Anyone familiar with that little movie franchise called Star Wars? No? Doesn’t ring a bell? Didn’t think so. Well, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… just kidding. Star Wars is everywhere. It can’t be avoided. The Force is too strong. And despite my best efforts to fight it (I didn’t see any of the movies until my mid-twenties), I’ve gone to the dork dark side. It was useless to resist. My kiddos love it so much that I can’t help but buy into their excitement (buy being the operative word; you’re welcome, George Lucas and Disney.)
So as Star Wars Day approaches (yeah, that’s a thing… May the 4th. Get it?), here are some ideas on how you celebrate with your little padawans.
Star Wars Crafts and Activities
If nothing else, it’s a good excuse to make Wookiee Cookies – a recipe from Robin Davis‘ wonderful (and delightfully punny) Star Wars cookbook. Robin, who lives in the Columbus area, is an award-winning food journalist and a former Columbus Dispatch food editor.
WOOKIEE COOKIES
from The Star Wars Cookbook: Wookiee Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes (Chronicle Books)
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Stir with the wooden spoon until well mixed. Set aside.
Put the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in another mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat together until well blended and creamy, about 3 minutes. (You can do this with a wooden spoon, but it will take longer.) Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop up a rounded tablespoonful of the dough and drop onto a baking sheet (note from Lea: I like to use a baking stone for cookies). Repeat until you have used up all the dough. Be sure to leave about 1 inch between the cookies because they spread as they bake.
Using pot holders, put the baking sheets in the oven. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Again, using the potholders, remove the baking sheets from the oven. Lift the cookies from the baking sheets with a spatula, and place on cooling racks. Cool completely. Eat. Enjoy.
