Christmas Tree Ornaments
Whether you’re going to use them on your own tree or offer them to friends, family, and neighbors as gifts, consider remodeling leftover candy into ornaments. You’ll need:
- oven
- cookie sheet
- aluminum foil
- metal cookie cutters
- vegetable oil spray
- straws
- thin decorative ribbon
- Life Savers or other hard candies.
First, preheat your oven to 350 F. Keep in mind that different candies melt at different temperatures, so if you’re making caramel ornaments (not recommended if you’re hanging them near warm tree lights!), remember that the temperature must be significantly lower. Next, prepare the cookie sheet by covering it with foil and spraying it with vegetable oil. Next, invite the kids to choose cookie cutter shapes and fill each of them with a single layer of hard candies. The more colors, the better! Line them up on the cookie sheet and stick them in the oven for up to seven minutes, but be sure to keep an eye on them.
When they’re ready, carefully take out the cookie sheet and let it cool for about two minutes. Invite the kids back to put one straw in each “ornament” near its top so the ribbon can go through when it’s cooled. When the cookie cutters are safe to touch, remove them from the ornaments and thread the ribbon through the hole made by the straw. Tie it, and admire the light passing through the colorful candies!
