Earth Day Cookies
Do you celebrate Earth Day? Earth Day is an annual event held on April 22, where people come together and celebrate our Earth. Maybe you go pick up trash at the local park, learn how to be more environmentally friendly, and/or make a delicious treat. Although my family is fairly eco-friendly we still have a long way to go, but I do love teaching(and learning) with my children about ways to care for our Earth. We only get one so why not take good care of it!
Would you like to teach your children about our Earth? Making some “Earth” cookies is a great way to get the conversation going. Also, learn/teach about being environmentally friendly in the kitchen. They are very simple to make and taste delicious, they’re “Shortbread Earth Cookies”!
Be sure to get your children involved, my youngest loves to start the kitchen aid mixer and pour ingredients into the bowl. If you’re making with older children they’d be able to do a lot of the work themselves. Baking/cooking as a family is such a great learning and bonding experience. If you have littles that like to help, this kids step stool is awesome and safer than standing on a chair.
Now that you and your family are ready to make your cookies. In a mixing bowl or kitchen mixer, beat softened butter for about a 1 minute on medium speed. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat for another minute until fluffy.
This next step you could either do my way, save some dishes and the cookies turn out the same:
Slowly add your baking powder, salt and flour into your mixing bowl on low speed. Beating until combined, about a minute. Add the milk and beat until just combined.
Or:
In a medium bowl combine(& stir) your baking powder, salt and flour. Slowly add your flour mixture into your butter mixture and beat until combined, about a minute. Add the milk and beat until just combined.
Divide the dough into two equal parts into two seperate bowls. Add a few drops of blue into one of the bowls and the green into the other bowl and stir until the dough is the color you want. Form into a ball and wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Refrigerating it for an hour is very important so don’t skimp this part.
After the hour, take your dough out and work quickly as you want the dough to stay as cold as possible so the cookies keep their form. Take about 1 teaspoon of each color and mix together in your hand, roll into a ball and smash each ball onto an ungreased cookie sheet. This step is very easy and you don’t need the Earth colors to be perfect, just smash into the shape of circle, as much as you can.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn a slight golden brown. You may have to look a little harder to see if they’ve browned because of the food coloring. Allow to cool on baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack. Shortbread cookies are best when eaten completely cooled. Enjoy!!
Piper approved!!
Earth Day Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp milk
- blue and green food coloring
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or kitchen mixer, beat softened butter for about a 1 minute on medium speed. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat for another minute until fluffy.
- Slowly add your baking powder, salt and flour into your mixing bowl on low speed. Beating until combined, about a minute. Add the milk and beat until just combined.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts in two seperate bowls. Add a few drops of blue into one of the bowls and the green into the other bowl and stir until the dough is the color you want. Form into a ball and wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After the hour, take your dough out and work quickly as you want the dough to stay as cold as possible. Take about 1 teaspoon of each color and mix together in your hand, roll into a ball and smash each ball onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn a slight golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack. Shortbread cookies are best when eaten completely cooled.
Cute idea! My daughter loves an excuse to make cookies anytime