Recipes

Cupcake Menorah
Everyone loves cupcakes. And even though they aren’t traditionally a part of the Hanukkah celebration, you can make them a part of it with this fun activity. Simply line up nine cupcakes in a row and decorate them in full Hanukkah regalia. When you place a candle in each one, it will be a great centerpiece for your dinner table and an edible one at that.

What You Need:
Cupcake mix
Cupcake pan
Cupcake papers (ideally in blue, white or silver or any Hanukkah pattern)
White frosting
Cake decorations (sprinkles, small candies, etc.)
Candles
Aluminum foil
What You Do:
Bake 10 cupcakes according to the package directions (or make them from scratch, if you have the time!)

Be sure to use Hanukkah style cupcake cups if you can find them, or else blue or white or even shiny silver cups.

After the cupcakes have cooled, take one cupcake aside. Using a sharp knife (grown-up only please!) slice a very thin layer off the top of the cupcake so that you have a flat surface. Leave the wrapper on that cupcake and spread a layer of icing on it. This will be the base of the Shamash. Set it aside.

Now, have the kids spread white frosting on each of the other cupcakes and start decorating. Let them go crazy with the decorations, but see if you can keep them in the Hanukkah theme. Try all blue sprinkles, or blue M&M’s.

When the decorating is done, take some aluminum foil and make a base for your Menorah. Be sure it’s long enough for all nine cupcakes to be in one long row.

Start placing the cupcakes next to each other in a row on the foil. Be sure the cupcake with just the frosting (the Shamash) is in the center.

Take one of the cupcakes and remove its wrapper. Then place the flat part of the cupcake directly on top of the cupcake in the center with the frosting only. Now you have your completed Shamash.

Place a candle in each cupcake, and you have your adorable homemade Cupcake Menorah!

Make Chocolate Chip Shape Cookies
The only thing better than a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie that melts in your mouth? Two warm chocolate chip cookies in your favorite shape! Have fun with the kids by “shaping up” this traditional recipe, and teach kids about sorting and shapes while you’re at it.

What You Need:
2 cups flour
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ sticks butter or margarine (softened)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters in assorted shapes, such as triangles, circles, squares, hearts, diamonds, ovals, and more
What You Do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Measure out the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the softened butter (or margarine), granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold in.

Add chocolate chips.

Add walnuts (optional).

Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Form a ball with the dough and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Spread flour on a flat surface. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it forms a 9-12 inch circle.

Have your child cut out shapes with cookie cutters. If you don’t have cookie cutters, have a parent use a knife to cut out the shapes.For a perfect circle, use the rim of a glass.

Bake 9-11 minutes. Let completely cool.

Lay a large piece of parchment, clean paper, or aluminum foil on the table. Mix up the cookies, so the shapes that match aren’t beside each other.

Ask your child to sort the cookies with the same shape into piles. Sorting is one of the major math concepts of preschool and while this may seem easy, learning to put similar objects into sets is a key preschool concept, and one your child is likely working on in the classroom.

Now that she’s put her cookies into sets, talk about the results. Was she able to sort all the shapes correctly, or did a difference in size, color, or other elements trick her? Talk to your preschooler about what makes the shapes the same, and what makes them different: for example, squares have four sides of the same length, whether they’re big squares or small ones.

Use the cookies to make patterns– circle square circle square (an AB pattern) or circle circle square square (an AABB pattern). Then be sure to reward your budding mathematician with a sweet treat!