Today is a snow day, and so one my kids has gone back to bed and the other one is working quietly on a massive box robot in the living room and yet another one of my kids is eating bananas and watching Little Bear. My husband called me from the drive to work, telling me that he was driving behind the snowplow and booooorrrred. Doesn’t it seem early in the winter to start having snow days?
Lucky for me, though – I am, however unwittingly, prepared for this snow day because the Baby and I spent yesterday evening making sugar cookies to decorate today. Like most little wee kids, she loves helping me bake, and so I try to make as many safe baking opportunities as I can for her. I realized mournfully on Friday night that even though we make lots of cookies together, she had never had the fun of making sugar cookies – and then by a lucky coincidence, the current issue of Living Without magazine WHICH I BOUGHT ON SATURDAY featured a gluten-free sugar cookie recipe! Obviously, we were meant to make them.
So we did.
Here she is pouring the gf flour blend into our stand mixer, the handiest thing in our kitchen. The funny thing about working with little kids is that you start out humouring them and before you know it, there’s this competent little person working alongside you. Look at her pour that flour!
Now she’s peeking at the butter, which she just dropped in.
This weekend was our church’s Advent play and potluck lunch, and I really felt a warm glow when I realized how much of the food she could safely eat – everyone is so careful about ingredients and letting me know what’s in their contribution and her grandpa made a big batch of her very favorite baked beans, too. With small children with severe food issues, like my munchkin, it’s really hard to keep them from feeling deprived – so much of the world is off-limits to them. Living in such a small town, though, means that everyone who knows her knows what her food issues are, and she’s surrounded by people who make a huge effort to keep her safe and happy.
Super artsy close-up!
I appointed my husband Official Household Food Photographer, and I think it’s a definite improvement. The Baby had scampered off her cooking chair by now, since I don’t think little kids belong around running machinery – just fyi for the safety minded readers who like to email me whenever I post about cooking with kids. Blogging, much like living in a small town, means that everybody knows your bizness. That’s okay. I don’t mind.
Look at all those cookie cutters! The wee ones that The Boy is using were sent to us by Bren J. and whoo, they are a hit. I want to make an entire batch of wee gingerbread acorns, now that I think about it – wouldn’t that be cute? And I could dip the tops in chocolate? Adorable!
So that was some Sunday evening fun at my house, and The Baby blithely poured and used cookie cutters and the small child-sized rolling pin without any thoughts for all of the many things she’s not allowed to do, and the house was fragrant with the smells of early Christmas, of butter and vanilla. There are many more cookies to come.
I love making cookies around Christmas time. Gingerbread cookies decorated with different colored icing are my favorite.
So Christmasy! I think it’s early for snow days, too, but what a delightful way to spend one!
Well the LG was staring at your picture on the screen and then she looked behind the computer and seemed puzzled that you weren’t there. 🙂
Today for the first time, she helped me bake her daddy’s birthday pie – a lovely Company’s Coming confection – and did a great job with the pouring. It was awesome and a moment I’ve been dreaming about since before she was born.
Also, little gingerbread/chocolate-dipped acorns sounds brilliant! I’m glad the cutters were a hit. Cute cutters for cute kids….
I’m not so good with anything that requires rolling pins. Drop cookies are the norm around here.
I know this was not your main point at all but I find it so funny that people email you about safety when you’re cooking w/your kids. Because you’re, um, twelve?
But anyway, the cookies sound like loads of fun, and how delightful that there are now options (and awareness among your community) for the gluten-sensitive!
And they way she’s hanging back like that on that first shot, carefully pouring the flour, I can’t help but look at those buttons on her sweater. She probably still needs you to help button them. (Well, probably doesn’t NEED you, but might just let you.) And it saddens me just a touch that mine do it all on their own now, no quiet moments of buttoning shared.
ugh, and I had to send mine to school even on the no bus day. How cruel is that? (Three more weeks, yaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Then I’m off.)
Gingerbread acorns! That sounds like perfection! But only after the nummy sugar cookies are all eaten.
oooh! what fun! can i come and spend the weekend in your sweet home?? i can’t wait to bake. just bought the better homes and gardens holiday cookie edition, and am going through it to choose my holiday bakes for the season. loved your post!
Hey Beck. Will you puleeze send me a tried and true cookie recipe? I am going to a cookie swap. Me. Can’t imagine why I agreed to that. I think I forgot who I was. So can you send me something yummy and failproof? A tall order I know.
Hooray for gluten-free cookies!
I can’t wait to bake cookies–I’ll start a few this week. My T. loves to help in the kitchen, so I”m looking forward to that time with her.
Love the photos! Guess what’s baking at my house – Beck’s snickerdoodles, that’s what. I’m a junkie, I’m hooked, and my kids are very pleased with that. I’m a bad mom when it comes to cooking. I start out with good intentions, then end up losing my patience at some point and shoo the kids out. My kitchen has counter space for one cook, and guess who that ends up being? Although we did have a good go at cupcakes a few weeks ago, so we’re slowly making gains. Sloooooowly. :0)
Mmmm, cookies. I wish we had snow days…or snow for that matter. We just get hurricane days, which are MUCH LESS FUN.
What a lovely community to be a part of that they take measures to ensure that the baby feels a part of things too. Wonderful!
And yes, those little cookie cutters are just the cutest!
That’s so nice that the Baby has people who make sure she has plenty of food that’s safe for her to eat.
The acorn cookies would be perfect with chocolate on top. Now I can hardly wait to make Christmas sugar cookies (we make them with my mother.)
now i’m hungry for cookies. thanks
Did you see this month’s Canadian Living Mag? They have some gluten-free recipes included.
Happy Baking!!!
Very cool. I’m glad the baby got to make cookies. That’s one of my kids favorite activities. Isn’t it funny how the world works? My baby would never eat a sugar cookie, but there’s a big difference between knowing you could and not choosing to, and knowing you can’t. I hope you keep discovering treats to share.
It is really hard to find any Christmas goodies that are gluten-free. No wonder my belly usually feels awful around Christmastime. (Gluten-free Nanaimo bars–???)
I so need to get a mixer some day 🙂
Yay for such a success at the church function!
I made cookies with my 5yo last week and I was so shocked at how much she was able to do. It seemed like if she could read, she could have made the whole recipe herself.
Okay, now I TOTALLY ashamed because I just don’t let my boys help me cook or bake enough. For me, time in the kitchen is get in- get out as fast as possible, but I know I am wrong and need to work on that. So I will.
That’s so cool how your town is careful with your daughter’s food allergies. What a great community!
Enjoy your day together!
Forgive me, but I read this post, read the comments and then spent at least 30 minutes over at Golda’s Kitchen! How did I not know about this site? I’ve ordered the mitten, the candy cane, a music note… about 10 cookie cutters in all!
We didn’t do any cookies this weekend, but I made about 50 little cinnamon ornaments for the kids’ bazaar at school. They were tempted to sneak a bite and I had to keep reminding them that they were made with glue!
This is a very heartwarming post. What a wonderful small town you live in! (I live in a small town too, but if my kids had food issues, I can’t imagine anyone going out of their way to be helpful about. In this community, there’s more of a “it’s your problem, deal with it, and don’t complain to me” attitude. Sigh.)
Also, I love what you said about humoring children and then suddenly you find they are competent.
this was timely article–i want to make some gluten free cookies for two friends who are gluten-free. i was also thinking of trying this recipe which seems pretty simple:
http://www.oprah.com/recipe/omagazine/recipes/food_200306_cookies
Sugar cookies are one of my Christmas staples. Sounds like a fun evening.
Sugar cookies are one of my Christmas staples. Sounds like a fun evening.
I bought that mitten cookie cutter online at Golda’s kitchen!
http://goldaskitchen.com/merchant.ihtml?id=40&pid=3753&step=4
Those are some of my favorite days, the days when the food issues go forgotten with no need for a reminder.
BECK! What great photos and yummy cookies! I’m thrilled for The Baby that she got to make sugar cookies. She looks so cute at the big mixer, too. And I have to say how envious I am. I have dozens of cookie cutters, metal ones just like yours, but I don’t have a mitten, and I’ve never seen one until this photo. Oh, the decorating possibilities! Sigh…