Candy Cane Fudge

This fudge is a delightfully festive looking treat for the holidays! It is easy to make, can be made by children and makes a great homemade gift for the neighbors and your kids' teachers. It is a twist on my original Quick Fudge recipe.

 Ingredients

2 cups white chocolate chips or 450g white chocolate
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
10 to 12 candy canes

Directions

Crush candy canes into very small broken pieces. (A mortar and pestle work great for this, or just put them in a seal-able storage and roll a rolling pin over it several times.)

In large glass measuring cup, combine white chocolate  and sweetened condensed milk.

Microwave on high 3 minutes.

Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

Stir in vanilla extract.

Stir in 2/3 of the crushed candy canes.

Spread evenly into foil-lined 8-inch square pan.

Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes over the top.

Chill until firm, about 2 hours. Makes about 1 1/4 pounds fudge.


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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

This is simple to make, does not require the use of an oven (only a microwave) and kids will love it!


Ingredients:


1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup sugar
mini cupcake papers



Directions:

1. Mix the peanut butter, butter and sugar in a bowl and set aside.

2. Melt the chocolate in a mug by placing it in the microwave for 2 minutes, stopping the microwave to stir the chocolate half-way through.

3. When the chocolate is soft and fully melted, place a teaspoon into each mini cupcake paper and spread across the bottom.

4. Place a small amount of the peanut butter mixture in the center fo the chocolate in each mini cupcake holder.

5. Cover the peanut bitter with more of the melted chocolate.

6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

7. Enjoy!





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Easy Banana Bread

This recipe only takes 5 minutes to prepare before baking. Adults will need to put the mixture into the oven and remove it from the oven, but children can do all of the measuring and mixing themselves.

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.

3. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.

4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

5. Add the flour last and mix.

6. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.

7. Bake for 1 hour.

8. Cool on a rack.

9. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Enjoy!


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Rock Cakes

My husband grew up having these as a special treat. So today, he brought the kids into the kitchen and taught them how to make these fruity rock cakes.



Serves 12.

Ingredients

225g plain flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
110g butter or margarine
110g mixed dried fruit
55g raisins
55g caster sugar
1 medium egg
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
demerera sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C (180C for fan-assisted ovens) or 400F.

2. line or grease baking tray.

3. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and butter in a bowl.

4. Add the fruit, raisins, sugar and egg and mix well.

5. Mix in two tablespoons of milk.

6. Spoon 12 large spoonfuls on the tray or trays, spearating by about 1 1/2 inches form each other.

7. Sprinkle the tops with demerera sugar.

8. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 minutes after removing from the oven.

Serve and enjoy!

Make sure the parent or adult operates the oven and places in and removes the cakes from the oven for safety.





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Reduced Sugar Belgian Chocolate Truffles

These are delicious and decadent tasting smooth and creamy chocolate truffles.

The version noted here for is Belgian chocolate, but these could just as easily be made in any flavor, from simple mint chocolate to toffee chocolate or orange chocolate, depending on which flavor of Options or Skinny Cow sachet is used.

These are very easy to make and don't require any actual cooking other than a minute's use of the microwave, so kids can easily make these!

(The next time I make these, I will add a photo to this post.)

Makes 20

Ingredients

50g Dark Chocolate
113g Quark
6 tbsp sweetener
2 sachets of Belgian Chocolate flavor Options
1 tsp Cocoa to dust (1/2 syn per tsp)

Directions

1. Melt chocolate in microwave for 1 minute

2. Beat Quark with sweetener until creamy. Add melted chocolate and mix well.

3. Add the Options sachets and mix well.

4. Make into 20 blobs using a teaspoon and put on greaseproof paper or wax paper.

5. Put into the fridge to harden for about two hours.

6. Remove from the fridge and shape into balls.

7. Roll in cocoa powder and set in the fridge overnight.

8. Serve and enjoy!


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Chocolate Spoons

These are incredibly easy to make and can be used as they are for a sweet chocolate lollipop or to stir into hot chocolate or for stirring coffee to add a bit of chocolate to it.

Ingredients

2 cups milk chocolate chips
plastic spoons
decorations (sprinkles)

Directions

Put the chocolate chips in a microwave safe mug and microwave for one minute.

Mix the melted chocolate chips until smooth and creamy.

Dip plastic spoons into the mug until the mouth of them is covered in chocolate. Tap on the side of to get any excess chocolate off each spoon.
Lay the spoons face down on wax paper/grease-proof paper and let cool until the chocolate hardens.

Sprinkle the cake decorations over both sides of the spoons.

There is also the option of making the spoons without any colorful cake decorations. The decorations just make the spoons more festive in appearance.



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Chocolate Cornflake Krackles

This recipe is very simple for kids to make and you only need to use the microwave for the melting process.

Ingredients

2 cups cornflakes cereal
1 large bar of baking chocolate
Silver Balls (optional)

Directions

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. (This only takes about a minute or two.)

Stir the chocolate until it is all melted together and smooth.

Add the cornflake and stir until the cornflakes are completely coated with the melted chocolate.

Spoon the mixture into cupcake or muffin cases.

Set out to cool until the chocolate hardens.

Enjoy!





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Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs

This is a really easy recipe for kids to make that doesn't require any baking or boiling.

Ingredients

1 heaping tbsp. smooth peanut butter (crunchy peanut butter can be used if a more crunchy texture is preferred)
1 heaping tbsp. golden syrup
1 heaping tsp. soft margarine or butter
2 heaping tbsp. brown sugar
2 heaping tbsp. caster sugar
2 heaping tsp. cocoa powder
powdered sugar/icing sugar

Directions

Mix the butter and the golden syrup together in a bowl, then add the peanut butter and mix it in.

Next add the cocoa powder and mix thoroughly.

Add the brown sugar and the caster sugar to the mixture and mix until thick enough to form balls. (If the mixture is still too sticky to form balls, you can add a tiny bit of plain flour to thicken it up, but usually this will not be necessary.)

Form the mixture into ten separate balls and roll each one in the powdered sugar (icing sugar) until fully coated.

Place the snowballs on a plate and refrigerate for an hour.

Enjoy!






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Cocoa-Dusted Peanutty Balls

This is a really easy recipe for kids to make that doesn't require any baking or boiling.

Ingredients

1 heaping tbsp. smooth peanut butter (crunchy peanut butter can be used if a more crunchy texture is preferred)
1 heaping tbsp. golden syrup
1 heaping tsp. soft margarine or butter
2 heaping tbsp. brown sugar
2 heaping tbsp. caster sugar
cocoa powder

Directions

Mix the butter and the golden syrup together in a bowl, then add the peanut butter and mix it in.

Add the brown sugar and the caster sugar to the mixture and mix until thick enough to form balls. (If the mixture is still too sticky to form balls, you can add a tiny bit of plain flour to thicken it up, but usually this will not be necessary.)

Form the mixture into ten separate balls and roll each one in the cocoa powder until fully coated.

Place the cocoa-dusted peanutty balls on a plate and refrigerate for an hour.

Enjoy!




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Pumpkin Raisin Muffins & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins





Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (or pumpkin puree)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.

3. Add wet mixture and stir in raisins. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins





Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (or pumpkin puree)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.

3. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.




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Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, margarine, shortening
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp clover
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 175C. Grease cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, eggs and canned pumpkin puree. Once smooth, add the flour, soda, cinnamon, clover, nutmeg and ginger. Stir until dough forms. Fold in the raisins.

3. Spoon batter onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on cooling rack before serving.






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Edible Peanut Butter Marshmallow Playdough

Kids have a lot of fun making this! It's very messy but ultimately worth the mess! Despite being messy, this is so easy for children to make.



Ingredients

Marshmallows
Peanut butter

Directions

1. Top several marshmallows each with a spoonful of peanut butter. Start kneading the two together until it forms a smooth ball that can be manipulated like playdough.

2. Play with the playdough balls and form shapes, use cookie cutters in it and generally just play with it the way you would normal playdough.

3. Eat the playdough. Yum!





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Cookies & Cream Dessert

This is so easy for your kids to make, and it's relatively healthy too!



Serves 1.

Ingredients

1 Oreo Cookie
100g Fat-free Greek Yogurt
Sweetener (to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

1. Mix the sweetener, yogurt and vanilla extract together in a bowl.

2. In another bowl, place the Oreo cookie and, using the back of a spoon, crush it until it is a combination of small chunks and powder.

3. Mix the crushed Oreo in with the yogurt mixture.

4. Spoon into a small bowl for serving.

Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches

These ice cream sandwiches are easy to make and are a little healthier than store bought ice cream sandwiches.



Ingredients
1 packet Sugar-free Dream Topping/Dream Whip
300ml Semi-skimmed or 1% fat milk
30 digestive biscuits (or, in the U.S.A., you can use graham crackers)
Cling film (or, in the U.S.A., you can use Saran Wrap)

1. Using a mixer, mix the Dream Topping and milk according to the instructions on the packet.

2. Spread the whipped mixture onto 15 biscuits.



3. Place another digestive on top of the ones with the whipped topping, being careful not to press the digestives down.

4. Carefully wrap some cling film around each digestive, being gentle and taking care not to press the two digestives together.

5. Freeze for one hour.



Optional:
For variation, mix hot chocolate powder into the whipped topping. There are several flavors of whipped topping to choose from, including mint chocolate, regular chocolate, and toffee.

Candy Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is very simple, but, for very young children, will require an adult to use the oven. This also makes a colorful cookie for Halloween.



Ingredients
cookie dough mix
package of candy corn
low calorie cooking oil spray

Prepare the cookie dough mix as instructed on the packaging. (Some only need water added which is ideal when cooking by kids, but other mixes may require eggs and/or butter. Alternatively, buy pre-made cookie dough, although your child will miss out on the "mixing" part of the preparations this way.)

Place spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a baking tray sprayed with low-cal cooking oil spray. Add one candy corn on the top of each cookie right in the middle.

Bake as instructed on cookie dough packaging. The candy corn will become slightly melted but stil retain most of its shape once the cookie is finished baking.