Whip Up A Batch Of Memories In Your Own Kitchen

No matter the cooking task at hand-whether it’s rolling dough or mixing ingredients-getting children more involved in the kitchen is a great way to begin new traditions and spend good, quality time as a family.

Whether you’re baking cookies or cooking up a casserole, introduce your child to the joys of cooking by starting out with simple recipes.

“As a mother of triplets, simplicity is key,” said Christine Garboski, Manager at the Nestlé Culinary Center. Not only will fun and easy cookie recipes teach the basics of cooking, they will also get your creative juices flowing.

Besides using trouble-free recipes you can follow these tips which will help you get the kids more involved in the kitchen.

• Let the chef inside you reveal itself. You can teach your children the fundamentals of cooking by allowing them to do things like measure ingredients, season recipes or brush marinade onto pork or chicken before you grill or barbecue it.

• Sticky, drippy and just plain icky. You can stay away from unneeded messes by stacking and rinsing utilized dishes in the sink while you’re cooking, and by storing ingredients away directly after you utilize them.

• No mistakes Blunt scissors or plastic or serrated dinner knives are a great way to ensure safety when slicing meats, fruits or vegetables.

• Keep it simple. Remember that kids have short attention spans and lose interest quickly. Prepare easy recipes such as the one that follows for Alphabet Cookies.

Kids will love using the cookie cutters, as well as frosting and decorating each letter with tube icing and colorful candy sprinkles.

Alphabet Cookies

All-purpose flour
1 package (18 ounces) Nestlé® Toll House® Refrigerated Mini Sugar Cookie Bar Dough
3-inch alphabet cookie cutters
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Strawberry Flavor Nestlé® Nesquik® Syrup
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Small tubes decorator icing
Decorator candies

Preheat oven to 325° F. Sprinkle flour over cutting board or kitchen work surface. Break off two rows of cookie dough. Roll out dough to about 1/8-inch thickness, using additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Press cookie cutters into dough and transfer letters to ungreased baking sheets with spatula.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Combine sugar, Nesquik and water in medium bowl; beat with whisk or hand-held mixer until smooth. Spread icing over cookies. Allow icing to dry before adding any additional decorations.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Making cookies together is a recipe for family fun.

Grab more delicious homemade cookie recipes here!