Homesteaders

Homesteader - n. 1. one who has a homestead. 2. one granted land under the Homestead Act. 3. One really amazing cookie! Tonight we made Homesteaders. Funny name for a cookie but this is, without a doubt, the best cookie recipe we have made so far! The dough was shaped into a flat rectangle and popped into the freezer for 30 minutes. Then the cookies were sliced - making a long rectangular shaped cookie - and baked.

The recipe called for nuts to be added to the dough. However, Chloe, being a typical 9 year old, doesn't care too much for nuts in her cookies so we decided to substitute chocolate chips. This was most definitely a good choice!

Once the cookies had baked and cooled, they were drizzled with a confectioners' sugar frosting. Don't they look good?!! The texture of the cookie was that of a light shortbread but the taste of it was more like a chocolate chip cookie. The 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon added to the batter gave an unexpected flavor boost. So good!

As part of making these cookies, Chloe and I got to have a little history conversation about the meaning of the word "homesteader." I explained to her (briefly) about the Homestead Act and what that meant for pioneers in particular being able to claim land for their homestead and build a life on that land. Yeah, she was about as interested as you are. But at least we got a little education in there along with the baking!

Next week's recipe is supposed to be No-Bake Apple Oatmeal Cookies but Chloe and I both agree that they sound yuck. So, we are skipping this recipe and moving on to Pumpkin Cookies - not cookies made with pumpkin but cookies shaped like pumpkins, right down to the orange bodies and green stems. Should be fun!