Welcome to our Quarterly version of Cooking with Kids! We LOVE having the opportunity to get our hands dirty for delicious results!
In this blog, you’ll find a few simple recipes for your kiddos to enjoy and help you create for your upcoming holiday get togethers! The best part?! NO OVEN! No unnecessary burns or upset kiddos because we don’t need to even turn the stove on 😊
CANDY CANE POPCORN
Who doesn’t love some comforting salted buttered popcorn? Well, imagine a world where that delicious treat was ALSO sweet! Grab yourself a full bag of freshly popped popcorn. If you’re brave, you can pop it on the stove… but that’s not necessary since we want to avoid the oven and stove today. Add six or seven candy canes to your food processor and crushhhhhh them! Warm up some almond bark or white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Be sure to stir the chocolate to avoid burning in the microwave. You can always try a double boiler if its easier. While the chocolate is starting to cool, pour it onto the popcorn in a bowl. Mix thoroughly! Drop the popcorn onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper… and sprinkle your candy cane mix on top! While you allow it to cool at room temperature, notice the mixture will all start to stick together. Break this into sections so you can easily separate into zipper bags to share with your friends!
INGREDIENTS: 1 Bag Microwave Popcorn | 6-7 Large Unwrapped Candy Canes | 12 Oz White Chocolate Chips or Almond Bark
TURTLE CANDIES
Each ingredient in these delicious desserts is so important for the final flavor! These are so simple and fun to make! Cover your baking tray with parchment and spray it with cooking spray. Spread and arrange your pecans in clusters of 4 in an X shape. Unwrap your caramels and put into a microwave safe bowl. Start melting them while stirring every 30 seconds. If you think they’re getting stiff… add a teaspoon of water. Put a spoonful of caramel onto each set of pecans. Set them aside and let them cool. We’ll melt the chocolate now… In a microwave safe bowl, melt the choloate chips. Stir regularly or every 30 seconds to avoid burning. You can use a double boiler in the microwave also. Put a spoonful or chocolate on top of the caramel. When this cools, you’ll have the PERFECT dessert for any fall or winter occasion!
INGREDIENTS: 6 Oz Pecan Halves |12 oz soft caramels | 8 Oz semisweet chocolate chips or bars
PEANUT BUTTER OAT COOKIES
Those amazing bars that we don’t give enough credit too… the ones that you want to sneak away in your pocket from the pot luck… THOSE delicious bars only take five minutes to make! Combine your peanut butter and honey in a microwave safe dish. Stir every thirty seconds to ensure it stays smooth. Add your rolled oats and cocoa powder. Stir, stir, stir! This is the MESSY part! The dough will be messy, but if you use a little corn starch or water on your hands it will make it easier to portion. Form each cookie in a ball shape and press down slightly on the top to flatten. Place on your parchment covered baking sheet and refrigerate. These are delicious at ANY temperature… so feel free to snag one while they’re chilling 😊
Cooking with your kids is SUCH a fun task. If your kiddos are interested in science, math, and just about any subject can use their talents in the kitchen. One of the biggest tools we use at Yellow Brick Road is redirection. We choose to redirect behaviors before they get too big for us to handle. Learning a skill, including culinary arts, is a fantastic redirection. Think about it… learning fire safety, heat protection, measurements, cause and effect. The kitchen is FULL of wonderful tools for use to utilize! Please be sure to always supervise your kiddos so we don’t end up learning lessons the tough way. We want to encourage all children to learn their life skills and be confident in building on their talents!
What are YOUR favorite no-bake holiday recipes?