For our recipe this week, I found something both fun and educational for the holiday of Shavuot. It is a Libyan custom that’s certainly not cookie cutter but literally uses cookies to illustrate the essence of Shavuot.
Libyan Jews create a child’s cookie necklace by baking cookies in the shape of the 10 Commandments, a prayer shawl and even a ladder — symbolizing Moses’ climbing up Mount Sinai to receive the two most famous tablets in the world. Each cookie has a hole on top so that a cord can thread them together into an edible bauble. You can decide how big or small to make the necklace. What’s important is turning each baking session into a fun lesson. For example, check out the 10 commandment cookies (from Bible Belt Balabusta). While baking, ask your children how many commandments they can name. Have a prize ready for the winner who can name the most. Now go to the next level — what does each commandment mean? Can you create cookies in different shapes representing the meaning of the first five commandments? Enjoy the challenge!
(Adapted from http://tlwkidsbooks.blogspot.ca/2014/05/one-smart-cookie-custom-for-shavuot.html)
Another beautiful recipe for Shavuot can be found on www.italianchips.com. Just adapt with kosher ingredients and wow your guests!
