The Weather Outside is Frightful

As a blast of freezing weather has hit New York City, I struggle to find things to do inside our small apartment with a rambunctious almost two-year old. So, I decided it would be fun to invite some of his friends (and, maybe more importantly, my friends) over for cookies, hot chocolate and cupcake decorating.

We made gingerbread cookies, drop sugar cookies and vanilla cupcakes with white frosting pre-play date; to decorate the cupcakes, the kids used plenty of sprinkles (red, green and white), and red and green M&Ms. They had a blast and we all stayed warm. It was a fun and easy way to get into the spirit. 

Rolling out the gingerbread dough.

Alex loved cutting out the dough. 

These cookies are the perfect size for little hands and mouths! 

Cookies ready to be eaten; mugs ready for hot chocolate. 

The cupcakes are ready for frosting (in the mugs) and decorations.

Introducing his friends to his favorite ornaments (mostly, a train ornament from his Busza).

Enjoying the fruits of his labor. 

The gingerbread recipe I use is so easy to make and the dough is fairly easy to roll out.

Gingerbread recipe

Ingredients

2 or 3 packages cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix

 1 cup of butter

 1 cup of packed brown sugar

 1 egg

 3 cups of all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon of baking soda

4 tablespoons of ground ginger

 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

Original recipe makes 3 dozen

DIRECTIONS

·         In a medium bowl, cream together the butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. (Note: I usually melt the butter in the microwave first.) Stir in the egg. Stir in the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon. Cover and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.

·         Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 1.5 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

·         Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.