Watching my grandchildren during the summer means I have to get creative with activities to keep them entertained. One of the things they love doing with me most is cooking.
My grandson has been cooking and baking with me since about the age of two. Recently we decided to make a giant gingerbread cookie with a Wilton decorating kit I had purchased for him as gift.
When it comes to baking, Wilton is still the name to trust. Their Gingerbread Boy Cookie Decorating Kit is delightful, easy to use and prepares the perfect cookie for children to share with their friends.
The kit includes a large ‘”13″ by 11″ ‘” Gingerbread Boy pan, Wilton’s white prepackaged icing, a decorating bag and tip, colorful gum drop candies and instructions. All we needed to add was the gingerbread itself.
Instructions for making homemade gingerbread were provided. We; however, decided to use Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix. (Note: That product has been reviewed separately.)
We also chose to use a few Wilton icing tubes for decorating in addition to the provided frosting. My grandson wanted more color so he chose chocolate, orange, purple and red icing.
After making the cookie following the Betty Crocker recipe, we allowed it to cool for about 30 minutes. Then, we popped the gingerbread boy out of the pan onto a cutting board that had been covered with tin foil. Finally, we allowed the cookie to rest another 15 minutes to make certain he was completely cooled.
In the meantime, we mixed up the prepackaged icing by adding 4 tablespoons of softened butter and 2 tablespoons of milk to the mixture. Using an electric mixer, we thoroughly blended everything together. We continued beating the frosting until it had a creamy consistency we needed for it to pipe easily.
Let’s talk nutrition facts with regard to Wilton’s white prepackaged icing. There were 8 servings per bag. Each serving represented 140 calories.
There were 2.5 grams of fat in each serving. However, none of that was related to saturated or trans fat.
There were also 32 grams of carbohydrates, 29 grams of sugar, and 5 milligrams of sodium. That may make this particular brand of frosting out of reach for individuals who are trying to watch their intake of those items.
On a positive note, Wilton white frosting does contain 6% of the daily recommended amount of calcium as well as trace amounts of Vitamins A and C and iron.
Ingredients include artificial flavors, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup solids, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, powdered vegetable shortening, sodium caseinate and titanium dioxide.
Once the gingerbread was cooled, we used chocolate frosting with a scrollwork tube to pipe an outline around him. Next we squiggled on white icing for his eyes, mouth, hands, feet and buttons.
To complete the look, we used the gumdrops that came with the kit to make him a eyes and a nose, a tie and buttons. He turned out so cute that Josh didn’t want to eat him so he ended up taking him home with nary a crumb missing.
Wilton’s Gingerbread Boy Cookie Decorating Kit is easy to use and makes a great project to do with your kids. It is fun, entertaining and tasty. What more can you ask?
Here is my summary review:
Quality of Pan: 5 stars. The no-stick pan worked like a charm. Gingy popped out of it without a crumb out of place.
Appearance: 5 stars: The gingerbread boy shape is sheer perfection. It reminds me of the gingerbread men my great grandmother used to make for me.
Ease of use: 5 stars. The Wilton Gingerbread Boy Cooking Decorating Kit couldn’t be easier to use. The instructions are clear and concise and Wilton provides all of the things needed to detail the piece.
Icing Nutrition: 2 stars. Wilton white icing is predominantly confectioners’ sugar. That means it isn’t particularly good for you. However, if you use it sparingly you can cut the calories severely.
Reputation: 5 stars. Wilton is the brand in baking. Nobody does it better.
Packaging: 5 stars. The packaging for this kit is cute. A bright red and green box holds all of the ingredients as well as the instructions. It fits into the tummy portion of the baking pan, which is then shrink-wrapped in plastic. The end result is a kit that you won’t be able to resist on the store shelf.
Ease of storage: 5 stars. The pan measures about 13″ by 11″ by ½”. Since it is nearly flat, it should store easily in a cabinet. The kit itself comes in a box that measures 6″ square and a little over 1″ in depth. You can keep it with the pan or store it separately in a cabinet or drawer.
Green value: 5 stars. The packaging is biodegradable and the pan can be used over and over again.
Availability: 3 stars. Wilton products can be found in many craft stores, at Wal-Mart and in some stores that specialize in baking products as well as online. However, the Gingerbread Boy Cookie Decorating Kit could be somewhat more difficult to find than traditional square or round pans. It may take some legwork to find the kit.
Price: 3 stars. I happened to get the kit on sale for under $5. However, its normal price is considerably more at around $15.99.
Product purchase probability: 5 stars. Now that we have the pan, we can use it again and again. We’ve already decided to try other types of cookie and brownie dough and perhaps even pizza dough to experiment with new creations.
Final rating: 4.3 stars.
RATING SCALE:
5 stars – outstanding
4 stars – good
3 stars – average
2 stars – below average
1 star – poor
