Edible Cell Project: Chocolate Chip Cookie Science

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If you’re looking for a delicious way to identify the parts of a cell, you’ll love this Edible Cell Project made with chocolate chip cookie dough, icing, and fondant! Not only are edible cells fun science projects to do with your student (or to have several students do together), but they’re also great for helping your student learn the parts of a cell. What can be more motivational than a huge chocolate chip cookie?! So if your student is studying the parts of a cell, whether a plant or an animal cell, give this a try. We think you’ll love it!

What you’ll need for this chocolate chip cookie science project:

• prepared chocolate chip cookie dough (36 oz tub)
• round cookie sheet or pizza baking sheet, 14 in.
• frosting
• white fondant (24 oz) (or colored fondant in several colors)
• food coloring (several colors of your choice)

How to make this edible cell project:

1. Start with pre-made cookie dough. Flatten the dough out on a round baking sheet to make one big pizza-size cookie. Follow baking instructions that are found on the tub. (Keep in mind that the dough will rise and spread some during baking, so leave a little room on the outside edges to prevent a mess in your oven!)

2. After the cookie cools completely, remove it from the baking sheet. It’s a good idea to place your cookie on a heavy piece of cardboard or a plastic surface that isn’t flimsy so it can be moved around easily.

3. Frost the cookie with your choice of colored frosting. The frosting represents the cytoplasm of the cell.

4.You can buy colored fondant or color white fondant with fool coloring. Just add the desired drops of food coloring for desired shade of color and work into fondant until it’s fully mixed. (NOTE: You will need several colors of fondant.)

5. Sculpt the organelles listed below out of the fondant.

Using the plant or animal cell diagram below, choose the parts of the cell that you want your student(s) to recreate and include in their chocolate chip cookie edible cells.

6. Once all the parts of the cell are made, add them to the cell. To complete the cell membrane, roll out a strip of fondant to put around the edge.

7. Add details and final touches to organelles (if desired) with frosting.

Have you and your students made one of these edible cell projects? If so, we’d love to see a photo in the comments below!