Cookie Dots: A baking and learning adventure to enjoy while staying at home

Happy Monday! At least I think it’s Monday. We’ve been in the house for so many days now it’s all kind of a blur. I’m pretty sure I’m going to emerge from this quarantine 60 pounds heavier, with some seriously ingrown eyebrows, and a tick from these crazy kids (mom of four here). But in all seriousness, I’m super excited to bring you these Cookie Dots from Allyson Burns at the Better Baker Club. We already know that baking with kids is a great way to spend time together and learn some new skills. But these cookie dots are SO much more than that.

Allyson has been been baking for more than 25 years and is the owner of 4 successful bakeries! I know your going to love her Cookie Dots as much as I do, and don’t forget to check out all the great recipes she has at the Better Baker Club!

If you’re stuck at home with kids due to school closures and this pandemic is keeping you isolated and running out of things to do, then you’re going to love this baking activity for cookie dots. It will keep moms, dads, and kids entertained while learning some practical skills and having some educational fun. It’s a win win. 

So, what is this blog post about and what will you learn from it?

This recipe is for a delicious little cookie that bakes up light and crisp. It’s easy to mix because it requires only a mixing bowl and a spoon (you’re welcome). Since getting out of the house during this pandemic is not advisable and the stores have limited supplies, I’ve made this recipe work with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Get ready for a few hours of fun while you and your kids nibble your way through baking, measuring, sorting, counting, and learning.

What do children learn when baking?

Baking with kids gives them practical experience with many essential skills such as reading, following directions, and measuring. Getting involved in cooking helps your child to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and even covers some basics of math and science. 

No matter what age or skill level, there is something for everyone to do. 

Older kids– Reading, following directions, measuring, fine motor skills and real-life skills like using the oven, washing dishes and running the dishwasher. 

Younger kids– helping to stir, scoop and measure are all great for developing motor skills and who doesn’t love learning to crack an egg? 

This recipe has different jobs for different skill levels:

• Measuring with measuring cups
• Stirring
• Cracking eggs
• Using a pastry bag to pipe cookies
• Taking pans in and out of the oven
• Counting/Sorting
• Washing unbreakable items in warm soapy water

 What are manipulatives and how can you use them?

Manipulatives are objects that parents, teachers, and homeschoolers use to help kids learn early math skills. By allowing them to hold, move and manipulate the pieces they can solve simple problems. With this baking activity for Cookie Dots, you will have plenty of multi-color pieces to create your edible games and learning opportunities. 

Here are some games you can play with the cookies to get you started:

• Tic-tac-toe
• Checkers
• Learning letters
• Simple math 
• counting
• Pattern games

Of all the activities you can do with these colorful cookie dots, eating them is the most fun!

Here’s the project rundown:

1. Spend about an hour together in the kitchen getting some practical life experience like reading, following directions and measuring. 
2. Choose fun, age-appropriate games to play using your cookie dots.

Mixing time: 10 minutes

Baking time:10 minutes per tray. ( Makes about 4 trays so 40 minutes baking total)

Clean up: 20 minutes 

Level of difficulty: easy

Skills: piping with a pastry bag

Tools: pastry bag or freezer zip lock

Easy is the name of the game for this project

That’s why I made this recipe work with ingredients you probably have on hand already. 

Here is a list of ingredients you will need:

• Shortening
• White and Brown Sugar
• Flour
• Egg
• Baking Powder
• Coloring

This recipe does not require an electric mixer or a hand mixer. One big bowl, a wooden spoon, and some eager helpers will get the job done. 

Here is a list of the equipment you will need:

• Large mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
• One cup and ¼ cup measurer
• ½ teaspoon measurer
• 2-4 small bowls 
• 2-4 Teaspoons
• Sheet pans
• scissors
• Parchment or silicone sheets
• Hot pads 
• Cooling rack. 

Let’s get this activity started!

Mix

Just measure the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar into a big mixing bowl. 

Take turns stirring until all the ingredients are well blended. 

Stir

Crack an egg into a small bowl and remove any shell pieces. Pour egg into shortening and sugar mixture and stir until everything is well blended and smooth. 

Measure

Measure the flour by spooning it into the one cup measurer and level off with a butter knife or spatula. Add flour to the mixing bowl. Measure in the baking powder and salt. Stir well to combine. 

Color

Now that we’ve got the basic dough it’s time to add some color. Divide the dough into equal portions and place into small bowls. You can decide how many colors you want to mix based on what food coloring you have on hand or how you are planning on using the cookie dots. 

Add drops of color to the dough to get the desired shade. The colors will fade a little bit while baking, so do use more coloring if you want vibrant colors. The more colors you make, the more fun they can have. 

Now its time to place the colored dough into a pastry or freezer zip lock bag. Be sure and use freezer bags and not regular sandwich zip locks. The plastic is thicker on freezer bags and can hold up to the squeezing. 

The easiest way to do this is by folding back the top and dolloping the batter into the bag. Squeeze it towards the tip and twist to close. 

With a pair of scissors, cut the tip off the pastry or zip-lock bag leaving a small opening about ¼ -½ inch big. 

Onto a parchment or silicone lined sheet pan, squeeze out tiny dots of batter about the size of a dime.

These cookie dots don’t spread much so place the dots in rows about ½ inch apart. Depending on the size of the sheet pan you are using, you may be able to get 40-50 cookies on a tray. 

Bake

Place cookie dots in a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow cooling on the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove cookies by lifting the silicone sheet or parchment paper and slide the cookies onto a cooling rack. 

Repeat this for the remaining batter and colors.

Enjoy this extra time with your family. Stay healthy and safe. 

Try these Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies!