This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bob's Red Mill.
Get ready for a Spring cookie showdown!
Want me to ship you some snow?
I recently had the honor to bake with Bob's Red Mill premium Organic All-Purpose Baking Flour. As a person who kinda goes a bit head-over-heels when it comes to baking {ahem, me}, I was super excited!
Their Organic Unbleached White Flour is milled from fresh red wheat with both the bran and germ having been removed, which leaves the endosperm and that is made into the white flour. Pretty cool, huh?
Their flour is the same high-protein flour used by professional bakers. A good flour creates high quality breads and beautiful light and airy baked goods.
And guess what? That is exactly how this Spring Flower Cookie Garden Puzzle turned out. Light, airy, soft, yet chewy and just down right perfect for this fun foodie craft.
I wanted to create something light-hearted, something kid-friendly, something that reminds us of SPRING! Fresh flowers, green grass, sunny skies, fluffy clouds, birds and long, beautiful days spent outside.
Things ran very smoothly on my first trial run of this dessert...or so I thought. I had everything baked and cooling on the counter.
Why not jump in the shower quick?
I really should know better with an almost 3 year old running around. After my {quick} shower I hopped out and poked my head in the hallway and I kid you not she was sitting there eating a piece of my cookie puzzle. With a sly smile on her face.
Ugh.
Unfortunately it wasn't salvagable. I will say Round 2 went much smoother! Kids can definitely help with this recipe, they will have a ton of fun with it, but just make sure to take watch while it is cooling. You don't want to wreck the puzzle!
Now, decorating is not my forte, but I gave it my all. I may or may not have had frosting in my hair and on my elbows, but in the end it all worked out. Feel free to use your own homemade frosting recipe or go store bought like I did. Mix and match your favorite colors and get to work!
I stuck to a pale green for the leaves and grass and a pastel orange, pink and yellow for the flowers and butterfly. I threw in a light blue cloud for good measure and a pale yellow sun...because Spring is all about sunny weather! Sprinkles and mini edible beads finished it off by easily garnishing the flowers.
Cookie cutters are also essential. I have and use a 101-holiday/seasonally pack that I've had for years. They were a wedding gift that has come in handy. Use any spring-y cookie cutter you want. I also debated between a bunny and a catepillar, but in the end ran out of room.
Set aside some time for this fun activity!
Spring Flower Cookie Garden Puzzle
Sugar Cookie Dough:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. almond extract
Decorations:
colored frosting
sprinkles
1. In a stand mixer combine the softened butter and sugar to a creamy consistency.
2. Add in the egg, almond extract, salt and baking soda.
3. Add in the flour until a soft dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper and using a rolling pin and lightly flouring the dough, roll out into a large rectangle, around 9x13 in size and slide a cookie sheet under the parchment paper.
5. Use your cookie cutters and cut out shapes in the dough. Place the cut-outs on another cookie sheet. Bake both cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes, just until very lightly golden.
6. When you remove from the oven, immediately re-cut the shapes with the cookie cutters, both in the rectangle sheet and the individual cut-outs. They will spread a little during baking and this will help bring back their shape. Allow to cool completely.
7. Decorate the cut out shapes and the puzzle to your liking and place the pieces back together.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bob's Red Mill.
