It’s time to get baking! As we get closer to Halloween, show your 4-H spirit by baking some clover shaped cookies and decorating them to create your very own spooky clover cookie!

After you are done making your spooky cookies …

  1. Take a picture of your spooky creation
  2. Post your photo to Instagram
  3. Make sure to tag the 4-H Ontario’s Instagram (@4h.ontario)
  4. And use the hashtag #4HSpookyCloverCookie
  5. All before November 2 at noon

… and you could win a 104 PIECE CAKE DECORATING KIT!

(Which includes: A Cake Turntable, 36 Icing Tips, 2 Silicone Pastry Bags, 2 Icing Spatulas, 3 Icing Smoothers, 50 Disposable Pastry Bags and More!)

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Here’s a recipe from 4-H Locally Submitted Project “The Cookie Jar” that you can use as the base for your decorations!

SUGAR COOKIES (ADAPTED FROM FIVE ROSES COOKBOOK)

Ingredients:

· 1 Cup (250 ml) white sugar

· 1 cup (250 ml) butter, softened

· 2 eggs

· 2 ½ cups (625 ml) all purpose flour

· 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda

· 2 tsp (10 ml) cream of tartar

· ½ tsp (2 ml) salt

· Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

· Beat sugar with butter until well blended.

· Add eggs and beat well. Add flour, soda, cream of tartar, salt, and nutmeg and blend until well mixed.

· Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.

· Preheat oven to 350o F (180 o C).

· On a floured surface, roll out dough with a rolling pin to approximately ¼” thickness.

· Using cookie cutters, cut dough into shapes and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

· Cookies can be decorated with sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. at this time prior to baking.

· Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are just beginning to brown.

Makes 3 dozen.

And here are some “Better Baking Tips” from the Batter Up 4-H Project:

· Use cookie sheets (or a pan turned upside down) because there are no sides to interfere with the circulation of heat. Bright, shiny sheets reflect heat and give a delicately browned crust.

· Because most cookies will spread a little, spacing is necessary to prevent them from running together.

· Check of doneness of cookies when the minimum baking time is up. The cookie should be set so that when you touch it lightly with your finger, almost no imprint will remain.

· Use a wide spatula to remove cookies from the sheet as soon as you take them from the oven. Place on a cooling rack. As the cookie cools it becomes hardened. If left on the pan it will stick and may break as you remove it.

· To keep soft cookies moist, store in a container with a slice of apple or fresh bread.

· To keep crisp cookies from going soft, store in a loosely covered container