What a funny little stocking stuffer or present to give to kids old and new. Use large marshmallows for adult snowman “poop” and small for baby snowman “poop”. Use zippy baggies that you can get from the grocery store or department store and top off with the label we have provided here.
This is so simple of an idea and you can get your child involved to help get a kick start to the holiday festivities. Thoroughly clean milk/orange juice container by letting soak overnight with water and about two tablespoons of bleach. Rinse and dry. While you are waiting for this use old buttons or paper cutouts for mouth, nose and eyes. Get creative and give the snowman earmuffs, eyeglasses or whatever other creative add-on you can give to provide your snowman with a personality. For the lights: If making three or more like in the picture use a string of lights that is 150 lights. Puncture a hole in the back of the jug and push lights until you have about forty in each jug. This will provide room for the snowman to be placed close but as you desire. You can also use a little sand or some rocks in the jug before you put the lights in them to hold them securely if wind should arise.
Great idea: Make sugar cookies top with icing and (malt ball covered with frosting) or (gum paste ball) and then place M&M’s for the buttons and don’t forget the snowman’s arms, eyes, nose and mouth made of piped frosting or/or licorice. Great for a party and can you imagine the smiles you will get from your kids if these were waiting for them when they get home from school. Use the same idea for a melting witch for Halloween.
snowman cake
MAKES 24 servings
prep 15 minutes
BAKE at 350° for 43 minutes
EQUIPMENT
2 8-ounce ovenproof glass bowls 2 12-ounce ovenproof glass bowls 2 4-cup ovenproof bowls or
metal ball pans (such as Wilton) 9 foil cupcake liners
Chopstick or wooden skewer
INGREDIENTS
2 boxes (18.25 ounces each) yellow cake mix
8 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 bag (14 ounces) flaked coconut
1 roll strawberry fruit leather (such as Fruit by the Foot)
2 cans (16 ounces each) vanilla frosting
1 orange fruit slice
12 mini chocolate chips
2 cream-filled chocolate cookies (such as Oreo)
1 thin chocolate cookie (such as Famous chocolate wafers)
Heat oven to 350°. Coat bowls with nonstick cooking spray; coat with flour. Place foil liners into muffin-pan indents.
Combine cake mixes, eggs, buttermilk and oil. Beat on low speed until just combined. Increase speed to high; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Spoon 2V2 cups batter into each of the largest bowls, 1 cup batter into each of the medium bowls and Vi cup batter into each of the smallest bowls. Divide remaining batter among the 9 prepared cupcake cups.
Bake at 350° until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean: about 17 minutes for the cupcakes, 22 to 25 minutes for smallest bowls, 30 minutes for the medium bowls and 40 to 43 minutes for large bowls. Transfer cakes to a wire rack and cool completely.
Meanwhile, place the coconut in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cut fruit leather into a 6-inch and an 8-inch length. Fold each in half, pressing to secure, to get 3-inch and 4-inch lengths. Use scissors to cut fringe on short end of each piece.
Invert cooled bowl cakes onto work surface. Trim flat sides to make level.
Place one of the large bowl cakes, flat-side up, on a platter. Spread top with vanilla frosting. Place the other cake layer on top, flat-side down, to create a ball. Spread a thin layer of the frosting all over cake. Gently press the coconut all over to cover.
Repeat with the remaining cakes to make 2 smaller balls.
Place the medium ball on top of the large ball. Insert a trimmed chopstick or wooden skewer for support. Place the 2 pieces of fruit leather as the scarf on top of the middle cake. Add the small ball cake on top. Add more coconut, if necessary.
Cut the orange fruit slice into a %-inch triangle for the nose and attach in the center of the small cake. Add the mini chips, pointed-end in, as the eyes and the mouth. For the hat, attach the 2 cream-filled cookies to the flat chocolate cookie with some of the remaining vanilla frosting. Arrange hat on top of snowman.
Spread remaining vanilla frosting on top of the cupcakes, sprinkle the tops with the coconut and serve with snowman.
PER SERVING 530 calories; 25 g fat (8 g sat.); 5 g protein; 73 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 463 mg sodium; 73 mg cholesterol
Supplies
Fluffy-Red, Black, Orange and White
Sculpey* Clay Tool Starter Set
Glass Ornament – make sure you only
use a glass ornament; plastic ornaments
will melt in the oven D Ribbon D Acrylic Roller D Quick Drying Glue D Disposable Foil or Wax Paper D 12″ Piece of White Tree Garland
Instructions
Getting Started: Do not use unbaked clay on unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Good working surfaces include a glass or metal surface, disposable foil or wax paper. Knead clay for 2 minutes. Bake on oven-proof glass or metal surface at 130 °C (275 °F for US customers) for 15 minutes per 6 mm CA”) of thickness. Do not use in microwave oven. Do not exceed the above temperatures or recommended baking time. All baking should be completed by an adult. Wash hands after use.
Step 1 Remove metal cap/hanger from ornament. Remove wire hanger from the cap and set aside. Make a red clay disk slightly larger than the diameter of the ornament cap.
Step 2 Wrap the red clay disk around the edges of the ornament cap. Using the 2 mm pointer tool from the Clay Tool Starter Set, poke holes through the red clay so the holes in the cap remain open to replace the hanger later.
Step 3 Make 2 wide red strips for the headband and 2 large red domes for the ear muffs. Then make 2 medium black disks for eyes and 3 little disks for mouth. Make 2 tiny white eye highlights and an orange cone shape for the nose.
Step 4 Place the face pieces firmly onto ornament, making sure each piece follows the curve of the glass. With the blunt point tool from Clay Tool Starter Set, texture the ear muffs. With the flat knife tool, texture the nose. Make sure the clay covered cap will go back on and that the ear muff headband does not interfere with the fitting of the cap. Bake as directed.
Step 5 Allow to cool then gently remove all the clay pieces. Glue them back on permanently and allow to dry. The clay cap covering will not need to be glued on. Replace the wire hanger into the holes in the cap. Fill ornament with white free garland. Replace the cap and add ribbon.
Country & Victorian Times 