Cookie Math

As a reward for a group of fifth graders I tutored, I threw a little party when all of our sessions were finished. I tried to come up with a dessert that had something to do with math when I remembered my rarely-used collection of 100 cookie cutters. I dusted them off and decided to crunch some numbers!

I contemplated making my own sugar cookie dough, but when I thought about how my audience wouldn't care (or know the difference), I went with the pre-made. I did, however, make my own frosting. Well...Giada's frosting. And I have to say it was some of the best frosting I've ever eaten.

I figured this was the perfect opportunity to experiment with the neon food coloring I'd seen in the baking aisle and after trying it, I'm sold. I absolutely loved how vibrant the frosting turned out--lime green, bright turquoise, fuchsia, and tangerine. (Even with several attempts, I wasn't able to get a photo to capture their vibrancy...this was as close as it came).

So I baked the cookies until they were cooked through but still soft, then let them cool. I filled Ziploc bags with frosting, snipped the tips, and covered each cookie with some color. A sprinkle of sparkling sugar on top and--presto!--the dessert equation is solved.

Store-bought dough + homemade frosting = delicious! I love this kind of math...

Happy Searching!