Three Tasty Treat Ideas Kids Can Make for Mother's Day

If you are looking for a delicious and unique way to treat mom on her special day, these three tasty treat ideas are all affordable and easy to make. Kids will love making them as much as mom will love receiving them.

One: Chocolate dipped strawberries are bound to be a hit and they are an easy hands-on treat that children can participate in making. You need only three to purchase 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/4 cup of white chocolate to melt (you can use chips), 1 lb. of strawberries (look for the best looking bunch since they will be used as a gift), wax paper and little containers to put the finished strawberry in, such as a mini-cupcake holder, tart or quiche dish. The first thing you will do is wash the strawberries, being careful not to mar or blemish them. Pat dry or gently shake off excess moisture and allow berries to dry. Use only the prettiest of berries for this project.

You can keep the green part of the berry on, or take it off, depending on which you think is more attractive. Next you need to melt the two types of chocolate in separate containers. You can do this in the microwave or on the stove. Be careful when removing the heated chocolate so that it does not spill. Dip the smaller end of the berries, one at a time, into the semi-sweet chocolate. Place the berries on wax paper so they do not stick and put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes so the chocolate can chill slightly.

Remove berries from fridge and place them on the serving dish you will be using (the mini-cupcake liner, tort or quiche dish, or something similar). Drizzle the part of the berry that has been dipped in chocolate with the warm white chocolate. You can use the tines of a fork or the end of a spoon to make nice designs, or you can dip half-way up to the existing brown chocolate line to make a delicious and nice color contrast. Allow to set in the refrigerator for a few minutes and then you can serve these to a very surprised and delighted mom.

Two: If one of mom's favorite meals of the day is breakfast and you think the kids would like to make and serve it to her on Mother's Day, consider making heart-shaped hot cakes decorated with miniature chocolate chip pieces (the children can spell out Happy Mother's Day or other holiday related sentiments, or they can make designs or faces, depending on their age-related skills), fruit, aerosol whipped cream or even candy. You can easily create the pancakes with heart-shaped cookie cutters or an adult can cut them out by freehand. Serve the syrup on the side so it doesn't affect the design so carefully worked on by the children, and voilá, Mom has already started her day out on a great note.

Three: Instead of the traditional cookies or cake that go along with holidays, you can create a cookie-cake. These are really a lot of fun for children to make because they are unique, and big; and most children love the idea of a very large cookie. You will need 1 cup of butter or margarine, softened. 1/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar, ½ cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 bag of chocolate chips, if mom likes nuts you can add 1 cup of her favorite kind to this recipe as well, and you will need either decorative sprinkles and candies or frosting and frosting tubes for decorating the top. You will also need a large cookie sheet for baking.

Next you will beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add your egg and vanilla and mix well. In a different bowl you will combine your baking soda, flour, and salt and then add it to the butter mixture, making sure everything is mixed together very well. Now you stir in the chocolate chips and the nuts, if you decided to use them. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. On an ungreased cookie sheet you are going to shape all of the dough into a very large heart. Cook it for 12-15 minutes; you can just eyeball it to make sure it is in the oven the proper amount of time.

Allow it to cool completely before beginning to decorate it. Now you are ready to decorate. You can write Happy Mother's Day with the frosting and tubes or you can decorate the top with the candies and sprinkles, or you can do a combination of the two. These are a big hit with the kids because they can be involved in almost every step of the preparation and decorating, they are a big hit for Mother's Day gatherings because they are large enough to include everyone in the serving, and they are a big hit for mom because not only are they unique, but they are made with love.