Edible crafts are a bit of a rage these days, and I can’t tell you how happy this post has made my children. While we went shopping for the ingredients, loading up our cart with candy, sugar, and toys, my kids kept saying, “I love you, Mommy. I love you infinity that you can’t stop me!”

Needless to say, if you try these at home, you will be the most popular person at your house, so if you need your day brightened a little . . .

Before you begin with any of these, make sure your kids’ hands are impeccably clean—I can guarantee they will make you eat one, if not all of their creations, and they will scrutinize every bite you take to ensure you love it. It’s easier to smile while you eat if you’re sure their little hands were clean.

1) Candy Play Dough

Lots of people have been talking about edible play dough lately. My favorite is to use marzipan. It’s gluten-free, and peanut free, unlike some of the other recipes out there. The best part about this is you can find a block of marzipan for about $5 in most nice grocery stores in the baking aisle.

Divide it up, add a little food coloring to each lump of marzipan, and have the kids knead it until the color is the way you want it. Then let the fun begin!

If you can’t find marzipan, you can always make it yourself. Here’s my recipe:

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups finely ground almond flour
3 tablespoons pasteurized liquid egg whites
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Knead ingredients together, adding more confectioner’s sugar if necessary, until it is the consistency of Playdough. Divide into small portions and add food coloring as desired.

2) Chocolate Ice Cream Bowls

These are fun and only need 1 ingredient. They work well as a craft the kids can make for themselves, or they can even help in the kitchen to get a bunch of these ready for a family dessert.

1 bag chocolate chips

1. Line a standard muffin tin with 6-8 paper liners. In a large microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips for thirty second intervals, stirring well after each, until melted.

2. Pour a small amount of melted chocolate in each liner and use a butter knife to spread the chocolate around and up the sides of the liners. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Place in the freezer or refrigerator and let cool until firm. Keep cool until ready to serve.

3) Edible Artwork

Have your kids get creative with their paintbrushes and display their artwork on the wall until they can’t resist anymore.

2 cups white chocolate chips
small amounts of colored chocolate wafers or dark and milk chocolate chips

1. In a large microwave safe bowl, microwave white chocolate chips for thirty second intervals, stirring well after each, until melted. Repeat with each kind of chocolate.

2. Use new, clean, dry paintbrushes, to paint with colored chocolate on a piece of parchment paper. Remind your kids that everything will be backwards when the project is finished. Allow to set for a few minutes. Pour white chocolate over the entire surface of the design, and spread out with an offset spatula. Press a piece of licorice in the top for hanging, and freeze or refrigerate until firm.  Peel off parchment paper and display.

4) Sparkling Cookie Beads

I adapted a German Springerle cookie dough to make this munch-able jewelry. I admit these aren’t the tastiest of cookies, but they won’t go wobbly in the oven, which is what you want. The beads are quite sturdy, as well, so they may even survive as an accessory for an entire afternoon at the mall.

2 eggs
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs for ten minutes. Add in sugar a little at a time, until all incorporated. Switch to the paddle attachment, add in dry ingredients and lemon zest. Mix until fully incorporated.

2. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pull off dough about the size of peas and slightly bigger. Shape into balls, place on parchment paper, and use a drinking straw to make holes in the center of each. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove from oven and cool completely.

3. Brush each bead with water and dust with colored cookie decorating sugar. String with ribbon, string, or licorice.

5) Potted Flowers

I came up with these flowers several years ago when my daughter wanted a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory birthday party. These Dum-dum/Mike n’ Ike flowers decorated her cake.

Sometimes it’s hard to find green Fruit Roll Ups—they usually only come in the variety pack. I was lucky enough to find a package of all green ones the other day in the Shrek special edition Fruit Roll Ups. Thank goodness for commercialism.

12 mini cupcakes
chocolate ganache (click here for the recipe)
chocolate cookies, crumbled
12 Dum-dum suckers
Mike n’ Ike candies
green Fruit Roll Ups

1. Place a small amount of chocolate ganache on the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with chocolate cookie crumbs.

2. To make the flowers, use clean kitchen shears to cut each Mike n’ Ike in half. Press each half, sticky side down, onto the rim of the Dum-Dums. Wrap the lollipop sticks in the green Fruit Roll Ups.

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