Snacks and desserts with jobs for small hands: arranging, pressing, dipping and decorating.
🦃
Gobble Gobble Fruit Turkey Platter Allergy-friendly
15 min · Serves 6 · sweet, fruity, crunchy
Kid job: Kids can arrange the fruit feathers in rows and place the blueberry eyes, beak and wattle.
Tip: Grapes cut in half lengthwise are easier for little ones to eat safely. Small kids can eat the feathers first and save the turkey for last.
Contains: none of the top 9 allergens in the base recipe (check labels on packaged ingredients) · Easy swap: Pear → Half a small cantaloupe, rind removed, set cut side down
The full recipe, straight from the cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 Pear
- 2 Apples
- 2 Clementines, peeled and separated into segments
- 1 cup Seedless red grapes, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 Blueberries
- 1 Strawberry
- 1 tsp Lemon juice, optional
Steps
- An adult cuts the pear in half from top to bottom, removes the core, and sets one half cut side down near the bottom of a large plate as the turkey body.
- An adult cores the apples and cuts them into thin slices. Toss the slices with the lemon juice if you want them to stay bright.
- Fan the apple slices in a half circle above the pear to make the first row of feathers.
- Add a second row of clementine segments inside the apple row, then a third row of grape halves.
- Set the two blueberries on the narrow top of the pear as eyes.
- Cut a small triangle from one clementine segment for the beak and a thin sliver of strawberry for the wattle, and place them under the eyes.
- Serve right away, or cover and chill for up to 2 hours.
Missing an ingredient? Pear: Half a small cantaloupe, rind removed, set cut side down; Seedless red grapes, cut in half lengthwise: Blackberries or Banana coins; Clementines, peeled and separated into segments: Canned mandarin oranges, drained.
🥨
Pretzel Turkey Treats
20 min · Serves 12 · sweet, salty, chocolatey
Kid job: Kids can unwrap the candies, set them on the pretzels, and press on the candy feathers and eyes once an adult says the tray is cool enough.
Tip: Work quickly once the tray comes out, since the candies firm up in a few minutes. Candy-coated chocolates and chocolate chip eyes vary by brand, so read labels if anyone at the table has allergies.
Contains: milk, soy and wheat · Easy swap: Square mini pretzels → Gluten-free mini pretzels
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
🍎
Pumpkin Pie Dip with Apple Dippers Hidden veggie
10 min · Serves 8 · sweet, mild, fruity
What's hidden: pureed pumpkin.
Kid job: Kids can add the measured ingredients, stir the dip until it turns smooth and orange, and arrange the apple slices around the bowl.
Tip: Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which already has sugar and spices added. Leftover dip keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Contains: milk · Easy swap: Cream cheese, softened → Dairy-free cream cheese
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
🍫
Chocolate Acorn Cookie Bites
20 min · Serves 12 · sweet, chocolatey, crunchy
Kid job: Kids can unwrap the kisses and do the gluing, pressing the kisses onto the wafers and adding the chocolate chip stems.
Tip: Let the melted chocolate cool for a minute before kids start gluing so it is warm, not hot. Store the acorns in a covered container in a cool spot for up to 5 days.
Contains: milk, egg, soy and wheat · Easy swap: Mini vanilla wafer cookies → Gluten-free vanilla wafer cookies (check the label)
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
🥐
Apple Pie Crescent Roll-Ups
25 min · Serves 8 · sweet, buttery, fruity
Kid job: Kids can sprinkle the cinnamon sugar and roll the dough triangles around the apple wedges.
Tip: Thin apple wedges bake soft in the time it takes the dough to brown. Crescent dough recipes vary by brand, so check the label if your family avoids milk or soy.
Contains: milk and wheat · Easy swap: Butter, melted → Dairy-free butter substitute, melted
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
🍂
Fall Leaf Cheese and Cracker Snack Board
15 min · Serves 4 · cheesy, salty, crunchy
Kid job: Kids can press the cookie cutters into the cheese and arrange the crackers and fruit on the board.
Tip: Cold cheese straight from the fridge cuts the cleanest shapes. Many butter crackers contain soy and some contain milk, so check the box for allergies.
Contains: milk, soy and wheat · Easy swap: Mild cheddar cheese slices → Colby jack cheese slices
🔒 Unlock the full recipe · ingredients, steps and swaps are in the cookbook
Eat This, Not Chaos