December 2023

• Let your friends and family decide who makes the best Christmas cookie!
• You can use some of your family favorite recipes or try something new like Christmas Wreaths or Chocolate Crinkles

Christmas Wreaths 

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• 30 large marshmallows
• 1 ½ teaspoons green food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon red hot candies

Directions

• Gather ingredients
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows, and cook stirring constantly, until melted.
• Remove from heat, stir in food coloring and vanilla extract, then stir in Corn Flakes.
• Set out one or two sheets of waxed paper. Fill a skillet with 1 inch of very hot water. Place the saucepan into the skillet so the cookie dough stays warm.
• Quickly drop a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough onto the waxed paper, and use lightly greased fingers to form it into a wreath shape (this is where the kids can really help). Immediately decorate the cookie with red hot candies. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• Allow cookies to cool to room temperature before removing from waxed paper, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Crinkles

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

• Gather ingredients.
• Mix sugar, cocoa, and oil together in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture until thoroughly mixed. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 
• Roll or scoop chilled dough into 1-inch balls. Coat each ball in confectioners’ sugar and place 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

• Build a fort around your Christmas tree and read some of your favorite Chrismtas books before bed!
• Check out some of these amazing free books read aloud at https://www.justbooksreadaloud.com/IndexCategory.php?t=Category&p1=Christmas&p2=

Paper Plate Ornament

Supplies

• Paper plate
• crayons/markers
• gems/stickers
• Hole puncher
• String to hang plate on

Steps

• Color the plate with either markers or crayons
• Decorate the plate using gems, stickers, etc.
• Punch 2 holes at the top of the plate
• Put the string through the holes and tie so you can hang it on the tree.
• Don’t forget to put your name and year on it!

Handprint Salt Dough Ornament

Supplies

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1.5 cups warm water

Steps

• Combine all ingredients and mix well until dough starts to form.
• Take dough out of the bowl and knead for at least 10 minutes.
• Roll out the dough between ¼ to ½ inch thickness.
• Press hands into dough.
• Cut out the handprint or use a bowl to create a circle around the handprint and cut it out that way. 
• Using a straw make a hole at the top of the ornament.
• Let the ornament air dry for a day.
• Once it is fully dry you can paint and decorate the ornament.
• Place string in the hole for hanging.

• Have a snowball fight indoors or outside if there’s snow.
• You can purchase indoor snowballs here (https://www.amazon.com/Narwhal-Novelties-Snowball-Fights-Snowballs/dp/B07ZBMX6BL/) or you can use items such as cotton balls, pompoms, socks, yarn, or paper.

• Create an unexpected card for someone. 
• Here’s some cards you can print and color to give out to friends and family.