Math and Cookie Baking
By Callie Hall
Callie’s Amazing Cookies
Mr. Hershing, our
principal has
asked each
classroom to bake
something for the
bake sale.
There are 200
students in the
school and each
class has a $35
budget. Each
cookie costs 19
cents to bake.
✪
Preparation and collecting
ingredients
• Before we begin, each student must wash their hands for
26 seconds with soap and warm water.
• Next, we need to make a list of the ingredients needed to
bake Callie's Amazing Cookies and which measuring
utensils/baking sheets will be needed as well.
• We will need to ask ourselves how many cookies will fit
on a 26 in x 18in cookie sheet and what we need to
preheat the oven to.
• ✪©
Measuring
• What are the different utensils used for measuring? Why
do we use different measuring cups and spoons for wet
ingredients versus dry ingredients?
• Can recipes become ruined if they are not measured out
correctly? There are four measuring methods we will
establish before beginning. They are M: Dip in and level
off, P: Pack firmly and level off, L: Spoon in lightly and
level off, and N: Pour and view at eye level.
• Do you notice a pattern in the four methods? If the
methods are not used properly, we could end up with
some not so amazing cookies! ✪§
Abbreviations and Equivalents
• Standard measuring cups come in what 4 sizes? (1/4, 1/3, ½,
1 cup)
• Standard measuring spoons come in what 4 sizes? (1/4, ½, 1
teaspoon, 1 tablespoon)
• Measuring spoons are used when measuring less than how
much? (1/4 cup)
• Knowing the abbreviations for teaspoon, tablespoon, pint,
quart, ounce and pound are crucial for correctly following a
recipe.
• It is important to understand conversions and how all the
abbreviations are connected (i.e. 1 cup= 8 ounces) §✪
Cooking Time!
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
• Separate the ingredients. Which are considered wet and which are
dry?
• Follow the recipe to make sure certain ingredients are added before
others; because cooking is also science different chemical reactions
occur during baking.
• Make sure to set a timer when baking so the cookies do not come
out under cooked or over cooked! We need to bake our cookies
between 10-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are light
brown.
• Why do we cool the cookies before we package and store them?
• If they are still too warm, they will stick together and break and we
definitely do not want that!)
• ✪
Dividing The Cookies
• Now that the cookies have baked and cooled,
we need to divide them into four different groups
to be decorated.
• There are 200 cookies and we have four
different decorations so that means for every 50
cookies there will be a different decoration.
• We are going to use 4 different colors for the
decorations on our cookies; every 50 set of
cookies with be finalized with one decoration
using one of the colored icings. §✪
Preparation for Decorating
• Prior to decorating, we must ensure all 200
hundred of our cookies have cooled, are not
broken and are trimmed of an excess dough.
• Making sure all 200 cookies are presentable,
perfectly cooked, and ready to be decorated
is crucial.
• Without these preparations, our class may
not produce enough cookies for our bake
sale. ⌘
Coloring and Flavoring
• Don’t you think plain sugar cookies can be a tad bland? Why
not spice them up with flavoring like orange, almond, or
butterscotch?
• Who wants to eat a plain white frosted cookie when you could
be eating a blue or purple one?!
• Each batch of frosting requires 1 ½ tablespoons of liquid food
coloring; will we have to convert our tablespoons to cups if we
are over the ¼ cup amount?
• We must heat the icing for 35 seconds before applying the
first coat so it is glossy and extra adhesive.
• Once we have finished the first coat, applying the second coat
is “easy peasy lemon squeezy.” ⌘✪
Icing Our Cookies
• Each batch of icing frosts 30 cookies. If we
have 200 cookies, how many batches of
icing do we need to make?
• Icing a cookie takes precision and skill,
especially when we sell it to the students
at our school wide bake sale! ⌘✪
Making Fondant
• Fondant is a delicious addition to any cookie.
• Marshmallows, water, and confectionary
sugar are the three ingredients to make the
perfect fondant.
• We need to triple the recipe to make enough
fondant for our 200 cookies.
• The original recipe calls for 1 bag of jet puffed
marshmallows, 2 ¼ tablespoons of water,
and 8 ¼ cups of confectionary sugar. How
would we triple the recipe to ensure there is
enough fondant for all of our cookies? ✪⌘
Utilizing the Fondant
• Fondant has a very interesting texture.
• It is often used to create 2D and 3D shapes
to add as decorations to cookies, cakes, and
other pastries.
• The most common fondant decorations are
animals, fun sayings, and different shapes
such as spheres, cubes, and cones.
• Fondant can also be used to cover an entire
cookie, isn’t that crazy?! ✪⌘
Patterns in Cookie Decorating
• Patterns can be found everywhere, even in cookie
decorating!
• Creating patterns is something fun and easy, and
allows students to add their own personal touches
to the cookies.
• Patterns can be created by using different various
frosting styles such as piping vs. flooding or using
different fondant shapes and designs.
• Each student will have the ability to create his or
her own pattern on their cookies, if desired! ✪
Neatness Counts!
• When decorating cookies, we must make
sure we are using the proper utensils to
create equal and well spaced designs.
• Writing on a cookie can be fun, but not if it
comes out messy!
• Neatness and measuring are crucial in
creating a beautifully decorated cookie,
especially for when our class sells them!
✪
Let’s Review!
• What are the most popular fondant
decorations used and can you spot some
on these cookies?
Let’s Review!
• What are patterns and can you name the
pattern on these cookies?
Let’s Review
• If I had 100 cookies, how much frosting
would I need to make to ensure every
cookie was decorated?
Math Legend
•
•
•
•
•
Measurement & Data= ✪
Fractions= §
Algebraic Thinking= ⌘
Geometry=
Counting & Cardinality= ©
Sources
• Compilation of images from Google
images, Tumblr, and Pinterest
• Information gathered from Learning Zone,
Personal Knowledge, and Pinterest