Family Meal Plan: Peppermint Chocolate Shortbread Cookies + Rainbow Sprinkles + Mint Chocolate Winter Blasts

Perky Peppermint Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• bake :

  to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.

• blend :

  to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• cream :

  to mix foods together until they become a smooth, uniform blend, like butter and sugar.

• drizzle :

  to trickle a thin stream of a liquid ingredient, like icing or sauce, over food.

• knife skills :

  Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls). 

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• mix :

  to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.

• reduce :

  to boil or simmer a cooking liquid, like a sauce or juice, until it evaporates, thickens, and becomes concentrated, intensifying the flavors.

• sprinkle :

  to scatter small drops or particles of an ingredient evenly or randomly over food. 

• strain :

  to separate liquids from solid foods or remove bigger food particles from smaller particles using a perforated or porous device like a strainer, sieve, colander, or cheesecloth.

• tear :

  to pull or rip apart a food, like basil leaves, into pieces instead of cutting with a knife; cutting breaks cell walls more, so herbs can discolor faster.

History of Shortbread!

• Shortbread is a traditional cookie (or biscuit) from Scotland made with flour, butter, and sugar, with no baking powder or soda for leavening. 
• Shortbread may have been made as early as the 12th century. However, its invention is often attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century, who was fond of "petticoat tails," wedges of shortbread with decorated rounded edges resembling petticoats. 
• The first shortbread recipe was printed in 1736 by a Scotswoman named Mrs. McClintock.  
• January 6 is National Shortbread Day!
• Shortbread got its name from the word "short." Another definition of "short" is a pastry that is crumbly due to its high ratio of fat to flour.
• The dough may be rolled and formed as a large round before being baked and cut into wedges. It may be pressed into a rectangular baking pan, baked, and cut into bars (or finger shapes). Or it is divided into individual rounds and then baked. Before baking, the dough is usually docked (poked with holes) to allow steam to escape and prevent the shortbread from puffing up.
• Shortbread is quite popular to eat during Christmas and Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) in Scotland.

Let's Learn About Scotland!

• Scotland is a country in Europe, at the northern end of the island of Great Britain, and is part of the United Kingdom, along with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  
• Scotland is made up of over 700 islands! These include the Orkney, Shetland, and Hebrides archipelagos (island groups).
• Edinburgh is Scotland's capital city and is famous for Edinburgh Castle. Glasgow is the largest city. 
• Scotland is home to much wildlife, including seals, mountain hare, ptarmigan, stoats, and the golden eagle. 
• The national animal of Scotland is the mythical Unicorn, loved for its purity and strength. 
• The thistle is a national symbol of Scotland!  
• In Scotland, people drive on the left-hand side of the road!  
• Scotland has a unique culture with traditions like bagpipes, kilts, tartans, and highland dancing.
• Two sports invented in Scotland are golf and curling. Golf first appeared in the 15th century and curling in the early 16th century. Scottish settlers to Canada brought curling with them, where it has become very popular.
• Archaeological evidence suggests that the first indoor toilets were possibly built in 3,000 BCE in a Neolithic settlement on Mainland, the largest of the Orkney Islands.
• Scotland was the first country worldwide to educate both boys and girls, beginning in the 17th century.
• Scottish dishes are well-known for their peculiar names: Forfar Bridie (meat pie), Cock-a-leekie (soup), Collops (thin meat slices), Crappit heid (stuffed boiled fish head), Arbroath smokie (smoked haddock), Partan bree (seafood soup), Rumbledethumps (potato, cabbage, and onion dish), and Skirlie (oatmeal side dish).  
• The most infamous Scottish dish is "Haggis," a savory pudding. It is usually made with sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver, and lungs) that is minced and combined with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, then mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in a casing of the animal's stomach for about an hour.

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Scotland?

• In addition to Haggis, kids may eat "Neeps and Tatties" (mashed turnips and potatoes). Some popular sweets are Shortbread biscuits (cookies); Scottish Tablet, a medium-hard sugary confection made with sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and butter; and Irn-Bru, a carbonated soft drink.
• Scottish kids may play football (soccer), rugby, curling, golf, tennis, cricket, shinty (similar to field hockey), and ice hockey.
• Scotland is full of places to hike and lochs (lakes) and castles to visit. On the Isle of Skye, Fairy Glen is a popular place for kids to explore. Its name comes from the unusual land formations on the hills. 
• Kids can ride the Harry Potter Train (actually the Jacobite Steam Train) that runs from Fort William to Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. The train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which was seen in a Harry Potter movie when the Hogwarts Express crosses it.