Introduction: PASCAL'S TRIANGLE... a Classroom Sized Sugar Cookie!

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About: No time to clean the house...always, all the time crafting!

If you have a student enrolled in high school level math, you have certainly heard about         Pascal's Triangle.   Pascal was a French mathematician who is credited with developing the geometric triangle of binomial coefficients.  Doesn't that sound tasty?? 

This easy to make triangle shaped sugar cookie was the hit of the math class extra credit submissions!

Step 1: INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT NEEDED

INGREDIENTS:

2 (16.5 oz.) packages of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (16 oz.) can of ready made cake icing
1-2 (4 oz.) tubes of writing icing (with tips) in 3 colors (Unopened tubes may be returned to the grocery store...keep your receipt!)  Note:  Do NOT use gel writing icing...it will smear/bleed.


Equipment:

Large rectangular baking sheet
Parchment paper or tin foil- optional, may be used to line your baking sheet
Ruler
Large print-out showing the details of Pascal's Triangle
Oven
Oven Mitt
Spatula to spread the icing

Step 2: BAKING & ICING DIRECTIONS


-Preheat your oven to the temperature directed on the sugar cookie packaging.

-Line your baking pan with parchment / foil (if desired).  Open the two sugar cookie packages.  Remove the refrigerated dough; use your hands to press dough out flat while shaping into a triangle shape.  Work quickly- the dough is easier to work with when it is cool.

-Bake as directed and remove from oven.  Leave the triangle cookie on the baking pan to cool completely.

-Open and stir the frosting.  Use a spatula to spread the can of frosting over the cookie triangle.  Pick one of the writing icing colors to draw your outline of Pascal's Triangle.  We found it helpful to have a ruler and a large printout of the triangle available as we marked the iced cookie...our first effort (shown below) was not perfect- but, captured the key concepts.

-Next, select the other colors to fill in the key triangle sections (if required, by the math teacher--see pink icing sections on our cookie).  Next, number all the individual triangles. 

-Let the icing set for about an hour.  Loosely cover with wrap so that cookie may be transported to school.  Don't forget to send napkins and a serving spatula.

                                                   Math extra credit is a good thing...yummy too!