Dinosaur Footprint Cookies

Use toy dinosaurs to make footprints in sugar cookies for a dino-mite treat at your next party or STEM-themed get-together.

Ingredients
Sugar cookie dough (use Basic Cookie recipe from the book Snackable Science Experiments, or use your favorite recipe)
Melted chocolate, sprinkles or other decorations (optional)

Supplies
Medium baking sheet
Parchment paper
Plastic dinosaurs or other toy animals

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Divide cookie dough into about 12 evenly sized balls and squash them down so they are flat.
3. Clean the plastic dinosaurs’ feet and press them firmly into the dough so there’s a footprint shape.
4. Bake the cookies in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. If the footprints fade too much after baking, press the dinosaurs’ feet in the cookies again while they are hot.
5. Serve the cookies as they are or fill the footprints with melted chocolate or sprinkles.

More Fun
Bake cupcakes and cover them with thick icing, then press the dinosaurs’ feet into the
icing to give you footprint cupcakes.

Learning Points

• If you find a real animal footprint, measure the length and width of several prints—you might find the front feet are bigger as they support more of the animal’s weight.
• Count the number of toes and look for claw marks.
• If you can see lots of prints, measure the length between prints to give you the stride of the animal.
• Did you know some dinosaurs had different numbers of toes on their front and back feet?

Reprinted with permission from Snackable Science Experiments by Emma Vanstone, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Charlotte Dart.

 

Find more great ideas for dinosaur parties (and other themes) at www.sandiegofamily.com/resources/san-diego-party-planner.

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