Candy Shapes

What You Need:

• Hard clear candies (e.g. Jolly Ranchers)
• Cookie sheet
• Foil
• Metal cookie cutters
• Cooking spray or vegetable oil

What You Do:

1. Before you get to work, show your child how to preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Tear strips of aluminum foil and show your young chef how to use them to line the inside of the cookie cutter.  Press into place with your fingers.
3. Using another piece of foil, line the bottom of the cookie cutter.  This will keep the melted candy from running across the cookie sheet.
4. Line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil to make any clean up easier and place the cutters on this cookie sheet.
5. Using the cooking spray or vegetable oil, help your child lightly oil the foiled cookie cutters.  This will make the melted candy much easier to remove. 
6. Have your child unwrap the candies, dropping them into the cookie cutters.  He can use only one color per cutter or multiple colors.  Don’t pile the candies up.  They should be spread one deep across the bottom of the cookie cutter.
7. Place cookie sheet in oven and heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until candies have melted. 
8. When they have melted remove from oven and allow to cool.  Do not touch the candy!   Hot sugar will stick to fingers, both big and small.
9. Once the candies have cooled, help your child pop them out of cookie cutter and remove the foil.
10. Eat and enjoy!