If you’re looking for a fun Hanukkah party activity, why not try some donut decorating? It’s a 2-in-1: a fun way to entertain kids at a party, and a sweet way to serve up some donuts.

We did this as an activity for young kids. You can also upgrade it and do it as a “donut board” with toppings served in a more classy style. But for now, I’ll share it as a kids activity.

What you’ll need for donut decorating at a Hanukkah party

The donuts

You can, of course, make your own donuts. But you can also just hit up your local bakery and ask for plain, unglazed donuts, which is what we did. You may need to order these in advance, so definitely ask.

The creamy stuff

You’ll want some sort of glaze for your donuts. You can pop open containers of cake frosting for this. Or, mix up a simple confectioner’s sugar glaze.

You can also get creative. I made this hot cocoa cookie dip for a cookie board at a party, and it would be incredible for a donut decorating party activity too.

Sprinkles and more toppings

The sprinkles are the most fun of all of this!

After kids spread their donuts with some sort of cream, they sprinkled on all sorts of Hanukkah-themed sprinkles. Of course, it doesn’t need to be blue and silver (that’s sort of made up for Hanukkah anyway) but you can have fun with shapes like silver stars, gold coin shapes, etc.

You can even put out chocolate coins cut into small chunks (or whole ones) to use as toppings.

More fun toppings include:

• Crushed nuts (if no one is allergic)
• Mini chocolate chips
• Chunky oreo crumbs
• Small chopped dried fruit (best if you’re doing this with adults…)
• Cereal like fruity pebbles
• Coconut flakes
• Flaked up halva (if no one is allergic to sesame)

You can also put out syrups like chocolate, caramel, etc in squeeze bottles – just make sure that the flow is slow enough that kids don’t just dump the whole thing out.

Setting up a donut decorating activity

As I mentioned, we did ours very informally. We simply laid out fun Hanukkah plates and placed all the ingredients in bowls.

We placed spoons on the table and called it a day.

If you’re doing this with a larger group (we just had a handful of kids) you may want to have an adult in charge of supervising the activity.

You can make it much prettier, even a focal point of the party with a donut wall, or even just a pretty high-walled rectangular tray to place them on. Lay out your ingredients in pretty ceramic dishes.

You can put out small bakery boxes for people to take home donuts if you want to make it more of a feature, or treat it more like a donut board – a “prep it and eat it” activity.

Got any other tips or ideas for a donut decorating Hanukkah party activity? Comment below

The post Donut Decorating Hanukkah Party Activity appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Whether you’re looking for a pretty dessert for Shavuot dinner, something to put out for Kiddush, or the perfect dish to celebrate a new baby girl, these white chocolate covered pretzels hit the spot!

Dainty little roses are made using a mold, adding the perfect touch with no advanced candy-making skills required!

Chocolate covered pretzels are a crowd please and an easy fool-proof snake for those of us who might not be great at cake or cookie decorating (yes, I speak of myself, queen of cake fails!) They can be prepped in advance, so you’re not messing up your kitchen at the last minute.

Customizing white chocolate covered pretzels for any occasions

One of my favorite thing about making this white chocolate covered pretzel recipe is that it is so easy to personalize and turn into something that’ll match any event! I made something along these lines in aqua colored using this pearl powder for Princess A’s first birthday party.

You can use dark chocolate or kosher white baking chocolate if you want to keep it parve. Dark chocolate with a white drizzle and gold accents could be gorgeous for a Bar Mitzvah. Pink and purple is gorgeous for a baby girl.

Teal is neutral and pretty, and try baby blues and silver for a baby boy, Shalom Zachar…

For Shavuot, of course, we want florals, so these pink and purple white chocolate covered pretzels with little roses are spot on.

Tips for making this white chocolate covered pretzel recipe successfully

Making white chocolate covered pretzels is quite an easy task, and totally beginner friendly. But in case you’re worried, here are some tips for getting it right the first time:

• The type of pretzel is super important. They can be found on amazon and target if you are unable to find them locally.

• If you use too much luster dust, it will be difficult to add them to bags if using as a treat bag item. You can omit it, although it does add a beautiful finishing touch.

• You don’t have to do the flowers, of course, but they add a beautiful touch, especially for Shavuot. You can buy all sorts of candy shapes to add if you’re intimidated with making your own.

• Microwave your chocolate in short increments to get a smooth melt.

• Rods aren’t as pretty but they’re easier to dip.

White chocolate covered pretzel recipe

Servings: 8 | Prep time: 5 mins | Active time: 10 mins | Dry time: 20 mins Total: 35 mins

Equipment

• Parchment paper
• Microwave Safe Bowls
• 12-inch piping bags
• Flower Mold
• Clean, dry Paintbrush

Ingredients

• Sourdough Hard Pretzels
• 5 oz Almond bark (or white candy melts)
• 2 oz Pink and Purple Candy melts
• White Fondant (a pea sized amount)
• Pearl Luster Dust
• Sprinkles

How to make white chocolate covered pretzels

Melt almond bark or candy melts, first on HIGH for 45 seconds, then for 30 seconds at a time stirring in between.

Once melted fully, dip the front of the pretzel into the chocolate.

Allow it to set for 15 mins.

While it sets, prepare the fondant roses. To do this, start with a pea-sized amount of white fondant.

Roll it in your hand to “knead” it and then press it into the mold.

After 2-3 seconds, peel the rose out and set it aside to stiffen slightly.

If you can still see the top of the pretzel through the chocolate, dip it in again. Once it’s fully coated, melt the pink and/or purple candy melts by placing them inside a piping bag. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Prepare your sprinkles and have your roses ready.

Squish the bag to soften the chocolate, and return to the microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Once it’s fully melted, cut a small hole in the bottom of the piping bag and drizzle a zigzag on one end of the pretzel. Immediately add sprinkles and roses.

Let set fully (15-20 mins) then use a very small amount of luster dust to add some sparkle and shine.  (a little goes a LONG way). Wait about an hour before bagging to reduce risk of smudging.

You have completed the white chocolate covered pretzel recipe! Aren’t they just so easy and pretty?!

Yield: 8

Floral Chocolate Pretzels

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

These fabulous Springy chocolate covered pretzels feature flower accents, making them perfect for Shavuot, bridal showers, baby girls, or any festive and feminine affair! Chocolate covered pretzels are the perfect blend of salty and sweet, and a decorative dessert and snack that can highlight any occasion. Make these to fit into a theme by switching out the mold - just make sure to get small enough molds!

Print

Ingredients

Equipment

Toggle ingredient group

• Parchment paper
• Microwave Safe Bowls
• 12-inch piping bags
• Flower Mold
• Clean, dry Paintbrush

Ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• Sourdough Hard Pretzels
• 5 oz Almond bark (or white candy melts)
• 2 oz Pink and Purple Candy melts
• White Fondant (a pea sized amount)
• Pearl Luster Dust
• Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Melt almond bark or candy melts, first on HIGH for 45 seconds, then for 30 seconds at a time stirring in between.
2. Once melted fully, dip the front of the pretzel into the chocolate.
3. Allow it to set for 15 minutes. While it sets, prepare the fondant roses. To do this, start with a pea-sized amount of white fondant. Roll it in your hand to "knead" it and then press it into the mold. After 2-3 seconds, peel the rose out and set it aside to stiffen slightly.
4. If you can still see the top of the pretzel through the chocolate, dip it in again.
5. Once it's fully coated, melt the pink and/or purple candy melts by placing them inside a piping bag. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Carefully squish the bag to soften the chocolate, and return to the microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Once it's fully melted, cut a small hole in the bottom of the piping bag and drizzle a zigzag on one end of the pretzel. Immediately add sprinkles.
6. Let set fully (15-20 mins) then use a very small amount of luster dust to add some sparkle and shine.  (a little goes a LONG way). Wait about an hour before bagging to reduce risk of smudging.

Notes

• The type of pretzel you use is super important to getting good results.
• If you use too much luster dust, it will b e difficult to add them to bags if using as a treat bag item. Use just a bit to add some shine.
• Try these in any color scheme to match your event. Pink is fabulous for a baby girl celebration, blue for a boy, teal or yellow is neutral. Go black and white (including a dark chocolate coating) for a Bar Mitzvah.
• Play around with your sprinkles mixes for different results.
• Store these in the freezer if you're in a warmer or humid climate.
• Make these parve using dark chocolate or Kosher Parve white baking chocolate. The pretzels are also dairy so you may need to switch to a Kosher brand if you can find a Parve version.

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Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

The post White Chocolate Covered Pretzel Recipe – Shavuot Dessert! appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

There are many things you can do with your Etrog once Sukkot is over, and a favorite classic is Etrog jam.

But many people are wary of using etrogim for food since they are not grown to be food grade.

My parents sometimes leave them and they shrivel up and dry. That inspired me.

Last year, I decided to try slicing and drying it to make a fun sukkah decoration and it worked out wonderfully.

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I’m going to save the post for the actual decoration we made for next year, hopefully in the summer so that you get it closer to sukkot and remember about it. But since Sukkot just ended and you need to decide what to do with your Etrog now, I figured I’d share the process for how to dry an Etrog now.

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Update: you can check out the DIY sukkah decoration using dried Etrog slices here!

A few notes about drying an Etrog:

Etrog has a very thick skin and is not very juicy. That might surprise you when you open it up – it’s nothing like a lemon!

It does make gorgeous floral-looking slices, and the bumpy skin has so much character.

You’ll also find that you have a lot of pieces that are only rind, with no fruit. Save those too – they are usable in the craft I plan to share as well and add a unique extra touch!

Dried Etrog slices aren’t meant for eating – they’re for crafts. They smell heavenly as they’re drying but I didn’t smell it much after.

I’m not really sure how long these last, but I did store last year’s in a zip-seal bag and it was totally fine this year. If you dry it completely it should last for quite a bit.

Start it in the morning, on a day you’re at home so that you can check in on it and give it plenty of time.

The seeds aren’t quite fixed in place – I’m sure there are ways to work with that (outdoor mod podge?) but I haven’t tried because frankly I didn’t care if a few seeds fell out and wanted to keep things natural.

Because you don’t plan to eat it (most tutorials for dried citrus are for consumption purposes) you can really let it dry to a hard, tough texture. That way you don’t have to worry about moisture.

How to Dry an Etrog (Citron) Fruit and other citrus:

1. Slice your Etrog in as even slices as you can. I recommend 1/8-1/4 inch slices.

2. Spread it out on a baking sheet covered with parchment.

3. Place it in the oven on the lowest setting (mine is 170 F). Leave it there for hours, checking in occasionally. I do recommend turning your baking sheet around here and there to make sure it’s drying evenly. You may need to pull some out earlier than others. Mine took about 7 hours for all the slices to dry, the earliest coming out after 4.5.

4. When your slices are totally dry (before they burn) take them out of the oven.

Store in an airtight container or a zip-seal bag with all the air removed.

What do you do with your Etrog after Sukkot? What do you plan to make with this?

Enjoy this tutorial for pretty Sukkot napkin rings using dried etrog slices!

Sukkot Napkin Rings from Dried Etrog!

Print

Materials

• Burlap ribbon
• Leaf Ribbon
• Dried Etrog Slices

Tools

• Hot glue gun
• Recommended: finger guards for hot glue
• Fabric scissors

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of burlap ribbon a few inches long. I recommend measuring around a napkin as you'd use it (or forming a circle to ballpark it). Add about a centimeter for overlap.

2. Add a bit of glue to the edge. I recommend working on a surface you don't mind ruining, and wearing something to protect your fingers from the hot glue, since the burlap ribbon has lots of holes!

3. Form your ribbon into a ring. Glue on the end of your leaf ribbon in a hidden spot. This can be smack in the front (where you'll be blocking it with the Etrog slice) or on the back seam where you closed the ribbon.

4. Wrap it around a few times, trim, and glue the other end in place also in a hidden spot.

5. Glue your Etrog slice to the front. You'll notice that one side is much prettier than the other because the peel shows on that side. I recommend gluing it pretty side up!

Your DIY Etrog Slice napkin ring is done and ready to grace your Sukkah table!

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Comment below!

The post How to Dry Etrog Slices appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

People tend to meet a crafter and assume that they can get creative with food too… and it may be true but there are loads of hurdles we need to bypass first!

First of all, food isn’t crafts.

It has to taste good, it gets messy, the textures are different, and the whole dynamic is just different.

I’ve been crafting for many, many years but I only recently learned how to frost a cake.

And even that I only learned because I realized that I need to either:

1. Make my own icing (I mean who does that?!)
2. Or buy pastry frosting instead of the cartons of icing because it’s much easier to use.

So no, this is not a recipe, rather a cake decorating idea.

The truth is, the cake itself is a Duncan Hines yellow cake….

I did drizzle it with chocolate syrup because my kids wanted me to and we pick and choose our battles, but I think it was prettier before.

To fill my Purim cake’s center – the “filling” of my hamantasch, I used gold confetti sprinkles by Wilton because they’re so pretty. Wilton makes so many different styles of sprinkles that you can buy in smaller packets for when you really want it to be the centerpiece of your food craft.

Only in this case, I was told the gold confetti kind of look like lentils… so you might want to choose a different style of filling but the idea is the same!

How to make a Hamantasch cake for Purim:

To make this Purim cake you’ll need the following:

• A cake baked in a rectangular pan (such as a 9×13 inch)
• A large bread knife
• A tray to work on
• Offset spatula
• Frosting
• Aluminum foil, or a triangle shape that fits the size of your cake.
• Sprinkles

How to decorate a Purim cake:

1. Bake your cake in a rectangular pan.

2. Remove it from the pan. Cut it in half on the diagonal.

3. Arrange it with the cut sides together, but with the short sides both on top to form a kite shape. You’re going to be flipping one of your halves up side down.

4. Now trim the section with the two short sides off (I did rotate the here – just to confuse you 😉  You’re cutting the part that was on top in the previous sides.) Cut it keeping the two rounded corners on your main cake. Eat the trimmings…. Or make cake balls.

5. Smear a bit of frosting between the halves to stick them together.

6. Frost your cake – don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth, unless you like to worry.

7. If you don’t have a large triangle cutter, make your own. Fold a long strip of aluminum foil over a few times to strengthen it and connect the two ends.

8. Bend it into a triangle.

9. And center it on your cake, pressing very gently to hold it in place.

10. Pour your sprinkles and press in gently so that it covers the triangle center generously in a single layer.

11. If you’re drizzling your cake, do so with the triangle form in place so you don’t mess with your filling.

12. Finally, if you want, you can drag a knife or toothpick at the corners to make the fold marks of the hamantasch.

Your Purim cake is complete and ready to devour! I hope you enjoyed this really easy cake decorating idea and that inspires you to embrace more food crafts!!

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The post Purim Cake that’s insanely easy to make! appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Last year, M came home and told me:

“Mommy, do you know what we’re supposed to put inside Hamantschen? Jelly Bellies!”

I thought that was a brilliant idea at first, and M has a tendency to have good, original ideas. So when he started insisting that Morah said that’s what we’re supposed to do, it finally clicked. Jelly. Jelly bellies. We’re not big PB&J people, so he probably didn’t even realize what his teacher meant by jelly. And he heard what he wanted to hear: Jelly Bellies.

But I decided to give it a go, and it was a huge hit. M was able to help count out jelly beans, and match same-color ones on each round, making it an accidental educational activity too!

We repeated it and improved on it this year too.

Last year’s Jelly Belly Hamantaschen:

Last year, I was in total “lazy mode” and learned a trick: you can use mini pizza dough rounds for Hamantaschen! If the filling is sweet enough, they’ll taste good.

We made our Jelly Belly Hamantaschen with those and they were heavenly… fresh.

However, from the freezer, they were simply not that appealing.

We put six Jelly Bellies into each round, brushed it with water, and baked according to package instructions. The dough puffed up, so six was our magic number.

This year’s Jelly Belly Hamantaschen:

This year, we ditched the pizza dough. I made Tori Avey’s parve hamantasch dough minus the orange.

We cut the rounds out of a glass. I forgot the trick of brushing the ends with water so that the corners stick (I have no idea if it works with this dough but it’s worth a try) , and pinched each corner really hard. It’s delicious both fresh and out of the freezer.

Our mistake: we used the same six jelly beans. Since this dough does not rise like pizza dough, you’ll need to fill it more! I’d say eight is probably the magic number – I’ll update this post if we do another batch.

The bottom line? Jelly Belly Hamantaschen are a huge hit, especially with kids or candy-lovers around. It’s an inexpensive filling (especially if you get the bulk packs…) and easy for kids to participate in.

Happy Purim and enjoy!

Have you tried Jelly Belly hamantaschen? Which fillings do you use? Comment below!

The post Jelly Belly Hamantaschen appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Purim can be an extremely challenging time for kids with food allergies, and while it can seem impossible to steer clear of the top allergens completely, there are healthier options that cater to most allergic kids too! One of our favorites that’s a huge hit with younger kids especially is juice boxes.

While current research doesn’t exactly glorify juice, it’s one of the healthiest options out there that kids love. No artificial flavors, colors, dyes, no high fructose corn syrup, added sugar, artificial sweeteners, doesn’t get stuck in teeth… the list goes on.

When my M’s class did a Mishloach Manot exchange get together last year where each kid brings a single food for the entire class, I knew there would be piles of junk. So I opted to bring these juice boxes! It wins on all fronts.

To make it more exciting, I designed these mini coloring pages, that trim to size to wrap around a juice box. You simply tape it on with a paper tape so that it’s easily removable.

Here are some ideas for using these Purim juice box wrappers:

You can use these as your kids’ entire mishloach manot! While one food might not fulfill the requirements, it’s a way to downscale the craziness of Purim. The Mitzvah is to give two foods to one person and everything else is extra.

1. Make it fit with your family theme by closing it with Washi tape or stickers that fits your theme to tape it on.
2. Tack on a mini package of crayons or markers, or any cool coloring implement (you can split a package and give a single one if it’s cool enough…) to make it more of a complete package.
3. Package it with any other non-food favor for a more complete mishloach manot package.
4. This works great for any art or artist type of theme!
5. Use this as a class mishloach manot – great for toddler and preschool kids.
6. Give it with a novelty gragger to complete a theme.

Whatever you do this Purim, as a mother of a child who is highly allergic to nuts, I ask you to please be careful with what you give others! I’ve seen people complain that others are ungrateful, expect too much, but the truth is, the mother of an allergic could would most likely prefer you skip over her home entirely rather than bring something with an allergen.

This year, a member of the frum food allergy project put together the Teal Gragger project, inspired by the Teal Pumpkin project that people participate in for an allergy-friendly Halloween. You can learn more about it here.

Every child should be able to celebrate on Purim. So much planning goes into themes and aesthetics – why not put a little planning into the aspect of Mishloach manot that will really enhance the family’s Purim joy?

To ensure that your Mishloach Manot works for a food allergy family:

• Wrap it in a teal ribbon or raffia, since teal is the color of food allergy awareness
• For this Purim juice box wrapper, you can use teal Washi tape.
• Make the contents visible from the outside by using transparent packaging.
• Don’t remove items from their original packaging – this way it’s sealed in case a child is highly allergic, you avoid cross contamination in your own  home, recipients can read ingredients, etc.

Download your free printable Purim juice box wrappers for an allergy friendly mishloach manot:

How are you using these Purim juice box wrappers? Are you bundling it with anything else? Got any other ideas for an allergy friendly Purim? Comment below!

Want to make your Purim prep easier, your feast table more beautiful, and your kids’ happier and busier? Get the printable Purim bundle today for 75% off the full value! It’s full of table decor planners, kids’ crafts, coloring pages, and more as well as mishloach manot labels

The post Purim Juice Box Wrappers and Coloring Page appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Last year, on a whim, I prepared this fun Chanukah lunch. I usually pack my kids’ lunches in this Bento box, but I don’t usually do cute things – just a simple balanced meal. I actually incorporated things that I usually send – a cream cheese sandwich, baby carrots, string cheese, and occasionally olives…

To make dreidels for M’s Chanukah lunch, I cut the cheese sticks into chunks. I used a knife to shave off the bottom into a peak (and nibbled on those scraps…)

I shoved a piece of pretzel into the top. It’ll work best with pretzel sticks, but as I mentioned, I did this on a whim. So I just used twisted pretzels and broke off small enough bits that it didn’t matter.

I added in olives – M loves black olives. If your kid doesn’t go for that, you can skip this part, but it’s an easy Chanukah themed food to just toss in. (Slice them the long way for toddlers).

I cut the baby carrots he usually brings into “candles”.

The crowning glory was the menorah cream cheese sandwich. I simply cut strips into a half sandwich, added that extra square for the Shamash, and added half baby carrots (stuck on with cream cheese)  for fire.

And finally, for dessert, I stuck on a Chanukah treat – chocolate coins! I usually put raisins in the center of the bento box, but for the Chanukah lunch, I put fewer and stuck two chocolate coins on top. Tip: Paskesz chocolate coins are nut free!

M was pleasantly surprised when he saw it!

And I am sure I’ll be repeating it again this year – it’s healthy, fun, and makes Chanukah school days just a bit more exciting for my little guy!

Happy Chanukah!

Do you do anything special for Chanukah lunch on school days? Share in the comments below!

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The post Chanukah Lunch – Bento Box appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

When I was a kid, every year in school we’d get these little baggies filled with dried fruit, mostly unidentifiable. My favorite was actually carob- I kind of loved breaking my teeth on those! Aside from those baggies and some new fruit at dinner that night, there wasn’t much to celebrate. There are many Jews that don’t even know Tu BeShvat exists, due to how minor of a day it seems.

But I love to get my kids excited about any day we can celebrate, and Tu BeShvat is no exception. I’ve printed Tu BeShvat coloring pages to start, and made these awesome dried fruit chocolate lollipops and stashed them in the freezer. The lollipops are going to make an exciting dessert for an otherwise average weeknight dinner, and hopefully it will be a springboard for discussion about Tu BeShvat.

I am actually allergic to a lot of fruit, including certain dried fruit, like kiwi. However, my kids and husband love them, so I went ahead and made these dried fruit chocolate lollipops anyway. Because everything tastes better with chocolate, am I right?

They’re super easy to make, and the sky’s the limit. Instead of making them like chocolate bark, with randomly placed pieces, I took this a step further and made flowers out of the dried fruit with the chocolate poured right over them. They have even more of a Tu BeShvat feel this way.

I don’t love how white baking chocolate melts (or tastes), so I chose to use color melts instead for the white lollipops. For the dark chocolate lollipops, I used really good quality chocolate chips.

Items you will need to make Dried Fruit Chocolate Lollipops:

• Double boiler (alternatively, you can melt your chocolate in a microwave)
• 2″ round lollipop molds (I like to use silicone ones, but plastic ones will do the job just fine)
• Lollipop sticks
• Food tweezers (optional, but helpful)

Food you will need to make Dried Fruit Chocolate Lollipops:

• good quality chocolate chips or baking chocolate
• candy melts in any color
• assorted dried fruits, like kiwi, apricots, craisins, guava, apples etc.
• assorted nuts and sees, like sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios etc.

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How to make Dried Fruit Chocolate Lollipops:

1. Make sure your molds are clean and dry. Pick an assortment of nuts/seeds and fruit. Arrange them in the molds as desired, either in a flower shape or stripes, or a different pattern of your choosing. Place them randomly if you just want a chocolate bark effect. You can use food tweezers to help you arrange the layout as desired.

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Make sure the pot is very dry before you put the chocolate in. If you are melting the chocolate in the microwave, do so in 45 second intervals to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t burn or clump.

3. While the chocolate is hot, carefully spoon it over the dried fruit in the molds. Do this very slowly and gently, so as not to disturb the dried fruit arrangements.

4. Put the lollipop sticks into the molds, covering at least half of the chocolate rounds. Use a little melted chocolate to cover the part of the stick inside the round.

5. Tap the mold against your surface gently for all the chocolate to smooth and set in place. Place the molds in the freezer for 35-40 minutes until hardened.

6. Remove the molds from the freezer. Gently pop them out of the molds. Repeat if desired, either in a different color or just to make more!

7. Serve and enjoy! These lollipops will hold up well in the freezer for a few weeks if you’re making them in advance. Wrap each one individually in cling wrap and place them all into a large freezer bag, to serve at a later date.

How do you celebrate Tu Beshvat? Let us know in the comments!

The post Dried Fruit Chocolate Lollipops appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

When it comes to prepping for our family Chanukah party, I can really go all-out. Since it’s not one of those hectic chagim like Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot, there aren’t that many other obligations, I can do any and all prep the day of… so putting together extras like these dreidel boxes can be lots of fun.

Whether you’re doing this for the kids at a bigger family party, or just using it as a gift box/treat for your own children, it’s sure to be a big hit! They are perfect for filling with chocolate coins, plastic dreidels, or other prizes and treats.

M kept trying to spin his (it actually can be spun while it’s empty)

The easiest thing to use for the stem is a paper straw – that way, you can cut a few slits in the end, fold it out, and tape it flat to the cover. Alternatively, you can hot glue a toothpick in place, or even a short dowel.

I wanted a traditional but artsy feel on these free printable dreidel boxes, so I created some fun doodles with gel pen (yep, those things you used to play with when you were a tween – they’re great for grown-ups too!!) I scanned them and turned them into a fun Chanukah printable for you.

Download your free printable dreidel boxes for Chanukah below

Enter your email in the form below and then check your inbox for your download link. If you don’t see it there, check your spam folder.

This download is for personal or classroom use only – for commercial use, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll discuss it.

Find More Paper Dreidels Here!

Want more paper dreidel options, including fun, bold designs as well as color-in dreidels to craft? I have loads more options in my Etsy shop!

What you need to assemble  your dreidel boxes

• Print the box on card stock – you’ll want it to be stiff enough to hold its form
• Paper Straw (recommended)
• Scissors
• Scoring tool (or the blunt side of a utility knife works great too)
• Hole punch (or use a utility/craft knife to make the hole)
• Strong glue stick or glue lines
• Tape

How to assemble your dreidel boxes

1. Cut out your box on the outline. Where two tabs are connected on one side, make sure you separate them too.
2. Score all the remaining lines using a ruler to keep you straight. Fold along the score lines.
3. Punch a hole for your straw in the spot marked with a dot.
4. Cut paper straws to your desired length. Cut a few slits in the bottom and bend them outward.
5. Slide the straw into the hole you created for it, from the inside out. Tape it in place inside your box’s lid.
6. Use glue lines or or a glue stick to assemble your dreidel box, keeping the lid open.
7. Fill it with treats, close the lid, and enjoy!

What will you be putting into your free printable dreidel boxes? Comment below!

The post Dreidel Boxes – Free Printable appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Before I share, I feel the need to admit that I am NOT a cookie decorating pro. I’m not even an amateur. I have ideas but I don’t have the skills.

I AM, however a crafter, and so I made some adorable tzitzis juice boxes for him to bring to playgroup for his classmates.

I also tried my hands at decorating some cookies, which sorta flopped, so they did not warrant their own post. I figured I’d share them alongside the juice boxes because the “kippah cookies” concept was cute and if you have even basic cookie-decorating skills, you should be able to manage it.

I’ll start with the flop and move on to the success…

Upsherin treats: kippah cookies:

When M’s morah said he can bring in cookies or cupcakes for the class, I had this clever idea to do a kippah – because it’s round, right?

I didn’t have a cupcake pan, so I went with a basic sugar cookie.

I’m the type of person who needs to google how to frost a cake – I NEVER bake, and the 1-2 times a year that I do, I definitely don’t decorate.

This felt like it should be super simple. I called my mother for a sugar cookie recipe (that came out okay for my sub-par skills), and a frosting. She suggested a basic glaze since it’s easier than royal icing.

I probably made the glaze too watery. Either way, I colored it blue, and moved on to piping on some messy “sections” to make it look like a kippah (messy because my glaze was too watery). I had planned to use those mini candy-coated chocolate chips in the fun colors to make a border as a “kippah decoration” but that proved to be too tedious, and too slow for the pace that the icing was drying. So I ended up with a single dark one in the middle.

They looked far from professional and you can probably do a much better job than me – but no one had any doubt what they were and they were a huge hit!

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Tzitzis Juice Box Upsherin Treats:

One of my favorite things that we did for the class was wrapping juice boxes as tzitzis. It’s really not that complicated.

I apologize for the lack of a proper tutorial with step-by-step photos. It’s mostly obvious what I did… Also, I didn’t know I was going to be creating this blog when I did these…

1. I was going to draw the lines onto the plain paper I used but got lazy about it. So instead I created a printable for myself (download the “tzitzis paper” here).
2. From there, you just need to cut them into strips a little below the two black lines.
3. Measure one paper against the juice box, mark the spots for your holes in the four corners. Stack your papers and punch those holes.
4. Thread a string a few inches long through the holes. I used white cotton twine – it’s so versatile! I bought it for these upsherin treats and used is for so many crafts since. Grab the two ends and tie together right below the paper.
5. Tape it around your juice box and you’re done!

That’s it!

These upsherin treats were a huge hit and not that complicated to create!

Which upsherin treats did you serve the class – and at your party? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments!

The post Upsherin Treats: Tzitzis Juice Box and Kippah Cookies appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.