Christmas Math

This time of year is so much fun. I love doing this kind of math with Luci...measuring, baking, and it's art, too.

First we made some applesauce ornaments.

3/4 cup applesauce
4 oz ground cinnamon
2 TBS white glue

Mix well,  then roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut with cookie cutters, then poke a hole near the top with a straw, for hanging later.

Lay out on waxed paper.  It will take several days to completely dry the ornaments.  Turn them over each day, so they do not curl up.

When dry, you may decorate with glitter glue, as we did.

JT's snow man

Today's math lesson for Luci was making some sugar cookies!  Yum.  This was our first try at making gluten free sugar cookies, and they are a big hit.  (Feingold friends, I did not use approved frosting or decorating sugars.)

With the leftover dough, I made little ropes and put them into my mini-doughnut pan.  They made adorable little wreaths.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

• 1 stick plus 2 TBS butter, softened
• 2/3 cups white sugar
•  1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour mix
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder (omit if your baking mix has B.P. in it already)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat again.  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400*.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut with cookie cutters.  (I had to use extra flour to keep the dough from sticking, and I picked up each cookie with a spatula to place on the cookie sheet.)  Place on UNgreased cookie sheet. 

Bake for 6-8 minutes.  Let cool on pan for 1-2 minutes before placing cookies on cooling rack.

Decorate to your heart's content.  Or, let your 7 year old do it, because she'll have 'way more fun than you will!