How to Make a Snowman Marshmallow Pop

My kids love to craft with food -- especially dessert foods they do not ordinarily get! And they are big fans of the magic snowmen that only join us in the winter time.  So, they enjoyed making and eating these snowman pops. You can make these with ages 2 and up but expect toddlers and preschoolers to devour the materials along the way.

Materials (for each pop)

• two (2) marshmallows
• lollipop stick (or unpainted craft stick)
• mini chocolate chips
• mini M&M's (or similar candy)
• pretzel sticks
• strawberry fruit leather
• vanilla icing

Directions

1. Slice two marshmallows in half so you have four rounds.

(Yes. I let my five year old daughter use a knife when I am watching. She still has all ten original fingers--just count them!)

2. Dampen the lollipop stick just a little (otherwise the marshmallows will stick and turn inside out and you'll just have a mess) and slide three of the rounds onto the stick.

3. Here's the fun part: Decorate! Just dab a little icing wherever you want your embellishments to stick. Use your mini M&M's and chocolate chips for buttons, eyes, and a smile.  We cut a small triangle of fruit leather for the nose. You could also use food markers if you have those on hand. We cut strips of fruit leather for the scarf. We also added pretzel sticks for the arms but you can skip that, if you prefer.

Enjoy!  Crafting dessert slows down the munching and buys you some time during the long winter break.  You could also wrap your snowman in a cellophane bag to give to a friend or stir it into your hot cocoa after some outdoor fun building a real snowman.