Edible crafts for the holidays

Kids love crafts and kids love to eat, so why not combine these two activities to create festive centrepieces, decorations and gifts that are easy and fun to make.

Here are a few ideas to get you started. Sit down with your children and turn this into some great quality time together. Make sure you have all the ingredients before you start and cover the table to make an easy clean up.

GRAHAM CRACKER HOUSE

You can make a beautiful gingerbread house from scratch or from a kit, but here is a simple alternative that is easy for young children to make and decorate using graham crackers instead of gingerbread.

1 package graham crackers

Royal Frosting (3 egg whites, 1 lb. icing sugar)

Decorations for trimming (raisins, nuts, gum drops, chocolate chips, candy canes)

Small milk cartons

Make the Royal Frosting by beating egg whites to a frothy foam and then beating in the icing sugar.

Use the milk cartons as the base, Royal Frosting as the glue and graham crackers as the walls, stuck to the cartons. Place two graham crackers on top for the peaked roof. For very young children, you can even have these pre-made and ready to decorate.

Frost the crackers and have fun decorating with the trim. You can also make a larger house by using two two-litre milk cartons as the base.

ICE CREAM CONE CENTREPIECE

A beautiful centerpiece for the holiday table!

Cone-shaped ice cream cones

2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup margarine

1 tbsp. milk

Green food colour

Decorations for trimming (raisins, nuts, gum drops, chocolate chips)

Combine icing sugar and margarine. Add milk and food colouring then frost the inverted cones and decorate.

GINGERBREAD PEOPLE

No cookie screams Christmas like a gingerbread cookie. Okay, I will admit I have already bought ready-made gingerbread people for my nursery school class to decorate, but you more domesticated folks can make your own with this simple recipe:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp (freshly) ground nutmeg

Pinch ground black pepper (optional)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup coffee or water

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses, water and vanilla then gradually add in flour mixture until a smooth dough forms. Divide dough into two or three pieces (dough will be quite soft), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm. Preheat oven to 375F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to just under one-eight-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters of your choice (2-3 gingerbread men are ideal!) to cut dough. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on size of cookie cutter.

Cookies should be slightly firm to the touch at the edges and will be lightly browned. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, decorate with Royal Icing and decorations. Makes about 30-40 gingerbread men, depending on size of cookie cutters.

Lila Hope-Simpson is the Director of the Home and Heart Child Development Centre and Family Home Day Care Agency.

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