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By Stephanie Williams Dean

Much of my baking expertise came from my own kitchen — those hard-to-swallow, trial-and-error, recipe disasters. Every success and failure taught me how to be a better baker.

One of the best ways to teach someone to cook is by providing a hands-on experience. Cognition — an interactive museum in downtown Mocksville — does just that.

It’s no secret that children learn best through creative play and open-ended learning. The museum’s main focus is a hands-on approach to learning through events, experiences and various exhibits.

Recently, the museum held a Maddie Cakes Bakes event — the making and baking of chocolate chip and sugar cookies were demonstrated by bakery owner, Maddie Myers.

The in-house kitchen, named Hope’s Kitchen, is fully equipped with all the necessary tools used for all culinary education or hands-on demonstrations. The kitchen was donated by Hope Hall Tate in memory of her mother, Hope Hall, and can be rented and utilized for classes and events. The area also includes a play kitchen where the stove’s so realistic it lights up when turned on — it looks like a real stove.

Additional exhibit space on the main floor was designed with Davie County industries in mind. Appropriate for ages 0-9, there’s a farm for agriculture, so kids can see where food comes from. Kids can harvest from the garden area, sort it, and determine what food group the food’s in.

From there, kids pretend they’re at the market — a little grocery — where they ring up selected healthy foods. With a realistic check-out area, there’s a conveyer belt, credit card machine, and screen. The area even includes a food truck.

In addition, there’s a construction zone and textile area — everything for a kid to engage in hands-on learning about the industries that are a big part of life in Davie County.

With their downstairs “Makerspace” — Cognition focuses on big kids, too. Whether you are 10 or 100, the space has classrooms and flexible space with moveable tables that can roll around to where they’re needed. Other equipment is available for hands-on classes and programs — there’s a 3-D printer, a laser cutter, an embroidery machine, and sewing machines — something for everyone.

One fun event held during summer was a farm-to-table cooking series associated with the downtown farmers market. Kids walked to the market, purchased food, and returned to the museum to cook a recipe that was provided.

“While the cooking workshops we’ve hosted so far have been geared for families and children 4 years of age through high school — Cognition is truly for everyone,” said site coordinator Jessica Huyett.

One of Huyett’s favorite cooking classes was pizza. “The kids went to market, purchased the tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini — and came back to the museum and made pizza.”

The cooking experiences are fun and successful — and the museum hopes to bring them back next year. They also want to bring in additional instructors — experts in their fields. The museum’s looking for community partners who can help with community programs.

For the Maddie Cakes Bakes class — Myers was excited to support the museum and agreed to come in and teach a couple of programs. She provided the baking ingredients, recipes, some equipment and personal expertise. There will be another class offered in December.

Cookies evoke our most tender childhood, holiday memories. When made, they can be dropped, shaped, sliced, made into bars and squares, or rolled and cut out. My favorite is a delicious, rolled and cut sugar cookie — it forms the perfect base for an assortment of decorations. As I roll out dough with my vintage, wooden rolling pin — my mind drifts to the past. I see a Mrs. Claus look-alike wearing tiny granny glasses — rolling out the dough — and cutting it into fun shapes with old tin cookie cutters.

Everyone enjoys the gift of homemade cookies. Inviting friends over for a cookie swap is a festive party for both little and big kids. No holiday cookie tray’s complete without at least one festively decorated sugar cookie. I serve mine in a big wide-mouth pottery crock.

Total nostalgia.

For more information on Cognition Museum, you can go to its website, cognitiondavie.org, call the museum at 336-753-1045, or email site coordinator Jessica Huyett at info@cognitiondavie.org

Maddie’S Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 sticks softened, salted butter

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1¼ tsp. baking soda

• 1¼ tsp. salt

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a mixer bowl, cream softened butter and both sugars. Beat lightly until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Add vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips until thoroughly incorporated. Drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden.

Maddie’s Sugar Cookies

• 2 sticks softened, salted butter

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp. salt

In a mixer bowl, cream softened butter and sugar. Beat lightly until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add flour and salt and mix until thoroughly combined. Gather all dough into a ball. Roll out on floured surface until ¼-thickness. Cut into desired shapes and decorate with sprinkles, etc. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden.

Holiday Shortbread Wedgies

• 4 sticks salted butter (1 lb.)

• 1 cup sugar

• 5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Divide dough into four pieces. Press each piece over the lightly greased and floured bottoms of 4-8-inch round cake pans to form a smooth, even layer. Prick dough several places with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake in a preheated 275-degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until pale brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cut into wedges.

Country Confection Sugar Cookies

• 2 sticks softened, salted butter

• 1½ cups confectioner’s sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract

• 2½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. cream of tartar

In a mixer bowl, cream softened butter and sugar. Beat lightly until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Mix well to blend. Seal bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours to chill. Roll out half the dough into a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake on a baking sheet in a preheated 375-degree oven for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes. Cut out remainder of cookies. Reroll scraps of dough if necessary.

Butter Pecan Cookies

• 1 cup softened, salted butter

• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup finely chopped pecans

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Lightly beat until fluffy. Add flour, mixing well. Stir in pecans and mix well. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Roll one portion of dough to ¼-inch between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Keep remaining dough chilled. Remove wax paper and cut dough into desired shape with 2-inch cutters. Place a greased cookie sheet on top of cookies, greased side down. Invert cookie sheet and then remove waxed paper. Bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until browned. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.

Heritage Spice Cutouts

• ½ cup softened, salted butter

• ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp. baking soda

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. ground ginger

• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp. ground cloves

• ¾ cup dark molasses

• 1 tsp. hot water

• 1 tsp. vinegar

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add flour, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves while alternating with molasses, hot water, and vinegar. Mix well. Chill dough 2 hours.  Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness on floured surface. Bake on greased cookie sheets, 2-inches apart in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Moravian Holiday Tea Cakes

• ½ cup softened, salted butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract

• ½ tsp. lemon extract

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• ½ tsp. salt

• ¾ tsp ground nutmeg

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Lightly beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and lemon extract. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface and cut with 2-inch cutters. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8 minutes or until brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Butter Pecan Cookies

• 1 beaten egg

• 18 ¼ oz. butter-yellow cake mix

• 3¼ oz. instant butterscotch pudding mix

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup Wesson oil

• 1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixer bowl, beat egg. Add cake mix, pudding mix, flour while alternating with oil. Mix well. Fold in nuts. Mix well. Roll into balls. Bake on greased cookie sheet in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing.

Roll-And-Cut Lemon Cookies

• 1 cup softened, salted butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind

• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 egg white

• Ground almonds or pecans

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat lightly until fluffy. Add egg yolks, lemon rind, juice and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour and mix well. Divide dough into quarters. Cover with waxed paper and chill 2 hours. Working with one batch of dough at a time, roll to ¼-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with 2-inch cutters. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with ground nuts. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 5 beaten eggs

• 2 pkgs. (18 ¼ oz. each) chocolate cake mix

• 2/3 cup Wesson oil

• 1 cup white chocolate chips

• 1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixer bowl, beat eggs. Add cake mix while alternating with oil. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans. Mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoon, 2-inches apart, onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10-13 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from tray.

Key Lime Coolers

• ½ cup softened butter

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg plus 1 yolk

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice

• 1½ tsp. grated lime peel

• ½ cup confectioners sugar

In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and yolk and beat until creamy. Add flour, baking powder, and salt while alternating with lime juice. Mix well. Form dough into balls. Bake on a greased cookie sheet in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. While warm, sift powdered sugar over. Allow to cool 10 minutes.

Colored Royal Icing

• 3 egg whites/room temperature

• ½ tsp. cream of tartar

• 16 oz. sifted confectioners sugar (1 lb.)

• Red and green paste food coloring

In a mixer bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat 5-7 minutes. Tine ¼ of icing red; tint remaining icing green. Icing dries very quickly so keep covered at all times with plastic wrap. You can use food coloring but paste works better. Yield: Icing for 5 dozen cookies.