Baking Projects that Keep the Kids (or the Young at Heart) Busy!

There has never been a better time to grab a step stool for your little one and bring it into the kitchen. Let’s teach them eating is only half the fun! Kroger® has all of the ingredients you need to bake the most colorful cookies you’ve ever seen. Start by preparing our staple No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough.

The dough is perfect for playing with cookie cutters and decorations because the treats will not lose their shape in the oven. Teach your tiny student not to overmix the dough as it comes together because that’s what causes the cookie to expand as it bakes. Turn teaching moments in the kitchen into lifelong memories. It’s easy with special Kroger® baking decorations like the Neon Food Coloring Kit. Your kids are bound to agree, every treat tastes better when it’s rainbow.

Don’t forget to top off your creative confections with sprinkles. Kroger® Decors Dessert Toppings Assorted set comes with six different types of sprinkles so you and your kids can come up with endless ways to decorate desserts. Seize the opportunity to teach your kids something new by baking with Kroger® ingredients.

No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough

Complexity: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: Two dozen cookies

Ingredients: 

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, cold
• ½ tbsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups flour

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until just barely combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt. Continue to beat on medium low speed until the mixture becomes homogeneous. Lastly, mix in the flour until just combined. (Tip: Be careful not to overmix as the dough comes together. Incorporating too much air will cause your cookies to spread.)
3. Transfer the cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to desired thickness. Using cookie cutters of your choice, cut cookies out and transfer them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until just lightly golden around the bottom edges. Allow to cool and decorate as desired!

Cookie Flowers

Complexity: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Servings: Around two dozen cookies, depending on size

Ingredients: 

• 1 batch No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough (see above)
• 1 package Kroger Deluxe Mix Hard Candy

Directions:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough into a sheet of about ¼” thickness. 
2. Using an apple corer, punch out a circle in the dough, lift, then twist just slightly and press a second time into the same circle, creating a “doubled effect.” Transfer these punch-outs onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
3. Once transferred to a cookie sheet, use a toothpick to carefully remove the center circle of the punched out apple corer design and replace the circle of dough with a round hard candy. Then, going around the edge of the design, remove every other “petal” to create your cookie flowers.
4. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 325 F, or until edges of cookie are set and lightly golden brown.
5. Allow cookies to cool, and melted hard candy to set fully before eating. Enjoy!

Marshmallow Puffy Paint

Complexity: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes 
Servings: 6 paint colors 

Ingredients: 

• 18 Kroger large marshmallows
• ¼ cup water
• Kroger assorted neon food colors

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit. Place 3 marshmallows in each cup of a small muffin pan. Add a small splash of water to each cup. Place in oven for 10 minutes, until puffy and melted.
2. Add food coloring to each set of marshmallows and stir until fully incorporated to create a palette of puffy paint!

Edible Dominos

Complexity: Easy
Prep Time:30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: Around two dozen cookies, depending on size  

Ingredients:

• 1 batch No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough (see above)
• Kroger Pearls Chocolatey Candies

Directions:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough into a sheet of about ¼” thickness. Cut the cookie dough into even rectangular pieces. Decorate each piece with the candy pearls to create a domino design.
2. Transfer cookies to a baking sheet. Using a rubber spatula, score a thin vertical line down the middle of each cookie, being sure not to cut all the way through.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes at 325 degrees fahrenheit, or until edges of cookie are set and lightly golden brown.
4. Once cooled, time to play!

Rainbow Shortbread

Complexity: Medium
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 16 shortbread bars

Ingredients:

• 1 batch No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough (see above)
• Kroger Assorted Neon Food Colors
• Kroger Rainbow Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit and line an 8” square baking dish with parchment and nonstick spray.
2. Make one batch of No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough and divide evenly into 5 bowls. Add food coloring into each bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
3. Tear pieces of cookie dough into the pan, alternating in colors to create a speckled rainbow pattern. Layer the cookie dough about 2-3 times.
4. Press the cookie dough with a piece of parchment paper until the surface is flat and even. Remove the parchment paper, and add rainbow sprinkles.
5. Bake for around 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan using parchment paper, slice and enjoy!

Pop Tart Cookies

Complexity: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Servings: Around a dozen cookies

Ingredients: 

• No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough (see above)
• Blueberry jam
• Icing
• Sprinkles

Directions: 

1. Roll out a thin sheet of No-Spread, No-Chill Cookie Dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut the cookie dough using a rectangle cookie cutter. Place rectangle pieces horizontally and cut lengthwise down the middle, creating the top and bottom of your pop tart cookie.
2. Spread a spoonful of blueberry jam over the middle of one cookie per pair, being careful to stay away from the edges. Place the remaining cookie piece on top.
3. Use a fork to press the edges together completely around the perimeter. Poke 3 rows of holes down the middle, to allow steam to escape.
4. Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes at 325 degrees fahrenheit.
5. Once cooled, decorate each cookie with any icing and sprinkles of your liking!

Edible Playdough

Complexity: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings:

Ingredients:

• Kroger Mini Marshmallows
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• ½ cup cornstarch, (plus extra for mixing)
• Kroger Assorted Food Colors
• Kroger Assorted Sprinkles

Directions: 

1. Add mini marshmallows and coconut oil to a microwavable safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until marshmallows are puffy and melted through.
2. Add food coloring (if desired) and mix together until fully combined.
3. Once smooth, add in cornstarch to the marshmallow mixture, and stir until the edible playdough forms.
4. Remove from the bowl, knead and form a ball of dough. If playdough becomes sticky while kneading, dust with extra cornstarch.
5. Press a well into the dough, add sprinkles, and knead together until well incorporated. Play time!