By JODIE FITZ
The holidays are here, and there are school parties and gatherings galore. You and your child will enjoy whipping up these fun “frosty” treats to share or just enjoy when the hustle and bustle quiets down.
The decorate-your-own Snowman Cookies will make a great treat to leave out on Christmas Eve for Santa and his reindeer, but they are also a fun way to share some time getting creative with friends and family. The Melted Snowman Shake is full of ingredients that are good for you, and it can easily be modified for those with dairy or nut allergies.
Snowman Cookies
(Ingredients are per cookie.)
1 Sugar cookie (store bought or fresh-baked)
2 tablespoons vanilla butter cream frosting
Black gel or chocolate decorating frosting
Mini pastel marshmallows
1 orange slice candy
1 string of a pull and peel Twizzler
Frost the cookie with the vanilla butter cream frosting, and cut the string of Twizzler in half to wrap around the top half of the cookie to serve as the top of the earmuffs.
Select two matching colors of mini pastel marshmallows. Press them slightly to flatten and place them firmly in place so that they stick to the frosting on either end of the cut Twizzler.
Use the tubed frosting to create two eyes and a mouth.
Cut the orange slice candy in half lengthwise. Then cut one half into small triangles to create noses. Add one to the center of each cookie.
The Melted Snowman (A Vanilla “Fake Shake)
3 cups of ice
1 ½ cups of 1 percent milk
6 ounces low fat vanilla yogurt
1 banana
3 tablespoons honey
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Put the ice, milk, banana, honey and vanilla extract into a blender and blend.
Optional: Serve the shake in a snowman decorated bell jar using ribbon, black construction paper and decorative paper straws.
Dairy allergies? Use the So Delicious Vanilla Coconut yogurt alternative with coconut milk (it does have a more tropical flavor), or try the vanilla almond yogurt alternative with almond milk or cashew milk. The cashew does make for a creamier mix.
Nut allergies? Add an extra cup of ice. And use rice milk plus 1 additional teaspoon of vanilla.