Most people love food and crafts, so marrying the two to create an edible food craft is sure to bring a smile to many faces. There are a variety of occasions when creating or giving an edible craft might be appropriate.
Edible Kids Craft
Edible crafts are a great way to make something creative and yummy, and an effective way to teach kids a variety of different lessons including colors, sorting and counting. Young kids should always be supervised when doing crafts.
Edible Stained Glass
Create a beautiful sun catcher that resembles stained glass out of some simple ingredients and materials.
Ingredients and Materials:
- Metal cookie cutters
- Hard candies such as lollipops, Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers
- Parchment paper
- Cooking spray
- Plastic bag
- Rolling pin or mallet
- Cookie sheet
- Toothpick
Instructions:
- Place parchment paper on cookie sheet
- Spray parchment and cookie cutters with non-stick cooking spray
- Crush candies (adult job) into smaller pieces by placing them in plastic bag and crushing them with a mallet or rolling over them with a rolling pin
- Place cookie cutters on the cookie sheet
- Put the pieces of candy inside the open spaces of the cookie cutters (the pieces will be sharp so be careful)
- Put the cookie sheet into the oven at 325 degrees and bake for 5-6 minutes
- Allow them to cool for a minute
- Use a toothpick to swirl the candy to create an interesting pattern
- Put holes in the top of each one with the toothpicks for hanging
- Pop the designs out while the designs are still warm to the touch
- Allow the designs to harden before adding a string to hang
Use this craft to teach kids to sort by having them sort candies by shape, color or size. Children can also learn about shapes by identifying the shapes of the cookie cutters.
Party Craft You Can Eat
Edible crafts at parties provide a good way to not only have fun and keep guests of all ages entertained, but to share tasty treats with them as well.
Edible Necklaces
Ingredients and Materials:
- Curling ribbon
- Scissors
- Bowls for candy
- Candies that look like beads such as Lifesavers, candy rings, donut shaped cereals like Fruit Loops and other small candies with holes in them
Instructions:
- Measure and cut pieces of ribbon. Each guest should have at least one piece of ribbon an appropriate size for a necklace that will fit over the head when tied
- Prepare candy for beading by placing each kind in its own bowl
- Tie one piece of candy about an inch from one end of each piece of ribbon to prevent beads from falling off.
- Allow guests to add the beads of their choice to the ribbons
- Advise or assist guests in tying the ends of the ribbons together to create a necklace
Healthy Edible Craft
Parents who who are having a hard time convincing their children to eat their vegetables or fruit might want to consider creating a fun game to encourage those picky eaters. This craft is also a good game for a couple to play during a special dinner or to help keep guests at a party entertained.
Edible Tic-Tac-Toe game
Give the old game a new twist by using foods to create the grid and pieces.
Ingredients and Materials:
- Square dinner plate
- Pretzel sticks
- Two different types of small fruits or vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, grapes or banana slices
Instructions:
- Use the pretzel sticks to create a tic-tac-toe grid on the square dinner plate
- Give one player a bowl of one type of fruit or vegetable
- Give the other player a bowl of another type of fruit or vegetable
- If children are playing, teach them how to play the game of tic-tac-toe using the fruits and vegetables in place of "Xs" and "Os"
- Allow players to eat the fruits, vegetables and pretzels at the end of the game
Provide dips and bowls or trays of other veggies and fruits to supplement the food used in game play. Ranch dressing or French Onion dip works well as a dipping sauce for veggies while fruit tastes good dipped in peanut butter or yogurt.
Edible Holiday Craft
Many people enjoy celebrating holidays with various traditions including creative and amazing food dishes. Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, when families gather to share a meal, lend themselves particularly well to edible crafts. Make a holiday table even more special by serving guests a cute craft that will be as fun to look at as it is to eat.
Edible Mint Candy Tray Recipe
Present Christmas dessert on a festive and edible candy tray.
Ingredients and Materials:
- Round Starlight mint candies (any color)
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
- Oven
Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Arrange the round mints into a square pattern - make eight rows across and down for a smaller tray or ten across and down for a larger tray
- Bake for about eight minutes
- Allow the tray to cool for about five minutes before removing it from the parchment paper
- Serve homemade cookies or another treats on the edible tray
This craft provides a cute way to serve cookies to Santa on Christmas Eve or as a way to give homemade treats to a neighbor or friend. Use both green and red Starlight mints to create a decorative look.
Table Decorations
No matter what the occasion is, from a family dinner, child's birthday party or a wedding, edible decorations add interest to the decor and provide the perfect way to serve food to guests.
Edible Centerpiece
An edible centerpiece made out of fruit will be an attractive focal point on any table.
Ingredients and Materials:
- Pineapple
- Cantaloupe
- Grapes
- Strawberries
- Head of lettuce
- 25 - 30 ten inch bamboo skewers
- Flower shaped cookie cutter
- Melon baller
- Knife
- Food-safe container such as glass or plastic bowl
- Cutting board
Instructions:
- Wash and dry all the fruits, lettuce and tools
- Cut the head of lettuce in half and insert it into the container, flat side down
- Cut the two ends off of the pineapple
- Cut the pineapple into 1/2 inch thick slices
- Center flower cookie cutter onto a pineapple slice
- Press firmly and evenly
- Retain the the portion of the pineapple that is inside the cutter and discard the outer portions
- Repeat for all the pineapple slices
- Cut cantaloupe in half, remove the seeds
- Use melon baller to make as many melon balls as there are pineapple flowers
- Put a skewer through the center of the pineapple slice with about a half an inch poking out the other end
- Put a melon ball on the end of the skewer to become the center of the flower
- Repeat for all of the pineapple flower slices
- Stack four to five grapes onto some skewers
- Stack three strawberries onto a few skewers
- Stick skewers into the head of lettuce in a decorative pattern
- Consider shortening some of the skewers by breaking them in half to make the arrangement more visually appealing
This craft is a great way to add a fruit to a buffet, dress-up a party table, or to give as a gift.
Tips for Making Edible Crafts
Edible crafts are attractive and fun to make and receive. They can be used as great educational tools, decorations for parties or as gifts. Creating them can sometimes be intimidating though. Follow some simple tips when creating these crafts which will help assure success.
- Always keep a clean work service by working in a kitchen or near a sink where water is accessible
- Protect table surfaces by using table coverings and cutting boards
- Create messy crafts in the kitchen or outside
- Always have adult supervision when children are doing crafts
- Keep scissors and knives out of the hands of children
- Refrigerate most edible projects to keep them fresh
- Keep allergies and food sensitivity in mind when giving edible crafts as gifts
Play With Your Food
Using food items as craft supplies may not come naturally to you, but once you begin creating crafts that you can eat, you'll start looking at food in a different way! Whether you're looking for edible arts and crafts projects for kids or adults (or both!), there are plenty of fun options to consider. As you do your shopping or enjoy meals and snacks, consider which foods would be fun to turn into something a little more creative and visual.
