Whether it is someone’s birthday or you are simply in the mood to meet with friends and family, preparing snacks that children like can be quite a difficult task. Along with the taste, you would also have to ensure that they get the required nutrition. Try following these lip-smacking party snacks for children if you, like most parents, have a hard time choosing appropriate snacks:
1. Crispy cheese triangles
Get a large batch of phyllo pastry sheets from the grocery store and prepare the mixed cheese filling. Pack the filling in the phyllo sheets, make the triangles and store them in the freezer for up to a week. Simply bake these in the oven on the day of the party. This list of ingredients makes approximately 20-25 cheese triangles. It requires half an hour to prepare the filling and takes about 20 minutes to bake:
- 1 lb. phyllo pastry sheet pack, thawed slowly in the refrigerator
- 8oz feta cheese
- 8oz ricotta cheese
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese
- 4 oz parmesan cheese
- 20 shallots, cut finely
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons black pepper, freshly ground
- Salt to taste
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Line a few baking trays with parchment paper or grease them lightly.
- Toss all the ingredients except the butter and egg in a large bowl. Crumble all the cheese and mix them gently.
- Add the egg to the cheese mixture and combine to prepare a lumpy filling.
- Dust a flat surface with some flour.
- Unfold the phyllo pastry sheet on to this surface and cut them into the desired length.
- Except for the sheet you are working on, keep the rest under a moist cloth to prevent it from drying out.
- Spread a little melted butter on the phyllo sheet you are working on. Be gentle with this, as it could tear.
- Add a little cheese filling in every sheet you have cut.
- Now fold these into little triangles and brush the top of the triangle with a little butter.
- Similarly, make all the triangles and transfer them onto the baking sheet.
- Bake the triangles in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until they are golden and crispy.
- Let these cool before serving them with some homemade berry preserve.
2. Fresh fruit arrows
This could be a fun activity for your children as well. Give them plates of cut seasonal fruits and allow them to make their own fresh fruit arrows. See them proudly polish off the vitamin and antioxidant laden colored berries, grapes, mangoes, and pineapples in no time. The list of ingredients given here makes about 20 rainbow-colored fruit arrows. Avoid adding fruits that oxidize if you make these ahead of the party. Provide child-friendly wooden skewers. Use fruits like raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, blackberries, cherries, mangoes, pineapples, kiwis, green grapes, red grapes, blueberries, apples, oranges, cantaloupes, peaches, and bananas.
- Peel and deseed all the fruits, especially the ones that have thick skins or seeds.
- Use fruit knives, melon ballers, and sharp cookie cutters to make different shapes.
- Arrange the fruits color-wise on a table, so that the children can choose the ones they want on the arrow.
