Line a sheet tray with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Bring 7 cups of water and salt to a boil.
Add polenta in a slow stream while whisking continuously to avoid lumps.
Turn heat to low and continue to stir with a wooden spoon until polenta thickens, 5-8 minutes (you may add more boiling water as needed to keep the polenta a smooth consistency).
Turn the heat off and add brown sugar, spices and butter and stir to combine.
Pour onto a sheet tray and spread polenta out with the back of a spoon to cover the tray evenly and cool.
Refrigerate the polenta for 30 minutes or covered for up to 2 days.
Remove the sheet tray from the refrigerator and use cookie cutters to stamp out fun shapes (this is the time to get your kids involved and let them be creative).**
Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the polenta shapes for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden.
Serve (you can also serve these cold).
* Once sauteed, the polenta can stay refrigerated for up to a week.
**Shapes can be frozen for up to 3 months.