Bonding with Your Children Just Got Even Sweeter!

At The Dough Parlour we’re all about fun and food – especially when it involves sweet treats! Since there’s nothing quite as motivating to children than jumping into ‘real life’ play we have something special for you… We whipped up some easy, delicious, fun shaped cookies, and included the recipe so you can make them too.

This sugar cookie recipe is simply the best, with an added bonus of allowing us to use our creative cutters that dig deep into children’s imagination! Also, if we’re being honest, they taste awesome too (yes, biased, but it’s true).

Of course, the fun doesn’t stop once the cookies are baked, there’s also decorating – yum! If your ‘lil ones are anything like ours, they’ll be excited to complete their cookie making mission by adding icing on top (it’s serious business in here!).

Sugar cookies are a simple, yet great activity that boosts a child’s confidence by organically enticing them to follow through a task from start to finish. They want to do it because it’s fun and rewarding! (It helps that their sweet tooth pushes them to go that extra mile!)

We’ve got plenty of cutter sets to suit every child’s interest! Take a deep dive into crystal waters and sandy beaches with our Mermaid Cutters Set, or check out our Sea Life cutters are available for a limited time in our Summer Edition Sensory Surprise box, available as well at Maisonette.

The Dough Parlour’s Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookie Recipe
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or use salted butter and only 1/2 tsp added salt)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (or 1/2 tsp if using salted butter)

1. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl and beat until creamy.
2. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet until well combined.
5. Divide dough into two disks, cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
TIP: To make cutting easier, pre-roll your dough before putting it into the fridge, just make sure you cover it well so it doesn’t dry out, and use parchment or a silicone baking mat to keep the two layers separate.
6. Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
7. Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out one cookie dough to about 1/4″ thick. Add flour as needed.
8. Use our cutters to cut out shapes and transfer shapes to the baking sheet.
9. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until edges begin to golden.
10. Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before frosting with your favourite frosting recipe!

[Print Recipe]

6 Colouring Pages Filled with Sunshine!

Smiles are everywhere with our latest new resource in the Dough Parlour’s online hub! It’s a quick and easy way to keep children busy (and off screens), while supporting their development in fine motor skills and creativity. Another advantage of colouring is that it helps children increase their level of concentration, and offers a form of independent play.

So naturally, we couldn’t help but create something special for parents to print out and enjoy during the summer. Children can have fun with one or all six of our summer fun colouring sheets to get creative at the park, on the patio or just keep busy inside.

Here’s another fun fact about colouring:

“Colouring has the ability to relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind. This generates mindfulness and quietness.”

With that said – moms, dads, grandparents or any caregiver: maybe print two copies and join in on some mental relaxation (and special bonding)

If your child had a great time with Dough Parlour’s summer colouring pages, then please tag us on Instagram or Facebook (@DoughParlour on both), we’d love to see them!

Download each one individually by clicking on the ones you like best, or download them all at once »

Some toys just never go out of style. While ball in cup and the slinky have seen better days, play dough seems to excite children of any generation. That seems to be because play dough is based on imagination and creativity. It’s not a static function toy like the others. Play dough knows no boundaries. So you may be excited to buy some play dough for your kids, and can’t wait to see what sort of creations they come up with. If you want to inspire their creativity here are the top 5 fun things to make with play dough using our 100% non toxic dough parlour, as seen on CBC’s Canadian television show, Dragon’s Den. These ideas below should open up the creativity flood gates and make play dough fun for years to come.

Dough cutters can be the most satisfying thing to use with play dough. It’s also a super fun start for younger kids that need help channeling their creativity. Think of them as the training wheels for play dough! We offer a lot of different cutters so your kid can shape their dough into dinosaurs, llamas, pumpkins, cats, dogs, or even the night sky! Creativity is born at a young age, so help nurture that part of your child’s brain with the right tools!

If your kid is a little beyond the cutter stage, and looking to expand their creative potential, start thinking about what exciting things they see every day. I like to use animals as my inspiration since kids always go wild for animals. Whether it’s a play dough creation of their pet cat or dog, or even a llama, animals are lovable so kids enjoy molding play dough into them.

Making fruits or vegetables is a great way for your young child to form connections with the world around them. I love giving my kids pumpkin spice play dough in the Fall. This way when they make pumpkins, trees, or leaves they also get the sensory benefits of smelling pumpkin too. Sensory learning is so crucial for young minds, so I like to facilitate those connections that help them build their knowledge base. Since my dough is made from 100% all-natural and non-toxic ingredients you don’t have to worry about the temptation they’ll naturally have for putting their creations in their mouths. All kids do it, but you shouldn’t have to worry about what that means for their health! ADDED BONUS – This activity might make your child a better eater and give them more appreciation for healthy foods.

Dinosaurs have sparked the imagination of kids for many generations now. Everyone loves the mysterious world that we can’t quite grasp. So give your kids some ideas on how to make fun dino creations! Grab some penne pasta for spikes, candy corn for teeth, and googly eyes. Then sit back and watch your kid bring the dinosaur of their dreams to life!

Nothing adds character quite like googly eyes and pipe cleaners. With these simple tools, your child can create life-like creations, monsters, princesses or whatever beings their imaginations can come up with. Pipe cleaners are great because they can be arms, legs, tails, or cut shorter to make hair.