The Ingredients (See links for specific recommendations!) For the Filling: 12 oz chocolate chips ( Regular , Dark or White ) 8 oz (1 cup) sweetened condensed milk 2 tablespoons margarine or butter ½ cup ground walnuts or finely chopped nuts For the Dough: 8 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature) 1 ½ sticks butter (12 tablespoons) 3 cups all-purpose flour Confectioners’ sugar (for rolling) The Recipe Instructions Prepare the Filling: In a double boiler, (or microwave if you are me) melt the chocolate chips and margarine (or butter) together until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk and ground walnuts or nuts. Allow the mixture to cool, then refrigerate until firm, forming a lump. Make the Dough: In a large bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, margarine, and flour by hand until a smooth dough forms. (This can be done by hand, but a mixer also works). Divide the dough into small portions for easier handling. Amie's Edit: Divide the dough into small spheres and put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. The dough is VERY sticky and can be difficult to handle, you want it to be malleable but still soft enough to form the blanket around the chocolate logs. Assemble the Logs: Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar onto a sheet of unwaxed parchment paper. Amie's Edit: I use this Reynold's Wrap Nonstick aluminium foil. It is the most incredible kitchen consumable I have ever found, you can peel melted burnt cheese off this and it won't even bat an eye.) Roll a small portion of dough into a thin sheet about ½ inch thick. Cut the dough into strips approximately 5 inches long. Take a small portion of the chilled filling and place it onto a strip of dough. Amie's Edit: The mixture can be a bit hard depending on how long you left it in the fridge. I have zapped it for 30 seconds or so to soften it up. It should feel like playdoh. You can easily roll the chocolate in your hands and place it on the dough for ease. Roll the dough over the filling, jelly-roll style, sealing the edges. Amie's Edit: Add additional powdered sugar all over the tops of the logs. Be generous with the dusting. Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Arrange the logs on an aluminum lined baking sheet. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden. Cool and Serve: Allow the logs to cool completely before serving. Enjoy! Amie's edit: I like to add additional powdered sugar on the finished cookies. When they are cool, they can be cut into halves or even smaller. Note: This recipe is adapted from Grandma Jo's handwritten recipe card. I made a few tweaks after some experimentation and used a similar modern recipe as a reference when I first attempted to recreate it. Her original instructions needed a bit of deciphering for this novice, (Grandma Jo was a master chef and baker, and I am an experimenter at best!) but the results were well worth it! Cookie Wars: A Tale of Sibling Rivalry and Grandma Jo/Fred’s Legacy When I was a kid, my Grandma Jo would send care packages filled with her homemade treats, including her legendary cookies. These cookies sparked full-blown battles in our house—complete with secret hiding spots, late-night retrieval missions, and shameless bribery. It got so intense that my parents had to enforce a rule: everyone was allowed  just one  cookie each. It’s no wonder these cookies became the centerpiece of our household skirmishes. The dough, made with butter and cream cheese, bakes into a rich, tender, and delicately crisp shell. Inside, a luscious filling of melted chocolate and sweetened condensed milk awaits, making every addictive bite irresistibly indulgent. The beauty of this recipe is its versatility! While milk chocolate was the OG and our classic childhood favorite, I’ve also created a 'grown-up' version with dark chocolate and almonds. This is the one that I make most often for my (now adult) siblings. For a wonderful friend and coworker whose family loves white chocolate, I swapped in pure white chocolate instead. Her awesome kids quickly dubbed their version 'Grandma Fred's Cookies'—why, we’ll never know, but I absolutely love it! Feel free to experiment with different flavors! Add your favorite candy or nuts to the chocolate and condensed milk mixture before chilling. The possibilities for creating your own 'Grandma's ____' cookies are endless. If you come up with a new combo (especially one with its own quirky 'Grandma X' name), I’d love to hear about it—bonus points for creativity!

Get ready to combine Halloween fun with science in a spooktacular DIY project that will spark curiosity and creativity—crafting spider parachutes! This hands-on experiment transforms everyday materials into a thrilling STEAM activity, perfect for learning about gravity and air resistance. Kids will be amazed as their parachuting spiders gently float to the ground, making science the star of your Halloween festivities. Dive in, and let’s turn this holiday into an educational adventure!  Introduction to Spider Parachutes: Why Choose This Activity? Spider parachutes blend fun and learning, offering a gateway to essential STEM concepts like gravity, drag, and air resistance. Kids get to craft parachutes, experiment with design, and discover how these forces work in real life. With spooky spiders adding to the Halloween spirit, this activity becomes both thematic and engaging, inspiring young scientists to explore, question, and solve.  Materials You'll Need: - Small plastic spider Coffee filter (as the parachute) String or yarn Scissors Tape Markers (for decoration) These simple materials turn into a STEAM-powered experiment! The coffee filter acts as the parachute, and the string attaches it to the spider, introducing concepts like air resistance and gravity. Let’s get started!  Step-by-Step Guide for Building the Spider Parachute 1. Decorate the Parachute       Use markers to add Halloween designs to the coffee filter, if desired. 2. Cut String       Measure and cut four equal pieces of string, about 12 inches long. 3. Attach Strings to Parachute       Tape one end of each string to the edge of the coffee filter at four points. 4. Attach Strings to Spider       Gather the loose ends of the strings and tie or tape them to the spider. 5. Test Your Parachute       Drop your parachute from a height, holding it by the center of the filter. Watch it float down as gravity pulls the spider, while the parachute slows its fall by increasing drag. Encourage your child to think about how the parachute catches air and what happens when it’s dropped. This setup demonstrates how weight distribution and drag work together for a softer landing!  Testing and Observing Results Find a safe, open area (indoors or out) to test your spider parachute. Drop it from a chair or ladder and observe how the parachute expands, slowing the spider's descent. Ask your child: What happens to the speed as it falls? How does the parachute create air resistance? Encourage them to make small adjustments—changing the string length or coffee filter size—and observe how these tweaks affect the parachute’s performance. This experiment demonstrates how simple changes impact gravity and drag, making learning tangible and fun.  Troubleshooting Common Issues - Parachute Not Opening? Ensure strings are evenly spaced and not tangled. - Spider Falls Too Fast? Try a larger coffee filter or adjust the strings for more drag. - Spider Spins? Make sure all strings are the same length and securely attached. Encourage your child to think critically and solve problems as they arise—each adjustment is a step in the engineering process!   Silk Spider Fun Facts: The Science Behind It - Ballooning Behavior: Baby spiders use silk to “balloon” through the air, helping them travel long distances. - Physics at Play: The silk parachute increases drag, slowing their descent. - Perfect Conditions: Spiders wait for ideal breezes or warm air to take flight. - Strong Silk: Spider silk is both lightweight and durable, ideal for ballooning. - Survival Strategy: Ballooning helps spiders avoid predators and reduce competition.  Understanding the Physics: Gravity, Drag, and Lift Spider parachutes offer a hands-on way to explore the physics of gravity, drag, and lift, essential forces that shape how objects move through the air. Here’s how each force plays a role in our spider parachute experiment: 1. Gravity      Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward the Earth. In this experiment, gravity acts on the spider, pulling it downward. Gravity's strength remains constant, so without any opposing forces, the spider would fall quickly to the ground. But here’s where the parachute and the concept of drag come in! 2. Drag (Air Resistance)      Drag, or air resistance, is a force that acts opposite to gravity, working to slow down the descent of the spider. When the parachute opens, its large surface area catches air particles, increasing drag. The larger the parachute, the more air it can "catch," creating a gentler, slower fall. This resistance helps counteract gravity, letting the spider descend slowly rather than dropping straight down. 3. Lift      Lift occurs when air flows over an object and generates an upward force. While true lift is more commonly associated with wings, there’s a similar effect when the parachute captures enough air beneath it to help stabilize the spider and slow its descent. The air trapped under the parachute pushes upwards, which helps prevent the spider from simply free-falling.  4. The Balance of Forces      As the parachute falls, gravity pulls down, while drag pushes upward. If the parachute’s surface area and the length of the string are well-balanced, these forces create a steady descent, allowing the spider to float rather than plummet. This interaction is why parachutes are so effective in creating soft landings! Understanding these forces helps children see how simple design changes can affect the speed and smoothness of a parachute's descent. Each drop is a chance to explore how gravity, drag, and lift come together, making science real and accessible!  Engaging Post-Experiment Discussion After testing, dive deeper into the science behind the activity. Talk about gravity (pulling the spider down) and air resistance (slowing its descent). Ask your child: - What did they notice about gravity and drag? - How would a larger or heavier spider change the fall? These discussions help connect the experiment to real-world physics, like parachutes used in rescue missions or sports, making learning relevant and inspiring further curiosity.  Encouraging Creativity and Innovation Let your child take their learning further by experimenting with different designs. Could they make a parachute that holds more weight or falls even slower? What other materials might work better? Encourage them to personalize their parachute with Halloween decorations, testing various shapes and sizes for fun and functional experimentation. This process nurtures creativity and innovation, transforming a simple activity into a platform for imagination and problem-solving.  Reflecting on the STEAM Experience End the project with a reflection on what they learned: - What surprised them during the experiment? - How did they feel solving any issues? This reflection helps them value experimentation, resilience, and creativity, making this STEAM experience both impactful and memorable. A simple spider parachute can inspire a lifelong love for science and discovery!