Baking up love for Christmas – with plenty of buttercream frosting on top!

MLES students link up with school food service to do some cookie decorating

The last two Wednesday after-school afternoons have featured a different type of “Santa’s Workshop” in the cafeteria at Mountain Lake Public Elementary School. Taher Food Service Director Tammy Wolle, Taher Food Service Employee Heidi Bergling, along with volunteer parents and older siblings, have been assisting participating students in grades kindergarten-through-six in baking up love for Christmas – with plenty of buttercream frosting on top.

First Wolle led participating students in adding the ingredients for the butter cream frosting to the mixer, and then, with a little food coloring added, the fantastic frosting artists decorated their half-dozen cookies. The cut-out cookies featured Christmas tree, star and bell shapes. A variety of toppings – from chocolate chips to an eclectic color array of sprinkles – punctuated the completed food art.

The young cooks were also given the “secret recipe” for the frosting, courtesy of Chef in Training (http://chef-in-training/com/2015/10/perfect-buttercream-frosting/):

Perfect Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened.
• 4½ to 5 cups powdered sugar.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 5 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk.
• ¼ teaspoon salt.

Instructions:

• In a medium bowl combine butter, powered sugar, vanilla, cream/milk and salt and beat for 5-to-7 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add more powdered sugar as needed for thicker frosting. Add cream/milk, a little at a time, to thin frosting.

Notes:

• If using to frost cupcakes or a cake, use less powdered sugar. If using frosting to decorate, use more powdered sugar for a stiffer frosting.

The cookies were then bagged up to be shared with family and friends – IF they made it all the way home.