Give-A-Mouse Cookies

In the book, the mouse is given a chocolate chip cookie. We thought we could do something a little better. We made our shortbread cookies in the shape of wedges of Swiss cheese. We think that any mouse would find a cookie made in the shape of a piece of cheese really, really, exceptionally exciting!

You'll need:

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter - at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour and a little extra for the board
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• A pinch of salt

Equipment:

• Measuring spoons and cups
• A medium-sized bowl
• A hand mixer
• A large bowl
• A cookie sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Drinking straws - we found two different sizes
• A butter knife
• A trivet or cooling rack
• A spatula
• A little adult help

1. Mix the flour and the salt together in the medium-sized bowl. Set the bowl aside for the moment.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in the large bowl and mix with the hand mixer until "creamed." That means it's all light and fluffy.
3. Next, a little at a time, add the flour and salt mixture to the creamed sugar. This works really well when two people work together. One person handles the mixer and the other controls how much flour is added.
4. At a certain point the dough will get too stiff for the hand mixer to be able to work well. This is the fun part! You get to moosh the dough together with your hands.
5. At first it will be difficult for the dough to pick up any more flour but as you work the dough the warmth of your hands will allow the butter to do its magic.
6. If the ball gets too big for your hands, you can ask your adult helper to please take over. Make sure all the flour in the bowl is mixed into the dough.
7. Next, shake a little flour into the palm of your hand and flour the rolling pin.
8. When you see the video, you'll see we had a bit of a problem rolling the dough and transferring it to the cookie sheet. You can make it easier on yourself. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on your counter or table and roll the dough out on it.
9. Roll the dough into a round shape about 1/4 inch thick. If its not exactly round, use your hands to pat the edges into a circle then roll it flat again. (Remember pat-a-cake? Roll it and pat it.)
10. Then ask your cousin or whoever is helping you to lift one edge of the foil, while you lift the other. Work together to transfer the round of dough onto the cookie sheet.
11. After you have the dough round positioned on the cookie sheet, take the butter knife and gently cut the round in half. Cut down to the foil but not through it.
12. Cut the round in half the other way so now you have 4 pieces or quarters.
13. Cut each of the quarters in half and you will have eight pieces, also called eighths.
14. Use the straws to poke holes in the cookie dough to make each of the eight pieces look like Swiss cheese.
15. Put the cookie sheet with the prepared dough into the refrigerator for 2 hours. This will give the butter in the dough a chance to get cold and firm again.
16. When the 2 hours are up, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
17. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown.
18. When you take the cookies out of the oven, set the cookie sheet on a trivet or a cooling rack until they are cool. Be patient. If you move them too soon, they will break.
19. When the cookies are cooled, gently put the edge of your spatula into the crease between the cookie wedges. Jiggle the spatula a little and then slide it along until you have moved it all the way across the cookie round. The cookie should split easily into cheese shapes that would tempt any mouse!