Many parents feel uncomfortable appearing less than perfect around their children. Ironically, childhood experts maintain that moms and dads, who unabashedly show their children that making mistakes is part of life, give their kids a priceless gift and a leg up in the real world.
Well, Hallelujah! I’ve finally done something right in the eyes of so-called parenting experts.
My kid sees me mess up all the time. Okay, maybe not all.the.time. Still, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes… and then some. However, in making my litany of blunders, I’ve learned another important lesson. By embracing your imperfections you give your children the freedom to grow from their own gaffes.
This theory was put to the test last weekend when my daughter and I decided to get a jump start on our holiday baking.
It wasn’t rocket science; we were just making sugar cookies and decorating them so they looked as if they were snow globes. I’ve made sugar cookies on my own since I was 12, and didn’t bother pulling out the recipe this time around. Big mistake. I ended up messing up on the amount of baking powder and vanilla extract we needed. Unfortunately, we had to toss out the entire batch, much to my daughter’s chagrin.
I apologized profusely and we had a good laugh about Mommy’s mistake.
Still, the story has a happy ending: I learned that the recipe is so much easier to make if you use refrigerated cookie dough… or if you take the time to pull out a recipe book and follow the directions.
In any event, we eventually made edible cookies and my daughter got the opportunity to flex her creative muscle in the decorating department.
And you can too by following the recipe:
SNOW GLOBE SUGAR COOKIES
Ingredients:
- 1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tub frosting
- One package of food coloring
- Candy, sprinkles, coconut flakes and gel for decorating
Directions:
Cut the roll of cookie dough in half.
Roll the dough in some of the flour, and then roll out on parchment lined tray so it forms a 10-inch circle.
Cut the remaining dough in half.
Roll it in flour and then into an 8-inch circle.
Cut the circle in half and place it on bottom of 10-inch circle to make the base of the globe.
Place in oven and bake 8-11 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly brown.
Take the remainder of dough, roll it out and use cookie cutters to make shapes to decorate the globe. Stars, snowmen, and trees work well.
Bake those for about 5 minutes or until light golden brown.
Allow all of the cookies to cool completely.
Frost and decorate the cut-out cookie shapes.
Next, frost the base of the globe.
Finally, place the decorated cut-outs on the globe and sprinkle with coconut flakes to mimic snow.