Her kids like the decorating part

 

Peggy Hopkins of Hagerstown e-mailed that her kids tend to be excited about the idea of making cookies. They are there for the measuring, dropping batter, decorating and tasting. But they seem to disappear when it's time to clean up, Hopkins says.

Hopkins uses cookie baking as a time to practice math skills. By letting her children do the measuring, especially if they double recipes, they are able to hone and reinforce the skills they've learned in school, Hopkins says.

The Hopkins children's favorite cookie to make and eat is Butter Spritz Cookie. Using a cookie press and decorating are lures for making it.

 

Butter Spritz Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add sugar and baking powder and beat well. Add egg and vanilla and beat all of it until well-combined. Beat in as much flour as you can and stir in the remaining flour - the batter gets very thick. Do not refrigerate because the dough will get too hard to push through the press.

Pack dough into a cookie press, insert the plate design into the press and force the dough through the press onto ungreased cookie sheets. At this point, the kids can do their thing with decorating. The Hopkins family uses colored sugar, tiny colored candies and minced nuts.

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edge of the cookies are firm but not brown. This recipe makes about 85 cookies.