Cookie Count and Bake: A Cookbook and Cutter Set

Christy Conte is a member of the Parents Advisory Committee at the
YMCA’s Parent and Child Enrichment Centre and a journalist.

Everything a child needs to have lots of messy fun in the kitchen can be
found in this cookbook-and-cutter set from the people who brought us the
equally enjoyable Alphabake set (1995). The package contains 20 plastic
geometric and number shape cookie cutters, measuring spoons, an aluminum
cookie sheet, and a fully illustrated, spiral-bound cookbook. The
recipes themselves are fairly standard offerings, including
Count-Them-Out Sugar Cookies, Nibbly Numbers, and Cocoa Cookie Quilts.
The set’s raison d’кtre has more to do with inventive games and
baking ideas than with unusual recipes.

The author encourages children to notice shapes in their surroundings
and to duplicate common items with the geometric cutters. There are
suggestions for cookie-themed party games, numbered sandwiches, and even
a cookie clock. The games and other tips are both fun and educational.
Highly recommended.