Baking with kids: Butter cookies

A few months before Baby C turned 3, she had her first baking experience. We picked something relatively easy that she could help with in the kitchen -- butter cookies was perfect since she got to help with the mixing, and cutting out shapes using the cookie cutter.

Baking with your children is a fun activity, but be prepared for some mess in the kitchen and lots of cleaning up afterwards. But the look of contentment on their face is priceless, you can see that they feel so proud for being able to help out in the kitchen.

Both Baby C's grandparents got to taste her "masterpiece" too, and they too were very proud of her. They probably think it's the nicest butter cookies they have ever tasted!

Mixing it all together

Daddy helping to roll out the dough

Butter cookies

Makes 30

Ingredients

170g unsalted butter, at room temperature

285g caster sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla essence

grated rind of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp salt

285g plain flour, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy.

3. Using a wooden spoon, slowly mix in the whole egg and the egg yolk. Add the vanilla, lemon rind and salt.  Stir to mix well.

4. Add the flour and stir until blended. Gather the mixture into a ball, wrap in greaseproof paper abd refridgerate for at least 30 minutes.

5. On a floured surface, roll out the mixture about 3mm thick.

6. Stamp out shapes or rounds with biscuit cutters (Baby C wanted round biscuits with the shapes lightly imprinted on, so that's what we did).

7. Bake until lightly coloured, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely before decorating.

 Cookie cutter

Thanks Baby C for the cute and delicious cookies!