The Birthday Cookie: Recipe Included

Sometime’s a child’s request is a snowball of ‘little things’ that make you feel like you are at the end of your rope. You are packing lunches, figuring out schedules, trying to find a new sitter, exhausted from the 1 a.m. request to come “lie with me because I’m sneezy and I can’t sleep” and then there’s the request: to make crepes for the author ‘s breakfast, to get hard to find supplies for a project due in the morning, to make a costume. There is always that last thing that pushes you to the end of your rope.
Made with Rhonna Designs

This year, though, Henry’s request was a revelation, a sweet surprise, and a new birthday favourite! Henry has a friend who does not like cake, he also knows to not bring anything with gelatin for his halal friends, and for whatever reason he was thinking of something different for his school birthday celebration this year.

“How about a giant cookie?” he asked. Actually, I now remember where the idea came from. The kids and I were watching Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman make a jelly roll pan full of one giant cookie for her daughter’s birthday. I did’nt use her recipe because they were more like soft, bar, brownie-like cookies for the base of a sundae. Instead, I hunted through photos on Pinterest and found this one. To make it a bit more festive I left out the chocolate chips and got colored sets of M&M’s at Candy Castle in Lexington.

The kids helped design the cookies. I made two because I was not sure one cookie would feed a class of 20, but it did. We took the second one outside after school and the children playing on the playground devoured it.

We made one with a rainbow of stripes. The second one we decided to go around with the colours and put a 7 in the middle.

Then, for easy transport, Armando’s was nice enough to give us a pizza box, and Henry’s sister decorated the box.

The great thing about the giant birthday cookie is that it is a quick, one bowl, hand held mixer recipe. It bakes in less than 20 minutes. You could substitute gluten-free flour or make it with vegan shortening to accommodate for allergies (although it may be more crumbly so be sure to use foil under). Transporting one giant cookie to school is much easier than cupcakes and you don’t have to frost it.

Thank you Ree Drummond and Henry for this great revelation. From now on, cookies for all… until the next birthday request!

Sometimes 7 is a really, really big number.