Lesson Plan #5

Boy was this week a hit! The kids loved every bite. These special little treats were simple and simply Devine.

I introduced the kids to a pastry cutter. I told them if they don't have this gadget at home, they could use two knives. I explained the importance of using cold butter. Butter melts fast and we wanted to "cut" the butter into the flour and not "mash" the butter into the flour. Using our pastry cutter, we cut the butter until the flour resembled coarse crumbs. We created mini bites and created a well in the center for our whipped fruit dip.

The dip is an amazing dip that compliments your favorite fruit. I told the kids they could add pineapple and coconut to the dip and add an almond flavoring to the crust. These are a perfect dessert for the upcoming Holiday parties. We placed the filling in a pastry bag and piped it onto the mini shortbread bite. We topped it with a sliced strawberry. I taught the kids a simple trick, we used an egg slicer to cut our whole berries. Everyone had a turn making their mini bites, piping the filling, slicing a strawberry and garnishing it.

Bakers Tip: I told the kids if they don't have a mini cupcake pan at home, they can use a pizza stone and create a round shortbread cookie resembling a round pizza. I let them know they could make it into a dessert pizza. I also told them a regular baking sheet works just fine.