Cooking with an adult can be a very special time for a child. Add meaning to the opportunity with a list of child=friendly, fun Thanksgiving-focused recipes.
Hershey Kiss, chocolate chips, and a Nutter-Butter (use Ritz Bitz or mini Nilla Wafers if allergic to peanuts) are all that you need. We made these acorns for Little Man's Thanksgiving Feast at church. The older kids were able to help quite a bit while Little Man unwrapped the Hershey kisses.
Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring between each set. Unwrap the Hershey kisses. Lightly dip the kiss into the melted chocolate and then set on the Nutter-Butter or Nilla Wafer. Let sit to firm up. Then dip a mini chocolate chip into the chocolate and set on top.
Hints:
- The kisses will begin to melt in your hand very quickly so don't over handle.
- As we made the acorns, we placed them in a container that was sitting on two ice packs. This helped the acorns set up faster.
- Use only enough melted chocolate to make the pieces stick together. Otherwise the chocolate oozes out.
Ingredients:
Vanilla frosting
Yellow food coloring
32 miniature peanut butter cups (unwrapped)
32 fudge-striped cookies
32 pieces orange mini Chiclets gum or orange tic-tac
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine frosting and enough food coloring to make the frosting yellow.
Dip the top (wide part) of the peanut butter cup in yellow frosting.
Center the peanut butter cup on the cookie forming a pilgrim hat. Add a buckle using frosting and a piece of Chiclets gum or a tic-tac.
Repeat with the remaining peanut butter cups and cookies.
Make Turkey Cupcakes out of marshmallows, candy corn, frosting and licorice.
Using a handprint cookie cutter or trace around a hand, decorate the sugar cookie like a turkey.
Ingredients:
Sugar cookies
Chocolate frosting
Candy corn pieces
Mini M&M's
Orange frosting
Directions:
Bake sugar cookies according to directions.
Pipe chocolate frosting on outer edge of half of the cookie.
Arrange candy corn pieces on frosting with points pointing toward the center of the cookie.
Pipe orange frosting to create turkey feet and face.
Place M&M's on frosting for eyes.
original source unknown
Ingredients:
1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing (5 rolls)
10 slices bacon
10 candy eyeballs or chocolate chips
5 pieces candy corn
15 mini pretzel sticks, cut in half
Directions:
Divide rolls and place on cooking sheet. Unroll 1" of each; tuck end into the roll to form the neck of the turkey. Bake according to directions.
Cook bacon, keeping it as flat as possible. Cut each strip in half and tuck 4 halves into the back of each cinnamon roll to form feathers.
Grab a couple of cans of crescent rolls. If you have the time and enjoy baking, make up a batch of butter horn rolls. (For best results use a higher-fat-content roll so the thankful stripes don't stick.) Cut stripes of paper that are approximately 1/2" x 3". With a pencil write or draw a picture of something that you are thankful for.
Roll the crescent rolls into triangle shapes. Place one thankful strip into each roll. Loosely wrap the roll into crescent shape. (Tightly rolling will make the paper stick. Some sources suggested smearing butter on the strips.) Bake according to directions. Allow to cool before breaking open. More tips...
