Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Easter Cookies

A friend sent me this story and recipe for Easter cookies and a good way to talk to your kids about the Easter story in a way that they will love! Lilla is a little too young this year but next year I'm totally doing it!

Easter Cookies
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The following recipe is making its rounds on the Internet as a freely-reproducible file. If you find it a useful visual aid for communicating the message of the resurrection to children, please pass it on!

Ingredients:
1 c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 c. sugar

You will also need:
Bible
re-sealable baggie
wooden spoon
mixing bowl
electic mixer
cookie sheet
waxed paper
tape

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life so that we could have life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers. Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for several minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20-22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! Explain how the tomb was empty on the first Easter because Christ had risen from the dead! Read Matthew 28:1-9.

4 comments:

kimmy said...

i like that sounds awesome.. anyways, paul had to leave again.. he is gone til the 2 of apr.. arggg... keep our family in your prayers we are experiencing something rite now and hope that it will pass and not hurt the baby...

kim

Sharon Brumfield said...

Someone heard that I do childrens church and told me to come over and check the cookies out. Great idea! Thanks I will try this. I'll have to change it up a little since I will do it during church. But thanks again.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried these yourself, Amy? I would want to do "the talk" from the beginning (i.e., not with a practice batch) but I'd want to know this actually "works" (and if they taste good).

Can you let us know if you use it? If yo want to wait until Easter, that's okay-- I might just wait till next year anyway. ;o)

Anonymous said...

I love this... It sounds like such an awesome way to bring the story to "life"! I am definitely going to do this with my kids. (Oh, and don't be surprised if you see this on my blog, too - Gotta pass it around! I hope that's okay!!)