Finally, there's dessert. A few years ago, I made these sugar drop cookies from the Joy of Cooking and they went over really, really well. The dough is easy to mix up, and the kids (ages 4-5) loved rolling and sugaring the balls before they were put into the oven. It's really easy to do and a lot of fun without too much mess.
Sugar Drop Cookies
Yields about 6 dozen cookies
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In one medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In another, beat together the sugar and oil until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until well combined.
Add the flour mixture to the oil mixture and mix well.
Now here comes the fun part.
In one or two small bowls (depending on the number of mini cooks in the kitchen), pour some granulated sugar or sprinkles. Take a small amount of the dough and roll it back and forth between your palms to get a 1/2" ball. When it's shaped, dip it into the sugar, cover all sides, then place the balls about 1" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Try not to lick your fingers before grabbing batter for the next ball.
Bake until the cookies stop looking sticky -- approximately 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and then devour.
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