Baking Cookies!

Peep and I have been having so much fun this past week! He's been coming to the office with me and getting to know some of my friends there: Kelly, Ruthie, Stephie and Paula. Kelly and Stephie work way across the room and are always very busy, so we don't see them much. Ruthie is much closer and walks past very often. She always says hello to Peep when she's going by! Paula was visiting from Spain and brought Spanish treats, which she shared with everyone. She made sure that Peep got one, too! Isn't Paula nice?

Thank you, Paula!

So, we thought that we should bring in treats to share with her and our other friends at the office. Cookies would be perfect! And since Peep had never baked anything before, it would be another adventure!

It was time to get out the cookbook and have a look at recipes. It wasn't hard to find the perfect one: sugar cookies!

Let's make these!*

Peep and I read the recipe carefully and gathered up everything we'd need. Then, we measured out the flour and baking powder. I stirred it all up very well with a whisk. Peep made sure I mixed correctly. 

Are the cookies ready yet?

Then he hopped all around the counter, to and fro. He couldn't wait for cookies! He's such a silly dinosaur, hopping and bouncing! Then I was silly, too, and I beeped him on the nose.

We're both super silly!

Then I put the butter in another bowl. Peep read the recipe and made sure I put in the right amount.

That's a lot of butter! These cookies will be so delicious! Are they ready yet?

I carefully added the sugar and mixed it with the butter. Then I mixed it some more. And mixed and mixed and mixed. So much mixing! When the batter was finally smooth, it was time for the eggs. Peep looked them over carefully. Which ones should we use?

Let's use the blue ones!

You might not be able to tell in the picture, but two of those eggs are blue and the third is brown. We used the blue ones because those were the prettiest. Peep asked if the blue eggs came from blue chickens. I was thoughtful, and I said I didn't know. Peep liked the shells and then he was suddenly thoughtful. I cracked the eggs and added their contents to the bowl. Peep wanted to see the shells of one.

Dinosaurs hatch out of eggs, too...

Peep asked me about chickens and eggs and dinosaurs and hatching. He also asked me about the eggs in the bowl. I explained that not all eggs have chickens in them, just some. Then Peep's eyes twinkled. He suddenly grabbed a dishtowel!

Can I have a little chicken friend?

Peep wanted to build a little nest with the dishtowel to make the brown egg warm so it could hatch. He wanted a little chicken friend! I explained to Peep that the eggs from the grocery store never have chickens in them. Peep was a little sad, so then I explained that I have a friend with chickens, and we could go visit them sometime if he wanted. I'm sure the chickens had never seen a dinosaur. He hopped and bounced around at the thought - yes! He wanted to visit some chickens! Another adventure! 

But first we had to finish the cookies - there was still a little mixing to do.

I added two kinds of sugar: brown and white. Then, I gave the flour and baking powder mixture another quick mix, just to be sure it was mixed properly. Peep checked the recipe to make sure I got it right. Then he watched to make sure I mixed enough.

Good job, Kate! That's really mixed up.

The flour mixture got added to the butter mixture. I mixed and mixed and mixed. Then it was time to make the cookie shapes!

I spooned out a bit and rolled that into a ball. Peep was so excited! The cookies were almost ready to bake!

Are the cookies ready yet?

Then I showed Peep how to roll the balls of dough in sugar.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'!

When they were all covered in sugar, we put them a cookie sheet in neat little rows. Then each sparkly ball of dough got squished down with the bottom of a glass.

Almost ready! Almost ready!

Peep read the rest of the recipe: we had to preheat the oven to 350F. That's really hot!

When all the sparkly cookie balls were squished down into cookie shapes, and the oven said it was hot enough, the cookie shapes went in. We both hopped around in excitement. They had to stay in there for a whole ten minutes!

Waiting was really hard.

T minus almost three minutes left!

It was almost the longest three minutes left in the whole world. Peep and I really wanted a cookie!

Then, when they came out of the oven, we had to wait three more minutes. They were so hot and we didn't want to get burned!

Cooling cookies!

Peep danced and leapt about as I set the cookies on the cooling rack. Then he set himself next to them to get a better look. They smelled so delicious! He started to gently blow on one of them to cool it off some more.

At long last! They were cool enough and we each got to eat one.

Mmmmmmmm! Yummy!

They were perfect and warm and delicious and wonderful! Peep ate his whole cookie and I ate mine. We decided that we should have this adventure again soon. Peep learned a lot and was really helpful - I didn't forget a single step because Peep kept a keen eye on the recipe.

We baked the rest of the dough and ended up with fifty-six more cookies! Peep said the mountain of them looked like heaven, and he couldn't wait to do it again. I packed the cookies up in large bags and brought them to work with me the next day. Everyone in the office really loved the cookies - it made them so happy! I don't think they realized that I had had help from a little purple dinosaur. 

Peep also wants to learn to make ice cream. So many adventures to have!










*From The Best Recipe, by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine, Boston Common Press, copyright 1999.