Tree Rice Crispy Treat
These rice crispy treats look impressive, but they are super simple to put together.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounces marshmallows (or 4 cups miniature marshmallows)
- 6 cups crispy rice cereal
- 12 to 14 candy canes
- Decorations: Red and green gel icing, M&Ms, and colored sugar
STEPS
- Gather the ingredients.
- Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and the marshmallows in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the marshmallows melt completely.
- Immediately stir in the crispy rice cereal. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, so that the rice crispy treats are about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.
- Spray a sharp knife generously with cooking spray. Use it to cut the rice crispy treats into large triangles.
- Break or cut the candy canes into 3-inch pieces. Insert a candy cane into the bottom of each rice crispy treat triangle to form the trunk of the Christmas tree.
- Let the rice crispy treats cool completely before decorating with icing, candies, and colored sugar.
Dirt Cake
This dirt cake recipe is a fun cooking activity to do with your buddy. It is easy to make as there is no baking or heating required.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 box chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
- 2 (3.9-ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- 8 ounces of softened cream cheese
- 2 or 3 gummy worms
- A wide flower pot
STEPS
- Gather the ingredients.
- Wash a 7-inch deep by 9-inch wide flower pot with soap and warm water. Dry and line with plastic wrap. (If the flower pot has a hole at the bottom, place it on a clean dish. If you are using a regular dish, then you do not need to line it with plastic wrap.)
- Place chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the cookies become coarse crumbs.
- Whisk together the chocolate pudding and milk until thick and pudding-like. Chill while making the cream cheese mixture.
- Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Beat in 1 container of thawed whipped topping until smooth.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to the chocolate pudding mixture, mixing until smooth.
- Place a layer of the cookie crumbs in the bottom of the lined flower pot.
- Top with a layer of the chocolate pudding mixture.
- Continue making layers of the dirt cake: the cookie crumbs, then the chocolate pudding mixture, until there is about 1 inch left at the top. (Note: Be sure to leave plenty of cookie crumbs for the top - you can't have a dirt cake without a lot of dirt!)
- Spread the remaining container of thawed whipped topping over the last layer of chocolate pudding.
- Top with the remaining cookie crumbs and place a few gummy worms on the dirt cake. You could even bury them partially, making it look like they are crawling out of the dirt.
- Place a clean fake flower stem in the dirt to finish the effect.