Cookie box – Choco-chip cookies & Eggless Shortbread cookies | Thank you gift for teachers

Yesterday was Hasini’s last day at school. No, she is not off to college. She has finished L.K.G and would be starting U.K.G in June this year. As a token of thanks we gifted her teachers these cookie boxes – choco-chip cookies, shortbread and tea bags in neat little Tupperware boxes topped with bows and a thank you note. I bunked office (stepped out I mean) for a couple of hours, jumped 3 red signals (not technically but almost), ran into a bike, again almost (don’t you wish I actually did instead of almost) and still arrived late at her school. But Hasini was too happy to mind – “Paravale ma, paravale ma” she said when I said I was sorry I was late. She was mighty pleased to hand over the cookie boxes herself.

I made those bows myself (I am not very crafty but I like to think so. I am quite proud of these.) and downloaded the thank you note printable from the internet. I wanted to throw in a nice old-fashioned fountain pen along with the cookie-tea goodie box but then changed my mind later on. I didn’t have time to go get one and also I wasn’t sure everybody’d appreciate a fountain pen. I love them and I think they’re the best things to write with.

I made the cookies in the morning. It wasn’t my plan and I am no super-mom. I am anything but that. I wanted to make the cookies the previous evening and have everything ready the night before but I was suddenly called for joint-family duty and I could not (am not allowed to) refuse. I made those bows while we travelled 2 hours (the bows take only a few minutes, mind you) to a wedding reception on the outskirts touching all the major traffic hotspots on the way. We were so late - we were just in time to stop the hosts from leaving. Anyways, we arrived home quite late that night and I overslept and woke up late. And that happens every-day, even the days I am not on joint-family duty. So it is just me.

Anyways, these cookie boxes would make great party favours for small birthday parties, Navarathiri/Golu functions or as thank you gifts for teachers. I am mildly obsessed with party favours and I start planning for any party with the party favors. The recipe for shortbread is below. I adapted or should I say misread the recipe from Sreevalli’s blog but it still turned out yummy. I used granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. But I really absolutely loved the shortbread. It was too simple to taste that great. But you’ve got to believe me on this one. And it is eggless!! 

The chocolate chip cookies are my tried and tested recipe and they were delicious too. Just make sure to watch these cookies closely. They bake up quite quickly (in 10 minutes or less) and you don’t want to burn the bottom. I am sending these chocolate chip cookies off to Srivalli's Kid's Delight event hosted by Gayathri. The theme this month is chocolate. Hop over for a chocolate fest.

Prep time: 10 mins

Baking time: 15 mins

Makes: 12 cookies

Ingredients - Shortbread cookies

All Purpose Flour – 1 cup

Icing sugar – ¼ cup

Butter – 4 tbsp softened

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Milk – 2-3 tsp (adjust)

Method

1.      Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

2.      Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3.      In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar till smooth. Add vanilla and 1 teaspoon milk and beat.

4.      Add the flour mixture and beat on low for about half a minute. Now using your hands gently bring together to make a dough. Add milk a teaspoon at a time and very gently form a dough ball. Do not knead.

5.      Flour your work surface and roll the dough ball out into any crazy shape of about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter and cut out cookies from the rolled out dough. Use the scraps and roll out again and make cookies. Repeat till all the dough is used up. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6.      Remove from fridge and bake for 12-15 minutes or till firm. These cookies are not supposed to turn brown. Once done, let cookies cool on sheet for 15 minutes. Remove with a spatula and store in an air-tight container.