'Pizza Making Party' Timeline
- When the kids first arrive they will first have 'art time' by drawing on their white aprons with special fabric colored markers. The toques are also available for decorating.
- Fresh Lemonade served
Pizza assembly: - Have oven pre heating at 450 degrees. Add pizza stone or bricks. Heat for 1 hour before baking pizza.
- Provide individual pre made pizza dough for each child
- Kids will roll out their own pizza dough to a rough 6" diameter. Place on Pizza paddle
- Each child will 'top' their own pizza with the accoutrements provided
- Bake pizzas ( 15 minutes )
While Pizzas are baking decorate cupcakes:
- Premade vanilla cupcakes with 'green grass' frosting - place in small terra cotta pots filled with Jelly Beans
- Pre made butter flower & butterfly cookies - kids will be able to decorate their cookies with sprinkles, icing
- Cookies are placed on small skewers and placed in their cupcake.
Note:
- This idea can be used for older children as well and you can have them make their own pizza dough from scratch and while the pizza is baking they can make their own dessert.
- This party can be for birthdays, Valentine's Day, holidays or just 'get togethers.
- Children enjoy taking part in cooking and it's a 'learning' experience for them incorporating math, science & fun!
Homemade Pizza Dough (5 Servings)
Ingredients:
- 14 oz. All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 Cup Warm water
- 1/2 Tbls. Dry Yeast
- 1 Tbls. Kosher Salt
- 5.75 Tbls. Olive Oil
Method:
Combine yeast with warm water (water should be about 105) in the bowl of a mixer and let bloom for 10 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, mix the salt and olive oil into yeast mixture on medium-low speed. Slowly add flour until dough comes together in a uniform ball. Remove dough and knead for 1 minute on a floured surface. Place in bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let sit in a warm place (above a pre-heated oven, on top of a refrigerator) for 1hr. Dust cutting board with a tablespoon of flour, place dough onto board and flatten by hand into round circle. Roll out into a 1/8" thickness with rolling pin. Finish with toppings of your choosing. Transfer pizza to a 425 degree preheated oven on to a pre-heated pizza stone and bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, slice and enjoy!
Graham Cracker Shortbread
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound Butter
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 4 Cups Flour
- 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger Powder
Method:
Cream the butter and sugars with paddle attachment, until even, and then add the lavender honey.
Whisk together dry ingredients then add to butter and sugars in 2 batches , scraping down after each addition. Chill the dough for about 1 hour, and then roll out approximately to 1/8" thick.
Lightly spray the rectangular mold, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Line the sheeted graham cracker dough into the tart mold, pressing into the fluted corners. Once it's even on all sides, place it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to give it a chill. Once ready bake in a 325 degree oven until golden brown. Allow to cool before un-molding the tart dough.
Royal Icing (To Decorate Cookies)
- 2 large egg whites
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Food coloring (optional)
1. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Add confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Beat for 1 minute or more. If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it is too thin, add more sugar.
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups milk
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl, beat in vanilla.
2. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to assure the batter is thoroughly mixed. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling papers about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven until tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to cool.
Butter cream Frosting
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 12 large egg whites
- 2 pounds (8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
1. Whisk sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140 degrees. On an instant read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Fit an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, and beat the egg-white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks and mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Add vanilla, beat until frosting comes together, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat on the lowest speed until air bubbles diminish, about 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.
4. You can refrigerate the butter cream in an airtight container up to one week, or freeze it up to one month. Before using, bring it to room temperature and stir with a rubber spatula to smooth.
Assembly of "Flower Pots"
1. Add desired color to the butter cream, and frost the top of the cupcakes and place them in the small clay pot.
2. In the meantime, cut out shortbread cookies in the desired shape, 2 per skewer, and sandwich the them together with the skewer in between. Brushing a little egg white in the center of them will help to bind them strongly. Bake in a 325 oven until evenly golden brown.
3. When cooled, lightly brush the cookie-pops with royal icing, and garnish with the desired topping. Allow to dry out at least 2 hours, or this can be prepared 1-2 day in advance.
4. When the royal icing has dried out, garnish your pots with the cookie-pops as desired.
>> Link to the supplier that carries the kids aprons (www.growingcooks.com)
