Vo-tech students prepare for cookie sale
'Tis the season to prepare for all things Christmas, including making Christmas cookies.
Students at the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School are preparing for their annual Christmas cookie-baking event.
Katie Collins, culinary arts instructor at the career center, said, “This tradition of cookie making started before I was even here as a teacher, maybe 20 years ago.”
She also said the students look forward to this event each year as they get the opportunity to demonstrate their baking skills and experience what it might be like to run a bakery.
About 85 students from Butler, Knoch, Mars, Slippery Rock, Moniteau, Seneca Valley and Karns City high schools are involved in making these culinary festive delights. Students are split into teams in order to make dozens of cookies that can be purchased by the public.
The types of cookies made are based on the community favorites that have been deduced from the many years of sales.
Collins said the favorite cookies have traditionally been the sugar cookies and the orange cookies.
Collins said, “We make so many cookies, we usually lose count. One year we did 1,200 dozen. In years past, we have done 800 to 900 dozen. It just depends on the year.”
As students prepare the many dozens of holiday cookies, they are learning the foundations of the baking and pastry arts industry.
Baking requires a great deal of skill in time management, balance and consistency. While most of the cookies prepared for Christmas are hand-rolled and dropped cookies, students also practice their skills at icing rolled sugar cookies with a simple glaze.Students learn to balance between rolling the sugar cookies to the right thickness before baking and applying icing, being careful not to apply too much icing, or not enough. Students also must learn to maintain consistency in size for hand-rolled and dropped cookies.Beyond the enjoyment of baking, students gain many skills that will be applicable to their future culinary careers.Students learn the process of ordering, filling orders and satisfying customer needs. They also learn about the aesthetics of the industry as they arrange the cookies on trays to make them look organized and attractive to the customer.Math is involved as well, because students must figure out how to multiply ingredients to make larger batches.All cookies are made from scratch; therefore, students learn a bit about the science of baking as well, and how to follow directions carefully. Too much of one ingredient or a missed ingredient can ruin an entire batch of cookies, so teams work together to communicate and assure the cookies are of the best quality.
Students often deal with the struggles of baking, too. For the normal person, making a few dozen cookies can be a challenge, but for these students, the task is even greater.Collins said: “Students will find the monotony of the job to be a challenge. It tends to get boring, and their hands wear out.”The students, however, accept the project with Christmas spirit and rise above the circumstances.“Baking is my passion,” said Natalie Smith, a senior from Butler. “Whether we are scooping hundreds of cookies or making pies and braiding bread, I just love the holiday season. The best part is laughing and the memories I have made with my classmates over the last three years.”Butler senior Dylan Sebock agreed, “I love the holidays. Making cookies and getting to be a part of this class has been awesome for the last two and a half years. We scoop so many cookies! Watching the customers leave happy with their purchase is the best part. Beyond the skills we learn, this class has given me so much more.”Due to the pandemic, cookie sales did not take place last year to the disappointment of the culinary students.Butler High School senior Erika Clendenning said, “I missed getting to do the cookie sales last year because of COVID. I will be interested in seeing how the process goes and how many orders we get.“It is always exciting when you get to learn new skills like icing cookies, rolling cookies, arranging trays or even just packaging up an order,” Clendenning said. “It is all fun, and this class is preparing me for the future.”
This year, the public can order cookies once again.Cookies are sold by the dozen for $7; buckeyes are $10 per dozen. Cookies also can be purchased as tray assortments: a large assortment of nine to 10 dozen cookies is $65; and a small assorted tray of five to six dozen cookies is $40.Buckeyes cannot be placed on the assorted trays.All cookies are being sold this year by pre-order only. Orders can be made by calling 724-282-0735, ext. 255, and orders must placed by Dec. 7. Payment can be made by check or money order.Orders must be picked up Dec. 13 to 17.The cookies can be easily frozen by placing them in layers in airtight containers with waxed paper between each layer so they will last throughout the holidays.On the vo-tech's website, www.butlertec.us, Click on the Programs of Study tab, choose Culinary Arts, and on the left, there is a link to the 2021 Cookie Sale.
