Kids across the country are home from school on winter break, and that means coming up with creative ways to use all that free time. One of our favorite strategies? Make something together as a family! Cooking is an especially fun and festive way to get the whole family together, teaching kids skills they can use for life as they help out with making holiday treats. Enjoy these six kid-friendly recipes from our award-winning children’s magazines!
Christmas Morning Dutch Pancakes
These puffy pancakes are perfect for Christmas morning– or any winter morning! Technically German in origin (“Dutch” is a mistranslation of “Deutsch,” the German word for German), this recipe will still be a special treat for American kids. The recipe for “Christmas Morning Dutch Pancakes” was created by Emmillie Miller for CRICKET Magazine.
What you’ll need:
- Two eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 375
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, flour, and sugar until lump-free
- On the stovetop, melt butter completely in a cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat
- Pour the batter into the hot pan and cook for one minute, then ask an adult to set the pan of batter in the oven, taking care to use an oven mitt.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown and the inside is set, not runny. (You can test this with a toothpick.)
- Ask an adult to remove pan from oven. Be careful! The handle will be really hot!
- Shake confectioners’ sugar on top of pancake, cut, and serve. Makes two to four servings.
Melting Snowman Hot Cocoa
This isn’t just a recipe– it’s a craft activity that you can give as a gift to friends, family, or teachers! Kids will love putting these adorable snowman cocoa jars together! “Melting Snowman Hot Cocoa” appeared in the “Ophelia’s Last Word” section of SPIDER Magazine.
What you’ll need:
- Mason jar with lid
- 1 cup of your favorite hot cocoa mix
- 4 to 6 large marshmallows
- Ribbon
- Edible-ink pens
- Pencil
- Cellophane bag with twisty tie
- Hole puncher
What to do:
- Use edible-ink pens to draw snowman faces on two of the marshmallows and buttons on the rest. Let dry for an hour.
- Fill the bag with 1 cup of hot cocoa mix. Twist closed with the tie.
- Place the bag of cocoa at the bottom of the jar. Arrange the marshmallows on top of the cocoa, facing out. Screw on the lid.
- Write the following recipe on your note card: 3 tablespoons of cocoa + 1 cup hot water or milk + marshmallows = melting snowman cocoa!
- Punch a hole in the note card. Pull a ribbon through the hole and tie the ribbon around the jar’s lid.
Tasty Kwanzaa Tabbouleh
The week-long celebration of Kwanzaa begins on December 26! Kwanzaa celebrates African-American culture and was inspired by traditional African harvest festivals. This delicious dish features the Kwanzaa colors: red, black, and green! This recipe appeared in SPIDER Magazine last year.
What you’ll need:
- Boiling water
- 1 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- Lettuce leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
- Ask an adult to help you soften the bulgur by pouring boiling water over it. Soak for 1 hour.
- Pour off water and drain well
- Combine bulgur with remaining ingredients. Place lettuce leaves on plates, spoon mixture on top, and enjoy!
Bonnie’s “Forgotten” Holiday Cookies
Max Eber shared his Grandma Bonnie’s magical meringue cookie recipe in CRICKET Magazine. The secret to these crispy but light-as-air cookies comes from ‘forgetting’ them in the oven overnight! Add any flavorings or colorings you’d like to make them your own.
What you’ll need:
- 2 egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, chopped mint-flavored chocolates, or colored sprinkles
- 1 teaspoon other flavored extract (optional)
- Malt powder or cocoa powder (optional)
- 1 to 3 cups food coloring (optional)
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put egg whites, sugar, and salt in large bowl and beat with electric mixer on high speed, gradually adding vanilla and/or other extract, malt or cocoa powder, and food coloring, if desired. Continue beating until mixture will stand in stiff peaks.
- Fold chocolate chips or sprinkles into mixture with a spatula.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Drop meringue mixture with small scoop or by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet in rows.
- Turn oven heat off! Place cookie sheet of meringues in oven. Close oven door and leave cookies in overnight (or for at least eight hours).
- Next morning, open the oven door and remove the ‘forgotten’ cookies! Lift cookies off of the paper with a spatula and store in a wax paper-lined container or place on a serving plate.
Glorious Gelt
Hanukkah may be over this year, but we’re giving you a head start on this recipe so you can perfect it for next year! When children spin the dreidel on the eight nights of Hanukkah, they hope to win these chocolate gold coins called ‘gelt,’ the Yiddish term for money. Make your own at home with this recipe by Emily Cambias from SPIDER Magazine!
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Microwaveable bowl
- Spoon
- Mini cupcake lines
- Baking sheet or muffin tin
- Toothpick
- Gold or silver foil
- Scissors
What to do:
- Arrange mini cupcake liners on the baking sheet or muffin tin.
- Pour chocolate chips into the bowl. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds, then stir. Repeat until chocolate chips are melted and smooth.
- Spoon a small amount of warm chocolate into a cupcake liner. Gently tap the liner until the chocolate covers the bottom. If air bubbles form, pop them with a toothpick. Repeat for each liner.
- Put chocolates in the freezer for an hour or until solid
- To make a wrapper, cut out the bottom of a cupcake liner. Cut pieces of foil that are about an inch larger than the liner bottom. Snip off the corners of the foil so that it has eight sides. Make an incision in each side, about half an inch long. Make one for each coin.
- Remove chocolates from the freezer. One by one, peel off each cupcake liner and put the coin in the center of a wrapper. Wrap the foil neatly around the coin. Your homemade gelt is ready to go! Fancy a game of dreidel?
