Adventure Anywhere: Sand dollars

June Week 3: Brought to you by Cattywampus Catamaran!

Sand dollars are some of the most misunderstood sea creatures in the Gulf! And yes, they are creatures NOT just shells! Learn more about these spiny urchins, make sand dollar-shaped cookies and play sand dollar and starfish tic-tac-toe!

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. granulated sugar (optional)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
½ cup slivered or sliced almonds
Chopstick
A glass

Step 1) Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix together flour, salt and baking soda.

Step 2) In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla then beat until blended.

Step 3) Stir in flour mixture.

Step 4) Roll dough into small balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass (dip the glass in flour so the dough doesn’t stick.)

Step 5) To make the edge of the sand dollar, use a chopstick (covered in some flour) to make small indents into the dough along the outside of each cookie.

Step 6) Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over each cookie. To create the sand dollar design, place 5 slivered almonds in the middle of each cookie.

Step 7) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. (Makes about 24 cookies.)

Credit: latabledenana.blogspot.com

Paper plates
White craft glue
Dried white beans
Sand (optional)

Step 1) Take your paper plate and put a dot of glue in the center, this will be the start of your sand dollar “flower.”

Step 2) Place more dots of glue in the shape of the flower, as big as you want. Use the image below as reference.

Step 3) Place your dried beans along the glue lines, being sure to push down to secure them. Let the glue dry.

Step 4) Once dry, smear more glue around the edge of the plate and dip it in the sand. You can also decorate with sand wherever you want on the plate–sand dollars are very sandy creatures!

Credit: craftsbyamanda.com