Birdseed Biscuits

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

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. 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.
3. Add 1/2 cup of birdseed. Form dough into a ball. Kids can help with this.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.)
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.)