Creating recipes with and for children during the holidays is an excellent way to relive your own happy childhood memories of Christmas. Here are some suggestions that will make both young and old eyes light up when they see the finished product and are a pleasure to eat too! All of the recipes require adult supervision to a degree, but are friendly to little helping hands. None of them require baking.
SANTA FACE COOKIES:
12 ounces of white melting chocolate (the kind used to make candy)
1 package of Nutter Butter cookies (32 cookies)
Red or green colored sugar or sprinkles
64 miniature chocolate chips
32 white chocolate chips
32 cinnamon candies
Tube of white decorator frosting
Melt the white melting chocolate (not the chips) in either a double boiler or in the microwave, taking care not to let the chocolate burn. If using the microwave method, it is best to only melt about ½ cup at a time, microwaving for short periods and stirring the chocolate between meltings.
Strategically dip each cookie twice: once for the beard, which will be halfway up the cookie, the other at the other tip of the cookie, but only the edge. You’ll want to leave an open space of the cookie showing on the top half for the face.
On the end where only the edge of the cookie was dipped, carefully spinkle the colored sugar over the white chocolate. This forms Santa’s hat. Press one white chocolate chip to the side of the hat to form the white ball on the hat.
Using the decorator frosting tube, make a dot for each “eye” and the nose. Affix a miniature chocolate chip for each eye and the a cinnamon candy for the nose onto the frosting dots.
Allow the cookies to dry. Makes 32 cookies.
REINDEER CHOW
2 cups red and green M&Ms
1 cup marshmallows
½ cup raisins
½ cup pretzel sticks
1 cup corn chex
Blend all ingredients and serve. Can also be placed in plastic baggies and labeled “reindeer chow.”
EDIBLE CHRISTMAS CARDS
4 cups powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract (or your choice of flavored extract)
½ cup butter
3 Tablespoons milk
Graham Crackers (Honey, Chocolate, or Plain)
Decorator Icing Tubes
Sprinkles in Various Shapes
Colored Sugars
Cinnamon Candies
Flaked Coconut
Miniature Chocolate Chips
Using a mixer, blend the powdered sugar, extract, butter and milk until smooth. If the frosting appears too thin, add a little more sugar. If it is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the proper consistency.
Use the icing that you made to frost the graham crackers and then decorate them like a Christmas card.
HUMBUGS
1 pound of oreo cookies
8 ounces cream cheese
1 (12 ounce) package of white (or another color) dipping chocolate
1 (12 ounce) package of dark dipping chocolate
Cinnamon Candies or Candy Dots
Sprinkles or Coconut Flakes
Crush oreo cookies. Add the cream cheese and knead into a dough. Form into balls about the size of a walnut. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours.
Melt the chocolate (in separate containers, don’t blend the colors because you want an assortment) either using a double boiler or in the microwave. If using the microwave method, melt about ¾ cup at a time and melt in short increments, stirring between each melting, so that it doesn’t burn. Dip the balls of oreo mixture in the chocolate and place onto waxed paper that has been laid over a cookie sheet. Affix two “eyes” to each ball, made of either the cinnamon candies or the candy dots. Sprinkle with coconut or sprinkles and return to the fridge to harden.
Merry Christmas!
