Rainy Day Cookies

I know it looks like I'm posting another recipe but really this is more of an activity to keep kids busy (read the part after the recipe). I'm giving you the recipe because it makes a LOT so it will see me through a whole week of rainy days. Plus I really like the flavor of this cookie.

Best Big Fat Sugar Cookies

*I’ve tried a ton of different recipes for the perfect, soft, big, fat sugar cookie and this is it. Hope it meets your expectations. It makes a lot (it helps to have a nice big mixer to make these) but you can freeze it in small portions or just bake them all and give them to your neighbors. They will love you.

Ingredients
2 C. butter
3 C. sugar
6 eggs
1/2 C. cream
2 tsp. vanilla
7 C. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions
Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl. Add eggs and blend well. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with cream and vanilla. Mix just until all ingredients are incorporated (the less you have to mix the more tender your cookies will be). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. May be frozen up to 3 months. Roll and cut cookies. Bake in 325 degree oven until set but not browned (the time varies as to how thick you roll the cookies. I like them really thick). Cool and decorate (It is my personal belief that sugar cookies taste best with pink frosting and sprinkles).

Now, it is important for you to leave your perfectionistic tendencies in the laundry room while the kids are having fun. These are not cookies that you will be giving to the neighbors. And the kids really don't need you at all except to pull out the cookie sheet and pre-heat the oven. Have kids wash their hands, give each a big blob of dough, give them a theme, and back off. My kids have made the entire alphabet, made numbers to use in their math studies, made shapes, animals, self portraits, crazy shapes, big vs. small (the small ones always overcook and that leads to scientific discussions), sometimes I give them bowls of nuts, raisins, cranberries, cereals, etc. to decorate with. Oh, another fun thing to do is to give them small bowls of milk colored with food coloring and some paint brushes so they can paint the cookies before we bake them.



Bon appetite, and happy creating!