Holiday Treats to Make With Your Little Sweets

    Holiday desserts and cookies are often cute, whimsical, and a great celebration of joy and innocense.  Making these wonderful creations are fantastic opportunities to spend time in the kitchen with your little chefs.  BUT... and it's a big one... the holidays are also often filled with guests, stress, and preparation.  So sometimes it's not so easy to get the time to create those sweets with your sweets.  I am going to share some great treats that require no knives or ovens so that you can work on your kitchen preparations, while the kids keep you company and create some great confections.

    I hope your family gets into the kitchen this season.

Cherry Mice                                                                                                                                    

Brown Mice                                                                                                                                        

8 maraschino cherries + stem  

8 chocolate chips
16 almond slices
1/2 c chocolate chips (melted)

White Mice
8 maraschino cherries + stem 

8 white chocolate chips
16 almond slices
1/2 c white chocolate chips (melted)                                                         

1- Drain the cherries and pat dry with paper towels. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

2- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat them until smooth, working in 15-second intervals, stirring between each so as not to burn chocolate.

3- Holding a cherry by its stem, dip it into the chocolate and swirl it around to completely cover the fruit. Set it on its side on the waxed paper and immediately press a chocolate chip onto the cherry for the head. For the ears, gently wedge two almond slices between the chip and the cherry. Repeat to make 24 mice.

4- Refrigerate them until set, about 10 minutes. Keep the mice in the fridge until you're ready to serve them or give them away.

 Optional - Pipe eyes and a nose on the mice

Cheerio Christmas Wreath

                                                         

                                                         2 cups Cheerios Cereal

  1 cup Green Candy Melts

  1Tbl Red Cinnamon Candy

 1- Line 1 cookie sheet with wax paper. Place cereal in large bowl.

 2- Melt candy melts as directed on package. Pour melted candy
     over cereal and toss to mix.

 3- For each wreath, drop about 3 tablespoons mixture onto cookie sheet. With fingers, shape into 3-inch wreath with 1-inch center opening. Immediately decorate with cinnamon candies. Let stand about 5 minutes or until set.

Marshmallow Snow People

1 bag large marshmallows
1/2c chocolate chips, melted
Orange and Brown Icing
Optional - Assorted small candies of your choice
20 8"Lollipop Sticks or Skewers
1-  Skewer 3 marshmallows so that they stack to be your snowman
2- Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. 

3- Cut 3 Marshmallows in half.  Dipin melted chocolate and set on wax paper.  The pooled chocolate will be the brim of your hat.  Let hat dry and stack on your snowman.

4- Decorate with icing or candies.  Some great options are... sprinkles, red hots, pretzels, or M&Ms.
Enjoy!!!