Resurrection Cookies

Cal had a really late nap so we were able to stay up late and do this activity. It was such a great reminder for me (and hopefully him one day) of the events leading up to the first Easter. I really hope this can become one of our family traditions.

Resurrection Cookies

We recommend baking these cookies on the Saturday night before Easter. But before you start, read the full recipe and collect all the materials and ingredients needed. As you make the cookies with your child, read aloud the Scripture story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection where inserted in the recipe (after each numbered direction).

Ingredients:

1 cup pecan halves
1 teaspoon white vinegar
3 egg whites (room temperature for best results)
pinch of salt
1-cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300°F degrees. Place the pecans in a plastic freezer bag. Let your child break the pecans into small pieces by beating them with a wooden spoon. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, Roman soldiers beat him. (John 19:1-3)

2. Now, ask your child to smell and taste the vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar to a bowl. Explain that Jesus was offered vinegar to drink while He hung on the cross. (John 19:28-30)

3. Add the 3 egg whites to the vinegar. Discuss with your child that eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life in order to give us life. (John 10:10-11)

4. Sprinkle a pinch of salt into your child’s hands. Allow them to taste a tiny bit and shake the remainder into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers. (Luke 23:27)

5. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar to the bowl while beating ingredients on high with a mixer. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know we belong to Him. (Psalm 34:8) (John 3:16)

6. Beat eggs for 10-15 minutes. Egg whites are ready when they are glossy, white, and stiff peaks form (peaks stand straight when beaters are removed). Share how the color white represents purity and how Jesus can cleanse us of our sins. (Isaiah 1:18)

7. Now, add the nuts and fold in gently. Drop the mixture by teaspoon on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Explain that these mounds represent the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. (Matthew 27:57-60)

8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven. Then close the door and turn the oven off immediately.

9. Give your child a piece of tape to seal the tomb (oven door). Explain the fact that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. (Matthew 27:65-66)

10. Go to bed! Explain that your child may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. To a much greater extent Jesus’ friends were sad when He died and was placed in the tomb. (John 16:20 & 22)

11. Do not open the oven until the following morning. Allow your children to examine the cookies. They will form small mounds and have a cracked side. When the children taste them, they will discover that the cookies are hollow representing that on the first Easter, Jesus’ friends were surprised to find the tomb empty. (Matthew 28:1-9)