My Chocolate Fantasy

If you’re a busy mom searching for simple and quirky Halloween snacks for your kids, this article will get you covered. One of the best things about this holiday is that it’s relatively easy to play up with food. It excites kids to actually eat stuffs that scare or repel them. Here are some simple Halloween snacks that kids will surely love.

Witches’ broomsticks

This type of finger food is so easy to prepare. You will need pretzel sticks, a block of cheese and a pack of chives. To prepare, slice the cheese into strips the size of matchsticks. Put a stalk of chives on the surface you’re working. Place the cheese strips along the piece of chives. Be sure to leave about an inch on every side of uncovered chive.

Then, top with the pretzel stick. Pull the chive around the pretzel stick gently as you lift the cheese as well. Next, wrap the ends of the chive together. Arrange it on a serving platter, attached side down. Chill first before serving.

Monster Pops

This quick and exciting treat will make kids crave for more.  You will need big marshmallows, lollipop sticks, sweet white chocolate, frosting, a block of floral foam and green food coloring. You can buy lollipop sticks at any of your local party store or craft shop.

To prepare, insert a lollipop stick into each marshmallow. Inside a double boiler or a pan in medium heat, melt the white chocolate and then slowly add a few drops of green food coloring. Stir constantly until it is mixed evenly with the chocolate. Remove the mixture from heat. Dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate until it’s coated, but avoid dipping for too long to keep the marshmallow from melting.

Let it stay upright using the floral foam. Repeat the same process for the rest of the marshmallows. Once all have been coated, put in the fridge until the chocolate sets. Then you can start decorating with icing. Finally, stick the lollipops into a real or synthetic pumpkin or serve in floral foam.

Creepy fingers

The beauty of this chewy, crackly treat is that you only need four ingredients to prepare it. Now you will finally have a good reason to nibble on fingers. To create creepy fingers, you will need three eggs, 1/3 teaspoon cream of tartar, ¾ cup refined sugar and whole almonds. To prepare, preheat oven to about 200 degrees. Then, line your baking pan with parchment paper.

Separate the egg whites from the yolk, beating only the egg whites inside your mixing bowl using a whisker. Beat well until you get a nice, soft fluff. Mix the cream of tartar into the foam well. Add the sugar gradually into the bowl, beating it on high until it forms stiff peaks.

Now, put the mixture in a large, plastic bag. Cut a tiny hole at the tip of the bag and then pipe it on the baking pan shaping it like fingers. Press almond onto the tip of the finger. Bake for about two hours in the oven; until they are crispy and dry.

Nothing puts a smile on a childs face like viewing their birthday cake for the first time. And lets face it, few things out there are as satisfying for us mothers either.

Decorating a special cake for your child can be so much fun. For our girls, whimsical themes and gelati colours are in order, and for our boys, bright, bold and colorful is all it takes to make a little man smile. 

But what icing is best for the type of cake you want to create? 

I categorize icing into 5 main types, and each one has its place in the cool cakes for kids arena. Understanding the types if icing will help you successfully plan your groovy cake design and save you a lot of heartbreak. 

#1: Buttercream 

Buttercream icing is a combination of softened butter, fine sugar and some sort of liquid flavor and coloring. It is essential to use a fine sugar when making buttercream icing as it melts very easily and importantly, contains small amounts of cornstarch which helps to stabalize the icing…This also explains why it doesn’t taste so good in coffee! 

Buttercream icing is so easy to work with as it’s smooth consistency makes it so suitable for use with piping bags. It is the perfect icing for little cupcakes as you can get it through the piping bag tips with only one hand, allowing you to hold and manoeuvre the cupcake with the other. 

#2: Ganache 

Ganache is a fancy French term that simply means chocolate melted with heavy cream. When warm you can pour it over the cake for a gorgeous shiny glaze, just watch your chocolate loving child’s eyes pop from their little faces as they peer over the counter top as you do this, its so cute. Ganache is so versatile, you can use it as a chocolate sauce for a pudding, dip strawberries in it, or just lick it off the spoon. You can make ganache into a frosting if you chill for a bit then beat it till fluffy, perfect for layer cakes. 

Best of all though, make sure that you pop a tiny bit of the ganache into the fridge for later. Once it has chilled you can scoop out little spoonfuls, roll into balls and dip into melted chocolate for yummy after party truffles just for you. 

#3: Glaze 

Glaze is the simplest of icings. It is simply some fine sugar, melted over boiling water with a little bit of liquid flavour, usually fruit such as a squeeze of lemon or scoop of passion fruit. It forms a very thin liquid consistency and is simply drizzled over the cake to form a hard crust when it cools.  i love the way it cracks when you bite into it, yum. 

#4: Royal Icing 

Royal icing is one of the most commonly used icings in cake decorating, it contains powdered sugar, egg whites and liquid. Its consistency should be similar to pancake batter and needs to flow easily in order to work it through a piping bag. You need to be quite confidant with your icing skills when using royal icing though as it sets very quickly. 

#5: Fondant Icing 

When it comes to really groovy cake designs fondant icing is my personal favourite due to its amazing versatility. You can make some seriously cool cakes with this as once made it is rolled out like pastry allowing you to cover cakes of all shapes and sizes. You can cut out shapes with cookie cutters, you can dye or even paint it with liquid food coloring, and as such the possibilities are endless. Fondant icing can be tricky though, sometimes having the tendency to sweat, so working at the right temperature is really important. 

Now that you understand these 5 simple icing categories go and plan your groovy cake that will put a smile on your child’s face, and the Best Mum on the Planet award on your forehead. Enjoy!

 

These old fashion cookie recipes are perfect for lunchboxes, after school treats, or just because.  They are also great for shipping to the kids away at school, soldiers in the US or overseas, out-of-state grandparents, etc.  Today’s recipes include Old Timey Oatmeal Cookies that also offers a variation for making Oatmeal-Raisin cookies.  Geraldine’s Fudge Cookies are just a simple old-fashion chocolate cookie that is sure to please chocoholics everywhere.  These cookies are so easy they are perfect for the kids to help with.  This is especially important to children who can help make something to send to parents who are away in the military.OLD TIMEY OATMEAL COOKIESThis recipe is so old, I don’t know where it came from.3/4 cup lard (or shortening)1 cup firmly packed brown sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar1 egg1/4 cup water1 tsp vanilla1 cup sifted all-purpose flour1 tsp salt1/2 tsp baking soda3 cups uncooked oatsBeat the lard (or shortening), brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, water, and vanilla together until creamy. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture; blend well. Stir in the oats and drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) for 12 to 15 minutes.Variation: You could add 3/4 cup raisins for Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies. GERALDINE’S FUDGE COOKIES1 cup flour4 tbsp cocoa1 tsp vanilla1 cup sugar2 eggs1/2 cup butter, meltedIn a mixing bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, and sugar together. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and butter. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!