Yesterday, we made an assortment of bird feeders, and today I realized that I did, in fact, have the ingredients to try one more than we learned about from the story time lady at the library. Making "Birdseed Biscuits" turned out to be a good afternoon activity, and not nearly as messy as the bird feeders involving peanut butter. I would definitely make these again, and they get my top recommendation for a good kid-friendly activity that kids can actually participate in.
What You Will Need:
- 2 cups biscuit baking mix
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup birdseed
- medium size mixing bowl
- spoon
- rolling pin
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper (optional)
- cookie cutters
- plastic drinking straw
- butter (or margarine)
- basting brush
- yarn/string/twine
- scissors
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Mix 2 cups of biscuit baking mix with 1/2 cup water to form a soft dough. Young kids can help pour and stir. Older kids can measure, too.
- Add 1/2 cup of birdseed. Form dough into a ball. Kids can help with this.
- Roll out dough. Kids can help with this. The directions we were given said to roll to 3/4" thickness, but we were successful with about 1/2" to 3/4" thickness. Any thinner, and it was hard for the cut-outs to keep their shape.
- Have kids cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Take extra dough, reshape into a ball, and roll out until all the dough is used up.
- Arrange cut-outs on a cookie sheet. This is probably best for an adult to do. (Tip: We lined ours with parchment paper first. This is not necessary, but it keeps your cookie sheet cleaner and makes removing the finished biscuits very easy.
- Use a plastic drinking straw to punch a hole into each biscuit. Kids can help with this step. (Tip: Make sure it goes all the way through and that it is not too close to the edges.)
- Melt butter or margarine and brush over the cut-outs. We used 1/2 tablespoon of butter. The directions we were given said to use margarine, but I don't buy that any more. Butter worked fine, and since it didn't specify how much to use, I decided to use a very small amount, which was just enough for the 12 biscuits we made. This step is more for an adult, so I did it myself.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until light brown. This is something for an adult to do. Then, while they are baking, cut a piece of yarn, string, or twine for hanging each biscuit. Older kids can help with this.
- Allow biscuits to cool. Then, thread your yarn, string, or twine through the hole, tie a knot, and hang them on a tree for the birds to enjoy. (Tip: I found it was easier to use the straw to push the yarn through the hole rather than trying to poke it through on its own.)
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