Cake, Cookie, or Muffin... Let's chat about carrots

Hear me out...not only the nostalgic taste of carrot cake but in the form of a cookie that has the texture of a muffin!

I really had so much fun making these cookies. There were so many opportunities to model language, discuss the shape and how big to make them, and talk about their appearance!

When baking with children always remember to incorporate "wait time." This is a pause used to allow children to think about all the directions and information you have just provided.

Also, another great tip is to model the language you want your child to produce, avoiding making demands such as: "say open!" For example, narrate what you are doing in short simple sentences (e.g., open the bag, put in, shake-shake).

See below for the recipe!

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Ingredients:

• 2 ¾ cup flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (I always tend to use slightly more because this may be my favorite spice)

• 1 cup butter - room temperature (You can always switch to a nondairy version and you will get the same results)

• ¾ cup sugar

• ¾ cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ cups finely grated carrots

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line with a nonstick baking mat.

• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

• In a large bowl combine butter and sugars and mix for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

• Mix in vanilla and eggs, then stir in grated carrots.

• Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients everything is blended together.

• Drop spoonfuls of cookie batter onto the prepared baking sheet at least 2-3 inches apart.

• Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until edges begin to brown and tops look dry.

*When I was baking these cookies, I made this batter really light and fluffly by mixing my sugars together for a just a little bit longer, while lessening the flour slightly. I also ended up scooping very large heaps of the dough onto the baking sheet, therefore, they needed longer to cook. This is where baking is FUN and brings in more discussion points with children. Talk about these changes, if any were made, and how they changed the look and texture of the cookies*