Cooking with Kids: Rice Cake Jack-o-Lanterns

Any of you who have been following along on my cooking adventures very long, know that I love cooking with my kids.  This super simple project doesn't actually entail any cooking, so it's great for group projects.  Just have the topping made in advance and let the kids go to town creating their little jack-o-lantern faces!   I did it with both a kindergarten and a preschool group and they both loved it.  Although it was little work for me, I still got the honor of being the fun mom!  Enjoy!  
(To see some of my other Cooking with Kids projects, click here.)


Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

PUMPKIN TOPPING (makes a great dip):
1/2 cup pumpkin
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

FACE: 
rice cakes (any flavor)
candy corn (for eyes and nose)
raisins (for mouth)
pretzel bites (for stem)

FOR TOPPING:  Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

TO ASSEMBLE:  Spread topping over each rice cake.  Create the faces using candy corn, raisins, and pretzel bites.  Have fun and enjoy!