Aren’t these Rainbow Cookies beautiful? And they are pretty delicious too. I thought these cookies would be a perfect idea for St. Patrick’s Day this weekend. Our family is a big fan of chocolate chip cookies. And my kids are CRAZY about M&M’s. This cookie would be perfect for a rainbow party or for any kid learning their colors. It worked out perfectly because my daughter is a big fan of helping in the kitchen. And she was more than happy to help make these rainbow cookies.
I’m trying to work on our mom preschool with my daughter. Writing, posting, and actually doing preschool is taking more time than I have. I realized she didn’t know the rainbow order, but man was she great at guessing. These cookies were perfect teaching opportunity. I demonstrated the rainbow order (minus the purple) and she was great at following the pattern. This hands on learning experience is perfect for kids.
And look at how adorable they turned out? Even some of her rainbows that weren’t quite symmetrical looks fabulous. I just love giving my kids jobs in the kitchen. It’s a perfect way to bond and get them excited about cooking. Plus it builds their self confidence. My daughter loved showing and bringing her dad a cookie when he got home. And all her brothers are quick to tell her how great they look because they wanted one. As they thanked her sincerely I can see her glowing with joy. She’s learning the joy that comes from serving others.
Kid friendly recipes are my favorite! You can have your kids add ingredients to your mixer and help by turning it on. Now that we have a compost outside I love having helpers who are only too happy to run our egg shells out to the compost bin. A tip for having kids crack eggs: have them crack your eggs in a separate bowl. This makes it easier to scoop out egg shells. And I’ve heard that using the actual egg shell to scoop out the pieces really helps.
Kids can also help rolling the dough into balls. This is a great skill to have. And of course kids can help add the M&M’s.
I love this time baking with my kids. I find it’s easier for them to open up and share the little things in their hearts. I get to hear about what friends say, what she’s been doing with her brothers, and her plans for our future. I’m really excited she’s going to live 4 houses down from me someday. We plan to still bake together then too.
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- large bag of M&M's
- Cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl sift dry ingredients.
- Incorporate your dry ingredients into your batter.
- Add chocolate chips.Mix well using a wooden spoon or mixer.
- Refrigerate dough for about 20 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop roll out a ball, then mold it into a slight disk.
- Add rainbow colors of M&M's to create a rainbow.
- Bake at 350* for about 8-10 minutes or until they are slightly browned.
- This makes about 34 cookies. I made each cookie a bit more than your average scoop. Also we did eat some of the cookie dough, so you might get more cookies. 😉
And because these cookies are so easy you can whip them up in time for Saint Patrick’s Day. I’m sure your kids will be over the rainbow excited about this recipe. My girl loved eating a couple extra candies once we finished with our rainbows.
I hope your family loves this fun and easy recipe! And while you may have a bigger mess to clean up I think it’s worth it! I love the extra time and memories with my kids. Or you can make them at night and surprise them in the morning. Other fun Saint Patrick traditions in our home is buying Lucky Charms. My kids are always excited when I buy a “fun” cereal. You can share your family’s favorite St. Patrick’s traditions below in the comment. And don’t forget to pin this post to spread some love!
