The Ninth Day of Catmas

 

Arthur. Who is oddly a girl.

But she seems okay with the Santa hat.

 

Here's a fun idea for your children's friends and their families.
The Great Cookie Party has been a tradition over here since elementary school, and all of the kids look forward to it every year.

 

It's just gotten...weird.

 

 But you still have to smile when your cookie crew includes kids you've loved for years.

 

 First, choose a nice rainy day.

 We're making two basic doughs, and this is where it gets fun! Please note that they both bake at the same temperature for the same amount of time, so that will slash the chaos a little.

Not much, mind you.

Gingerbread Dudes

1 c. sugar
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 c. molasses
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 c. flour (unsifted)

Combine the sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Combine well.Add the melted butter, evaporated milk and molasses. Add the vanilla (use only pure vanilla - not imitation). Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly.
The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to the fingers. Knead the dough until smooth, adding a little flour at a time, up to 1 cup, to prevent sticking.
When dough is smooth, roll it out 1/4-inch thick on a floured surface and cut it into cookies. To prevent having to add more flour, the dough may be rolled between sheets of wax or parchment paper, or on a silicone sheet using a silicone or fondant rolling pin (available in craft supply stores). The silicone pin may also be brushed with cake release or non-stick spray for easy rolling. Be sure dough is thoroughly chilled.
Bake on a lightly floured or greased or parchment lined cookie sheets in a preheated 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Mix In Dough 

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar - lightly packed

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Put the butter, both sugars, salt and the baking soda in a large mixing bowl and beat with a mixer for about 3 minutes. Blend in the eggs and vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed and add the flour gradually. (At this point, you will divide the dough up and do the mix ins.) Bake at 375° for 10 to 12 minutes on an un-greased cookie sheet.

 

 Gingerbread dough

 

 You'll also want smaller bowls for each Cookie Crew member...

...and varied decorations and mix ins.

 Peppermints, nuts, red hots, M&Ms, chocolate chips, sprinkles galore!

We even used some zombie eyes on a couple of the gingerbread men.

No pictures, sorry. We're not here to scare people.

 

Scoop the basic dough into individual bowls and let your artisans create their own combinations of flavors.

 

 

 Try and reserve some of the dough for actual baking.

(You'll only want to bake about half of what each child has made.)

 

 Roll out the gingerbread dough on a lightly floured surface and make some basic figures with cookie cutters.

 

Then go wild with the details.

At the end of this, package the baked cookies to go home, but also pop some of their individual doughs in ziplock bags so they can take the fun home with them to share! Simply scrawl, 

"Bake at 375° for 10 to 12 minutes" on the bag ahead of time.

The kids know how to do the rest.

And you, by the way, now have a rather eclectic assortment of sweets to set out.