Earth Inspired Baking

Yes, Earth Day was officially yesterday, but that doesn't mean we can't get out and pick up trash every day, or celebrate our beautiful planet every day.  Yesterday, while we were out picking up trash - we happened upon this rock (True Story)!  So let's "Be the Good" everyday, not just Earth Day. Or, as some say, "Make Every Day Earth Day"

Onward we go, into the kitchen to make today's project inspired by the Earth Day: earth cookies!

Project Discipline: Baking
​Ages: All ages, cloverbuds will need supervision
Difficulty level: easy
Supplies: sugar, butter/shortening, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt, food coloring or natural dyes

Here's how they turn out on Pinterest

Here's how they turn out in real life...

Spoiler:  They taste MUCH better in real life! 

Here's how it works:

Make your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe.  Only follow the directions for making the dough.  We used Betty Crocker's recipe, straight out of my old fashioned cookbook:

It helps to have a dog helper to clean up messes on the floor.

​Next, preheat your oven to 325. 

​While it's preheating, divide the dough in half. Add blue coloring to one half and green to the other (amount dependent on your color desire).  This will take some arm muscles if mixing it in by hand! 
​You'll end up with something that looks like this:

At this point, you just take pinches of dough from both colors and stick it together as desired, alternating as you go. Your goal is to end up with a ball that holds about 2 tablespoons worth of dough that looks like planet earth.

Pop them in the oven for 15-18 minutes, depending on size of balls, and voila: Planet Earth Cookies!

Final step: Snap a photo, share to Alaska 4-H facebook and ENJOY!