Day 7, 8, and 9 of Holiday Baking with Kids

Although the holidays have passed, I’m not ready to say goodbye to the yummy treats.  Today we have wrapped three days of baking into one.  Let the holiday baking with Nanny commence!  Yay for Nanny visiting and spending special time doing all kinds of festive activities with the kids during the holidays.  And of course giving mom and dad a much welcomed break.  First up, baking cookies!

One of Nanny’s favorite Christmas cookies is the Russian Tea Cake.  She thought it would be fun to introduce the kids to the cookie that she loves so much.  Because this cookie is packed with walnuts, I was sure that the kids wouldn’t touch it, but they did, and they now love the Russian Tea Cake as much as Nanny.

It was so much fun watching them bake together in the kitchen.  The kids just love their Nanny and this special time baking during the holidays will forever leave them with special memories to treasure.  They made a mess with the powdered sugar, they laughed making giant dough balls, they learned as they taught each other new things, and they made memories that will last a lifetime in just a few short hours.

Even our elf, Bell, loved the Russian Tea Cake!

Russian Tea Cakes 

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar

Although the holidays are over, head to Land O’ Lakes for a great Russian Tea Cake recipe to bookmark for next year.

We also celebrated Clara’s 3rd Birthday in the midst of baking cookies.  We enjoyed a Peppa Pig celebration, some giant balloons, and a strawberry jello cake.  Yum, we love jello cake!  Clara had a wonderful birthday surrounded by those that spoiled her with lots of love.

After a fun-filled day of baking Russian Tea Cakes we woke up the next morning and made Brownie Covered Oreos.  We used the holiday Oreos with the red frosting, but I think mint Oreos would also be a delicious choice.  This was definitely the kids favorite thing to bake!  Oreos plus brownies plus lots of sugar is always a winner.  Be warned, if you love Oreos, these are incredibly addicting and you may eat the whole batch in one sitting.  Chocolatey gooey brownies on the outside, warm soft Oreos on the inside.  You can’t go wrong with these genies bite sized desserts.

Brownie Covered Oreos

Ingredients:
1 Brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)
1 package Oreos, I used the Holiday ones
White chocolate, melted for drizzle, or Wilton White frosting pen works great (I used powdered sugar)
White Sprinkles

To get the instructions for Brownie Covered Oreos go to The Picky Palate.

What is Christmas without gingerbread?   The kids and their Nanny baked and decorated some yummy Gingerbread cookies.  We love this recipe because it incorporates a hint of butterscotch with the ginger.  Don’t overbake and you have a perfectly soft and delicious Gingerbread cookie.  Another yummy recipe to save for next Christmas.

Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 (3.5 ounce) package of dry butterscotch pudding mix
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 egg

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a mixer, cream dry pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth.  Stir in egg.  In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and add to the pudding mixture.  Cover dough and chill for at least one hour.  On a floured surface, roll dough and use a cutter to create gingerbread cookie.  Place cookies 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until edges are golden.  Cool and decorate with icing and candy.

How sweet it is to watch your mother and your children bond over these special moments.  These will always be memories to treasure between a grandchild and a grandmother.

What did you bake with your kids or grandkids this holiday season?

Check back for Day 10 of Holiday Baking with Kids for something fun and delicious that you can make all winter long and is perfect for those chilly, snowy, winter evenings.