Baking with the Kids, Again: Valentine Cookies

Okay, Mother Nature is having hot flashes. Last week, we were suffering with -36C plus (minus) windchill. Very cold. Too cold for cars and buses to start. This week, buses were cancelled yesterday because of freezing rain and today because of...freezing rain, bad road conditions, a sudden temperature drop. Take your pick. Although, the roads were worse on Monday when we had constant snow, and the ploughs didn't pass until late at night. The buses could not get up the hill to my husband's school.

Today, parents were called to pick up their kids from school, if they had driven them, at 11am. The arena was closing at 1pm. The city is shutting down because we are supposed to get cold weather after a lot of rain, and everything is going to freeze. By Friday, we are expecting a high in the minus mid teens. If there is any doubt, the erratic weather is indication of global warming. We are on "snow" day number five.

I brought my daughter to school today and yesterday, but playgroup was cancelled yesterday. I needed something to keep us occupied. My son had found my cookie cutters in the kitchen drawer, and thought they were for play-dough. This gave me the idea to make Valentine cookies. It's almost February.

I found a recipe on Martha Stewart's website. I modified it slightly by adding nutmeg and vanilla extract. Otherwise, it was pretty good. I halved the quantities, and still made lots. The dough is quite sticky, and, even after refrigeration, i had to use quite a lot of flour to prevent sticking. The dough also spreads a lot when it bakes. Most of the shapes lost distinction after they were baked.

http://www.marthastewart.com/354106/valentine-cookies

Sugar cookies are not a favourite of my husband. My kids are less picky, but everyone would prefer them with icing. I do not like the hard royal icing. It hurts my teeth. The ready made colourful tubes of cookie icing at the strore were tempting, but I opted to buy icing sugar instead. I made my own icing with icing sugar, milk, a little white corn syrup, vanilla, and gel colour.

My kids helped me decorated the heart shaped cookies. I made a few jam sandwich cookies too. Those were eaten for dessert, but the rest of the cookies are going to school one of these days when the buses are not cancelled. Next week is February. Perect timing!

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