Lesson #17 - Mummy Double Chocolate Cookies
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
If you missed last week, we kicked off the month long Halloween celebration. Everyday the boys have a surprise, treat or trick from me or Alexis. The other morning they had spider donuts, today they found fingers in their bagels.
This Halloween lesson came to be in a peculiar manner. It began with finding a Halloween baking magazine. While flipping through a recipe of cupcakes with candy shards of glass and dripping blood caught my eye. I thought this would be the perfect recipe for Kelly and Alexis, the two obsessed with the gore aspect of Halloween. Silly me! I didn’t remember I was doing this cooking lesson with Jamison who found it way too scary. Next I proposed mummy cupcakes. Sawyer definitely didn’t want to make cupcakes. He ultimately decided on Mummy Double Chocolate Cookies.
It was tough getting him in the kitchen this week because there were so many distractions. He wanted to cook so badly, but also wanted to play with his brother, very reasonable in my mind. He quickly settled in once I brought out the witch hat and insects to join us on the lesson.
Share your thoughts, memories and pictures below in the comments.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 60 mins
Ingredients Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Ingredients for Buttercream:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup butter, softened1
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
STEP ONE:
In the mixer blend the butter and sugar. Many say “light and fluffy”. Jameson and I both agree that it never really gets light and fluffy, but just “less chunky”. Use your best judgement and let us know how yours turns out.
STEP TWO:
Add the vanilla and eggs to the mixture. Combine the ingredients until smooth.
STEP THREE:
In another bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt with a whisk.
WATCH OUT
there might be a spider lurking under the flour!
STEP FOUR:
Add the dry ingredients to the mixer. Slowly combine all the ingredients together.
NOTE: Slowly is the key word here. If you are like Jameson and put the mixer on top speed a poof of dry mixture might come flying out. Check out the third picture to see!
STEP FIVE:
Measure and add the chocolate chips.
STEP SIX:
You guessed right - TASTE THE BATTER! In this lesson I had to start talking to Sawyer about why he shouldn’t lick his hands after every step. This wasn’t his most sanitary lesson - sorry Alexis and Kelly!
Disclaimer: There is raw egg in the mixture so use your discretion.
STEP SEVEN:
Grease the cookie sheet with cooking spray then place small drops of cookie dough on the sheet. We used a melon baller to assist Jameson with the amount.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. It will be hard to determine if they are done because you will not see them brown. Trust that 10 minutes is the most you should bake them, or test them with a toothpick. Once they are out they will settle and harden.
AHHHHH - cleaning up around Halloween can be dangerous!! These spiders like to lurk and hide in the least likely spots.
While the cookies are baking quickly whip together the Buttercream Icing! This week we changed up the icing and used Powdered Sugar instead of Confectionary Sugar. The taste difference was definitely worth it!
STEP ONE:
In the mixer combine the sugar and butter. (Our butter wasn’t softened so we had to melt it in the microwave. These things happen, so be ready to adjust on the fly.)
STEP TWO:
Mix in the vanilla and milk. I had the milk in a bowl to make measuring easier for Jameson. He likes to complete every step on his own, so I try to make adjustments for encouragement. If the icing seems a little thick then add more milk.
Jameson can be quite the little goof ball in the kitchen and I have been able to catch some of his personality in the last couple of lessons!
STEP THREE:
Fill either a piping bag or sandwich plastic bag with the frosting. After the cookies have cooled, pipe the icing making a triangle for the face area. Do this step twice. (The piping bag was hard for Jameson so he held the cookie while I did the piping. It’s all about working together so don’t forget to find a way for them to help instead of cranking it out yourself)
After we did all the Mummy wrappings we used icing to place the eyes. Again, I put the icing on each eye and he put them on the cookie.
We had lots of laughs, antics, singing and one messy kitchen by the end of the lesson! While he was reluctant to start, he got going, he was the boss (within reason!). The Mummy Cookies were a surprise for Alexis and Kelly, so they weren’t allowed in the kitchen. Overall it was a fun cooking lesson and the results were great!
