everywhere.  Next we all whisked   taking turns with two different whisks.  First mama then Gabriel then daddy, then two of us at a time making havoc in the bowl.   Not sure how much flour jumped out during our whisking session but the cookies still came out great.

Whisk to the right, whisk to the left, whisk up in the air.

We then mixed and whipped the wet ingredients in a separate bowl with the hand-held mixer.  Lowest and safest speed brought priceless fun.  My hands on top of little ones swirled the mixer around the bowl with only small amounts of dough making their way unto my face.

When all ingredients came together G seemed to have lost interest.  But only temporarily. Mama has a plan!

little fingers in the dough

Next activity: little fingers in the dough.  My pastry sous chefs enjoyed this way too much.  They then dusted the countertop with flour and rolled, and repeated this a few more times.

G was beginning to understand that we were actually making galletas, which I promised would be in shapes of chicks and bunnies.  Initially he thought I meant that we would be reading his book Conejito No Puede Dormir when I mentioned bunnies.  What a surprise when conejitos was all about making cookies instead!

G cut some bunnies and chicks, J a couple more and then I fixed most of them.  But it’s all about the fun isn’t it.

We made the sugar icing with natural colorings including turmeric, chlorophyll and beet  juice.  Just gradually add small amounts of these ingredients to the sugar icing until you get the desired hue.

Sprinkle away!

Conejitos y pollitos everywhere!

 John and I immediately swallowed down a few cookies and thought G would want at least one or two.  Nope.  G just wanted to play with the dough it seems.  Maybe it hasn’t caught on yet that these bunnies and chicks are just cookies and not actual animals?  So proud of my little vegetarian boy…