Chocolate Christmas Trees

What You Need:

• Triangle-shaped chips (e.g. Bugles)
• Green candy melts
• Chocolate chips
• Sprinkles
• Small bowls
• Fork
• Cookie sheet
• Wax paper 
• Microwave

What You Do:

1. Have your child put a piece of wax paper on the cookie sheet.
2. Help him pour the triangle-shaped chips and some chocolate chips into two small bowls.  You want to have everything ready when he prepares the candy coating so that he can work quickly. 
3. Have him place the candy melts in a microwave safe bowl.  He needs to heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave. 
4. Help him remove the bowl from microwave – the bowl might get hot. 
5. Let him stir the candy melts in the bowl.  If they haven’t melted, return to the microwave for 30 more seconds. Keep microwaving until the candy melts have turned into a thick liquid.
6. Have him drop a triangle-shaped chip onto the surface of the melted candy.  He can use the fork to roll the chip, coating it with candy.
7. Help him fish out the chip and put it on the cookie sheet. 
8. Let him insert a chocolate chip into the base of the candy tree to make the tree trunk.
9. Have him dust the entire snack with sprinkles.
10. Create different looks by using different kinds of sprinkles.  White sugar crystals look like snow or ice.  Multicolored sprinkles look like Christmas tree ornaments. 
11. Store the cooled Christmas trees in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.  Although these Christmas trees won’t ship well, your child can fill a coffee cup or pretty tin with his chocolate Christmas trees for a special teacher or a helpful neighbor.