The Preschooler’s Busy Book (7 page)

1.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.
Cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.

3.
Add corn syrup, salt, vanilla, and oats.
Mix well.

4.
Spread mixture evenly in a greased baking pan.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Cool slightly.

5.
Spread peanut butter evenly over top.

6.
Combine chocolate chips and butter in a small saucepan, and melt until smooth.
Drizzle over the peanut butter, or dot onto the peanut butter with a teaspoon and use the point of a knife to swirl the chocolate.

7.
Cool until the chocolate sets, then cut into squares.

Ingredients

Dough:

2 cups sugar

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa

1 cup butter

4 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons boiling water

2 teaspoons vanilla

Materials

Large bowl, medium bowl

Electric mixer

9-by-13-inch baking pan, greased

1.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease the baking pan.

2.
Cream sugar, cocoa, and butter in a large bowl.

3.
Add beaten eggs and vanilla.
Then add flour and walnuts.

4.
Bake in a greased baking pan for 30 minutes.
The top will appear to be underdone (falls in the middle), but don’t overcook.
These brownies should be moist and chewy.

5.
While the brownies are baking, mix all the icing ingredients together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer.

6.
Ice the brownies immediately after removing from oven so the icing will melt into a shiny glaze.

Ingredients

1¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

½ cup + 2 tablespoons golden flavor shortening

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons water

Assorted candy for decoration

Materials

Double boiler

12-inch pizza pan

Small bowl

1.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.
Melt 1 cup chocolate chips and ½ cup shortening in a double boiler; cool.

3.
Add flour, sugar, eggs, and baking powder; mix well.

4.
Spread evenly onto a well-greased 12-inch pizza pan.

5.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Cool.

6.
Combine ¾ cup chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons of shortening, and 2 tablespoons of water in a double boiler; melt, then stir to combine.

7.
Spread glaze over cooled pizza.
Decorate with candies.

This is a very easy and tasty recipe that kids can make themselves with a little help.

Ingredients

1½ cups Rice Krispies

1 cup carob or chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter

Materials

Wax paper

Double boiler

12 muffin cups

1.
Roll the rice cereal between wax paper until it is a powdery texture.

2.
Melt the carob or chocolate chips in a double boiler; remove from heat.

3.
Add the peanut butter and cereal powder.
Mix well.

4.
Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups, smooth the surface, and cool in the refrigerator to harden.
You may want to line the muffin cups with aluminum foil, or spray them with vegetable spray so the cups will come out easier.
However, do not use paper liners, as the paper will absorb the oil from the peanut butter.

This is a wonderful snack to munch on as you watch your favorite movie, television show, or home video together.
But be warned—it’s addictive!

Ingredients

½ cup butter or margarine, melted

½ cup honey

1 cup peanuts or other nuts, chopped

12 cups popped popcorn

Materials

Small saucepan

Cookie sheet

1.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.
Combine melted butter or margarine and honey in a small saucepan; heat until well-blended.
Add chopped nuts.

3.
Pour over the popcorn and mix well.

4.
Spread the popcorn mixture in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until crisp.
Stir often to avoid burning.

Ingredients

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon white vinegar

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

½ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter

8 cups popped popcorn

Materials

Medium saucepan

Candy thermometer

Large bowl

Wax paper

1.
Stir all ingredients except popcorn and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the mixture reaches 260 degrees on a candy thermometer (hard ball stage).

2.
Reduce temperature to low; add butter.

3.
Put popcorn in a large bowl.
Pour the mixture over it, coating the popcorn.
Cool slightly.

4.
Butter your child’s hands and let him mold the popcorn into animal shapes.
Place the shapes on wax paper until ready to eat.

A new way to serve an old favorite!

Ingredients

¼ cup margarine or butter

4 cups miniature, or 40 regular, marshmallows

5 cups Rice Krispies

Materials

3-quart saucepan

Popsicle sticks

1.
Melt margarine in a saucepan, then add marshmallows and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until syrupy.

2.
Remove from heat, add cereal, and stir until well coated.

3.
Shape the mixture into an oval around a wooden Popsicle stick.

To make Rice Krispie Tarts:
Prepare recipe as above.
Add cereal and stir until well coated.
Press the mixture into a buttered muffin tin to form a tart shell; fill with fresh fruit or ice cream.

Ingredients

1 package Kool-Aid

1 package Jell-O

1¼ cups sugar

¾ cup hot water

¾ cup cold water

Materials

2 bowls

Popsicle molds

1.
Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl.

2.
Measure 6 tablespoons of the dry ingredients into a another bowl; add the hot and cold water.

3.
Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze.

4.
Store the remaining dry ingredients in an airtight container for future use.

Ingredients

¼ cup butter

¾ cup sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

Food coloring

Materials

16 Popsicle sticks

Cookie sheet, buttered

Medium saucepan

Candy thermometer

Tablespoon

Plastic wrap

1.
Evenly space 16 Popsicle sticks on a buttered cookie sheet.

2.
In a saucepan, heat butter, sugar, and corn syrup over medium-high heat; stir until it boils.
Reduce heat to medium.
Cook until mixture reaches 270 degrees on a candy thermometer, stirring often.

3.
Add food coloring.

4.
Drop the mixture by tablespoon onto the end of each Popsicle stick.
Cool.

5.
When the lollipops are cool, take them off the cookie sheet and wrap them in plastic wrap.

The following Finger Jell-O recipes make use of different ingredients, but give basically the same result.
Use the recipe that best suits the ingredients you have on hand or prefer to use.