Trains and Balls

So, me and Benji had decided that this afternoon to help warm up the house (it's in the 50s here) that we would make chocolate chip cookies, but we couldn't find the chocolate chips. LOL =]

So, I dug out the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and looked through the cookies. We decided on the shortbread cookies because they are easy to do cut outs and Benji found his train cookie cutters.So, armed with the trust aged recipe....
1 1/3 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter
We then turned the oven to 325' and got to work.

Once we threw all the ingredients into the bowl (Which Benji helped to do, although he didn't want to give up the sugar..) Benji helped me stir it up really good.

Then Momma formed the dough into a ball and rolled it out. (A hint on this is to use two sheets of wax paper that way it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.) We rolled it out to about 1/2 inch thick and used the train cut outs to make engines, cars, and cabooses. Benji really had alot of fun with this, although Wonder Pets on the TV did distract him a little.

As you can see Benji is very proud of his work. He did good with me holding his hand to use the cutters. Last time we used cookie cutters he didn't like me putting my hand over his. He still didn't like it, but it's like he understood we had to.

Wonder Pets did eventually win out. Benji had enough of doing the cut outs and didn't understand why he could not eat raw cookie dough. It wouldn't have hurt him to eat the shortbread cookie dough, but I don't want him to develop the habit. Don't need the little guy getting sick on us. LOL

As seen in the picture though he liked playing with the dough. I think it reminds him of playdough. It was buttery. But he really enjoyed "helping" do the cookies. It was really alot of fun working with Benji. Especially knowing he has improved a lot with letting me hold his hands while doing a project or even him wanting to help. He was excited about the trains and that we made a few of them. LOL... I think we were only going to do one complete train, instead we did three!

In they go.... oh! While the trains were cookie cutters Benji has had for a while, we used a small juice glass to cut out the balls. Benji liked that even more than cutting out the train. That or it was because by then Wonder Pets was over.

So after we got the cookies on the sheet we put them in the oven. They cooked for about 20 minutes and while that was going on... Benji cleaned up. LOL..