The Key Ingredient: Prayer
Pray individually or as a family over the ingredients before and during mixing.
Pray over the cookies as you drop them onto the cookie sheets and bake them.
Ask God to use your cookies as a source of His love to shine on the prisoners and staff on the Kairos weekend.
Pray that each cookie brings the inmate, officer or warden who eats it closer to God. We want every person to become part of the family of God.
Sign up for the prayer vigil and let the residents know you are praying for them.
Cookie Preparation
Cookies MUST BE HOME MADE. The types of cookies that are generally acceptable are: Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Molasses, Chocolate Chip, Ginger and Sugar. Check with your local ad council for specifics on the type of cookies that are allowed.
Size is very important! Cookies must be between 2 inches and 2-1/2 inches in diameter and not more than 1/2 inch thick.
Do not add any kind of fruit, sprinkles or coatings to the cookies. It is very important not to use icing, sugar or any other type of coating on the outside of the cookie.
Use vegetable shortening, not real butter or margarine. These cookies are first frozen then thawed. These tried and true recipes don’t end up a crumbled mess after thawing.
Please....
- No Poppy seeds.
- No “No bake” cookies, “Bar cookies” or Brownies.
- If you use nuts in the cookies, please mark the bag with a permanent marker indicating nuts. This is for the protection of those with peanut allergies.
Packing the Cookies
Bag thoroughly cooled cookies in a quart sized Zip Lock bag, exactly 6 cookies to a bag. Absolutely NO zip lock bags with the plastic tab are allowed in the prison.
Don't put anything between layers. (No waxed paper, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, etc)
Label each bag with the cookie type inside. Freeze all cookies if not using within 3 days.
Extremely moist cookies tend to clump together. Please use the recipes provided below.
Getting the Cookies to the Team
If you are not working on the team, please deliver the cookies to a team member before the start of the weekend, so they can take them to the prison. See the weekend websites for more details.
COOKIE GUIDELINES
We apologize for such stringent guidelines, but cookies that don’t meet these rules will not be permitted to go into the prison. Instead, they will be given to the host church.
Cookies for Kairos
Matthew 25:36-40
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
An important part of this ministry is to provide tokens of Agape (God's Love) to all the residents, staff and administration during the weekend. Each will receive 1 dozen HOME MADE cookies that have been prayerfully baked. This is one way YOU can visit the prisoners without having to leave your home.
MOLASSES CRINKLES
(Adapted for Kairos use from The Betty Crocker’s Cookie Book, 1963)
1-1/2 cups vegetable shortening
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
Mix shortening, sugar, egg and molasses thoroughly.Measure flour by dip, level, pour method. Blend all other dry ingredients; stir in. Chill. Roll dough in 1-1/4” balls. Place on greased baking sheet. (REMEMBER: 2 – 2-1/2” SIZE) Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or just until set but not hard. Let THOROUGHLY COOL before attempting to bag. Makes about 8 dozen cookies.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
2-1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Stir flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Cream shortening and sugar, add vanilla and eggs. Add flour, baking soda and salt mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes. Let THOROUGHLY COOL before attempting to bag. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
We suggest the following tried and true recipes
Kairos Prison Ministry of Arizona
FAMOUS OATMEAL COOKIES
(From the Quick Quaker Oatmeal Box)
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup water (adjust based on altitude for flatter cookies)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups uncooked Quaker Quick Oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(optional chocolate chips but NO Raisins or Fruit)
Beat together shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla until creamy. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. (REMEMBER: 2 – 2-1/2” SIZE) Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. LetTHOROUGHLY COOL before attempting to bag. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
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