18 Fun Foods Your Kids Can Help You Prepare During Christmas

Posted: December 22, 2021 1:47 pm

As Christmas draws near, families come together to celebrate the holidays. For many people, this means cooking plenty of holiday meals and snacks to feed everyone who stops by throughout December. Preparing some of these foods can be a bit daunting, but it just got easier! Check out these foods you can prepare with your kids during the holiday season.

1. Peppermint Patties
These are classic Christmas candy that your kids can help you make. They’re easy to make and only require simple ingredients like sugar, peppermint extract, butter, and corn syrup. You can dip them in chocolate when your patties are done to create a delicious treat! It is best to let them cool completely before dipping them in chocolate.

2. Christmas Cookies
There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked cookies, and your kids can help you make these classics during Christmas. Be sure to have all of your ingredients ready to go, including sugar, butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and the extract of your choice. Let them mix the ingredients, roll out the dough, and bake!

3. Christmas Cake
This moist, fruity cake is a delicious option for dessert on Christmas! The best part about this recipe is that it is easy to customize with your kids. Your child can help you decide what types of fruits and nuts to add in the batter or as decorations on top. They can even decorate it themselves before you pop it in the oven!

4. Sugar Cookies
Your kids will have a blast making these festive cookies from scratch! It’s also a great activity when they’re feeling restless during holiday family gatherings – give them some cookie cutters and let them go wild! You’ll want to make sure you have butter, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla extract, and flour on hand before you start.

5. Peanut Butter Balls
These tasty treats are great for gift-giving or enjoying yourself! To make these delicious balls of joy, your kids will need some sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla extract, confectioner’s sugar (for rolling), and chocolate chips. If you want to be extra luxurious with your treats this year, try making them dark chocolate! You can even let your child roll the dough into different shapes – hearts are always a fun option. Be sure to decorate them with sprinkles for an extra festive touch during the holidays!

6. Fruitcake
This dense cake is made with chopped dried fruit and nuts, so it’s perfect for the Christmas season. If you’re looking for a recipe that is a bit more hands-on, your kids can help you make it. They can mix all ingredients, put it in the pan, and bake it!

7. Cranberry Sauce
This sauce is a must-have on any holiday table, and your kids can help make it! All you need is fresh cranberries, sugar, water, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla extract. Let them help you cook the cranberries until they burst, and then mix everything to create this delicious side dish.

8. Gingerbread Men
These festive cookies are always popular during the holidays, and your kids can help you decorate them! Your child will need flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil for this recipe. Your little one can even have a blast with shapes to create their creative design. If the dough is too sticky for them to work with it straight from the bowl, try adding some extra flour into the batter first.

9. Fruitcake Pops
These adorable treats are perfect for kids! They’re easy to make, fun to eat, and won’t cause too much of a sugar rush during the holidays. To make them, you will need dried fruit cake mix (or any leftover fruit cake), melted dark or white chocolate chips, lollipop sticks, sprinkles or M&Ms, and ribbon candy sprinkles once they’ve been dipped in the chocolate mixture and allow time to dry before decorating with your toppings of choice.

10. Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
Give your Christmas cookies a delicious twist this year by decorating them like Christmas trees! This recipe is great for kids because it only requires green icing and round sugar cookies (store-bought or homemade). The rest is up to your child! Let them decide which colors and shapes they want to decorate with, then let the Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies dry before serving.

11. Maple Crunch
This crunchy treat is perfect for when you need a sweet snack but doesn’t want all the extra sugar of traditional holiday treats! To make it, you will need maple syrup (the real kind), corn flakes cereal, butter, and salt. You can even let your kids help pour in the ingredients like they’re making their cereal at home! If you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to add in some chopped peanuts or almonds for an extra flavorful twist.

12. Popcorn Balls
These delicious popcorn balls are easy to make and fun for kids. Once you’ve cooked the popcorn, get your hands in there! Let them get messy with this one – it’s all part of the fun. You’ll need sugar, corn syrup (or honey), butter, vanilla extract (optional), salt (optional), and baking soda (optional). Mix everything in a large pot on the stove over medium heat for 10 minutes, then pour into bowls to cool down.

13. Peanut Brittle
This delicious candy is surprisingly easy to make! You can either let your children help you or ignore them while they stand nearby, drooling at the scent of freshly-baked peanut brittle. All you need are peanuts, brown sugar, light corn syrup, butter, baking soda, and salt. Plus, it only takes about 30 minutes to make so that you can have a delicious treat in no time!

14. Hot Cocoa Spoons
These adorable spoons are perfect for kids (and adults too). They’re made with hot cocoa mix, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract, then topped with mini marshmallows. Let your kids help you melt the chocolate and coat the spoons, then let them cool down before serving. They’ll love being able to stir their hot cocoa with their very own special spoon!

15. Chocolate Covered Pretzels
These sweet-and-salty treats are always a hit during the holidays. And they’re so easy to make that your kids can help you out! All you need are pretzels, chocolate chips, shortening (or butter), and sprinkles. Melt the chocolate and shortening together in a bowl in the microwave, then dip the pretzels into the mixture until they’re coated. Place them on a lined baking sheet to cool down and harden, then add your desired toppings.

16. Candy Cane Fudge
This festive fudge is always a hit during the holidays. It’s made with white chocolate, peppermint extract, and crushed candy canes. And it’s so easy to make that your kids can help you out! Just melt the chocolate and cream together in a pot on the stove over low heat, then pour into a baking dish. Let it cool before adding crushed candy canes for the perfect finish.

17. Scrooge Juice
This juice is a great alternative to sugary drinks while still getting some festive flavor in their bellies! You’ll need apple juice or cider, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, ginger root slices (optional), orange slices (optional), and sugar (optional). Just combine all of your ingredients in a pot over medium-high heat on the stove until the cranberries have popped and the juices are mixing. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

18. Popcorn Seasoning
Give your popcorn some extra holiday cheer with this delicious seasoning blend! To make it, you’ll need salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano (optional), and crushed red pepper flakes (optional). Mix all spices in a bowl, then sprinkle them onto your popcorn for an extra festive treat.

In conclusion, your kids can help you out in the kitchen this holiday season with all of these fun and festive recipes! From popcorn balls to candy canes, there’s something for everyone. So get your aprons on and let the cooking begin!

x

Newsletter

Get a daily dose of cooking inspiration! Be the first to see newly added recipes and holiday ideas.