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!

St. Patty's Chocolate Chip Cookies

On a whim, I decided to whip up some green chocolate chip cookies in honor of St. Patrick's Day. I discovered the recipe on Kara's Kitchen Creations and became inspired.

Ryan was slightly apprehensive at first, since we were having company over and he's been witness to my previous baking extravaganzas (flour everywhere, just like the movies). He came around, though, when he took his first bite of these green delights. They turned out so incredibly gooey and yummy that I didn't even have time to take a picture before they were all gone...this one's from Kara's site.

The recipe calls for pudding mix, which I've never seen before in a chocolate chip cookie recipe but think was the secret to its heavenly texture. That and the added white chocolate chips made the cookies, as Ryan said, "Otis Spunkmyer-like". What a compliment!

I know it's too late to use this year, but I highly recommend printing the recipe and saving it for next year--or making it anytime without the green food coloring!

Happy Searching,


p.s. I used chocolate instant pudding instead of pistachio since that's what I had on hand. Also, mine turned out very dark green (probably because of the chocolate pudding). Still delish either way!