Baking for the birds

It's day two of Winter Break here in the Compton household, and it feels like week six of cabin fever for my daughter, Gracie. To combat the boredom, Gracie and I have been busy whipping up treats and cookies for the birds and squirrels of Waitsburg.

Each winter, our yard is swarmed by plump little Dark-eyed Juncos. We have a couple of fruit trees in our yard that the birds love. This winter, we decided to give them a little something extra, just in time for the snow.

I discovered fat bombs for birds while scrolling online one day, and they are so simple to make. Start by gathering all-vegetable fat (I used the blue container of Crisco) and a high-quality wild bird seed mix. Nancy's Dream Garden Center in Waitsburg has great birdseed mixes.

In a large bowl, mix the vegetable fat and the birdseed. We used one cup of fat for every two cups of seed, but the recipe is flexible. Once the seed is all incorporated, form the mixture into balls. Roll them in a separate bowl of birdseed, and cool for 24 hours.

We placed a couple of balls on fence posts and one in each tree on our property. The birds have loved them and are flocking to our yard by the dozens.

It was a tremendous sensory outlet for preschooler Gracie. She enjoyed squishing the vegetable fat around, feeling the different textures of the seeds and how they mixed with the Crisco. It was a very productive playtime!

I highly recommend putting something down under your project, as it can get a little messy with younger kids. I have a Dollar Store shower curtain that I use for big projects. Including the shower curtain, the project cost less than $15, and I had plenty of leftovers!

Gracie also enjoyed making squirrel cookies. These have kept the squirrels busy enough to leave the birds' fat bombs alone.

Squirrel Cookies (for squirrels):

1 large egg

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

⅓ cup unsalted butter (must be unsalted)

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup unsalted peanut butter.

Preheat your oven to 375*, and line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing until all incorporated. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and then press them flat with your palm or a fork (I let Gracie do this part, and she loved it). Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool on a cooling rack.

We placed the cookies around our yard, and nearly all of them have been snatched up. Since the snow, they have been especially popular, and Gracie enjoys going out and placing a new batch out each morning.

The squirrel cookies had three dog snouts going crazy, so we decided to make our pups a little treat while we had the oven warmed up. My sister, Emily, gifted me a dog-biscuit-shaped pan, and it came with an easy bacon apple pupcake recipe.

Bacon apple pupcake:

2 tablespoon cooked, finely chopped bacon bits

2 ½ cups whole wheat or oat flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg

¼ cup beef or chicken stock

¼ cup applesauce.

Preheat your oven to 350*. Mix all ingredients until a heavy dough is formed. If the dough seems to dry, add a little extra stock for some moisture. If you have a dog biscuit pan, press the dough firmly into each well, nearly to the top. If not, roll the dough out and use a cookie cutter to get your shape. Bake for 18-20 minutes until each bone is golden brown and firm. Cool treats on the pan for one minute, and then place on a cooling rack. Repeat the process until all the dough is used. This recipe makes roughly 40 treats, so you'll have plenty to share!

All of this baking was an excellent way for Gracie to burn off some energy while learning some kitchen skills and improving fine motor skills. With my guidance, Gracie learned the different measuring cup sizes by scooping flour and birdseed. The projects were engaging and helped her focus, listen, and be patient.

Happy winter baking, everyone!