Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Sugar Cookie Pinwheels - like Origami for Dough



Okay, so pinwheel cookies aren't exactly origami, or would that be ori-cookies?

Either way, I just couldn't resist making them, to celebrate our success with this origami pinwheel from Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen's Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids, His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities.

Either we're getting better at origami, or we're finding easier, and easier projects to attempt.

For those of you who follow along regularly, and might be wondering why we've pulled Frank Lloyd Wright into our origami obsession (really it's more of a mild interest, than an obsession), suffice it to say, we finished listening through Blue Balliett's The Calder Game, and have moved back one book in the series to The Wright 3, which is written around the work of the famous architect.

I was pretty pleased when I discovered two of the 21 activities in Thorne-Thomsen's book, which I brought in from the library to supplement our family reading, explore Wright's love of design, through origami.

As to the cookies:

We took one batch of sugar cookie dough, and divided it in two. I've requested from the author of Alphabake, A Cookbook and Cookie Cutter Set, permission to share the recipe here, but I haven't heard anything back, but any sugar cookie recipe will do.

We added a couple of tablespoons of baker's cocoa to one half of the batch, and rolled both halves out as flat as possible.

Using a wax paper template, we cut 3.5 inch squares from both types of dough...


...stacking them together on a greased cookie sheet (our nod to the two-colored origami paper). You could make this even easier, by using only one type of dough, and sprinkling the top with candy sprinkles, or colored sugar.


We cut in, diagonally, from each corner with a butter knife, stopping about an inch from the center.


Then, we folded in one corner (all rights, or all lefts), from each triangle, to the center...



...holding the dough in place with a chocolate chip...


...and baked them, as usual, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for 10 to 12 minutes.


It's great to be a homeschooler.

17 comments:

Annette W. said...

I think you need a new subtitle: How every theme can be turned into sugar cookies!

Lovin' it!

Annette W. said...

Seriously. I just used your blog search. 8 pages were there for "sugar cookies!"

An Almost Unschooling Mom said...

Annette - They're just so adaptable - and they smell so good when they're baking :)

Christy Killoran said...

I totally agree with Annette!

These cookies look really good. I have SO MANY food aversions right now, but I could eat cookies all day long.

Phyllis said...

They look very pretty.

Anonymous said...

Fun! I'm not a good cookie baker, but I'll have to try these sometime this summer.

Natalie PlanetSmarty said...

Whoa = this is fantastic!

Beloved's Redheaded Bride said...

This is wonderful! How fun!
I just found your blog through a link. And, already I am adoring it.

Thanks for letting me peak in... I will probably leave a few more footprints as I take a look around.

Blessings.

Christianne @ Little Page Turners said...

They're adorable! I'm telling you... when is the book coming out?!?

An Almost Unschooling Mom said...

Christianne - Just the thought of even trying to write up a proposal worthy of a publisher makes my stomach hurt :)

An Almost Unschooling Mom said...

Carmen - Thanks, and welcome!

Amy A @ Child Central Station said...

These look so yummy!!!

Ticia said...

Ha ha ha, Annette's comment made me laugh. You really do know how to stretch a recipe for all of it's uses, and it's always so fun to see.

Debbie said...

Very creative. Looks yummy to me!

Unknown said...

FORGET my less sugar diet- I need some of those cookies! :0)

Tonya @ The Traveling Praters said...

We're planning to visit one of the homes that Frank Lloyd Wright designed in the near future so I'll have to check out that book. Don't think I'll attempt the cookies- though they look yummy- my oven seems to burn everything these days. It would be the oven and not the operator, now wouldn't it? :)

Anu said...

origami pinwheel and cookie :) .Never thought of origami this way.

Anu
anu-origami.blogspot.com