The following family activity is a great way to help kids understand more about how and why Jesus died and rose again.
Easter Eve Cookies
Make the cookies below on the night before Easter and share with your family the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of whole pecans
- 1 teaspoon of vinegar
- 3 egg whites
- A pinch of salt
- 1 cup of sugar
Recipe
- Preheat oven to 330 degrees.
- Beat 1 cup of pecans into small pieces. Then set them aside for later use.
- Pour 1 teaspoon of vinegar into the mixing bowl.
- Add 3 egg whites.
- Add a pinch of salt.
- Add 1 cup of sugar.
- Beat with a mixer on high speed for 10 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in the pecan pieces.
- Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper.
- Drop by teaspoon fulls on the cookie sheet.
- Put the cookies in the oven, turn it OFF, and let them cook overnight.
- Remove the cookies on Easter morning and enjoy.
Instructions
Follow the recipe below while reading accompanying the poem and Bible verse.
Step 1
Preheat oven to 330 degrees.
Let us make some Easter cookies,
And hear a tale that’s true,
Of how Jesus died and rose again,
Because of His love for you.
So grab what you need,
And pull up your sleeves,
Then preheat your oven,
To 330 degrees.
“Why 330?”
You might say.
Because John 3:30,
Is the verse for the day.
“He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30
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Step 2
Beat 1 cup of pecans into small pieces.
Take one cup of pecans,
But before adding them to the bowl,
Take a spoon and beat them up,
Until they’re no longer whole.
Remember that Jesus was beaten too,
Hurt from head to toe,
And by His stripes we are healed.
That’s how He loves you so!
Now take the pecans and set them aside,
You’ll need them in a bit.
And consider how anyone could reject,
The Savior the soldier’s hit?
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
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Step 3
Pour 1 tsp. of vinegar into the mixing bowl.
Vinegar was given to Jesus,
As He was dying for our sin.
So take the bottle and fill one teaspoon,
Then pour it right on in.
And catch a whiff of that smell.
You’ll probably think it’s bad.
It’s to remind us of Jesus’ agony,
And the suffering that He had.
“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.”
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Step 4
Put 3 egg whites in the mixing bowl.
Now take three eggs and crack them open,
But before you put them in,
Remove the yoke and throw it out,
And hear me once again.
The yoke stands for impurity,
And the bad things we have done.
So throw sin out,
And give yourself to God’s only Son.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
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Step 5
Add a pinch of salt to the mixing bowl.
Spinkle some salt in your hand,
And take a taste or two.
How do you feel? What do you want?
A drink when your through?
You are the salt of the world.
That’s what Jesus said.
To make people thirsty for something more,
Like a Savior who rose from the dead.
Now take a pinch and throw it in,
And remember who you are.
You’re salt. You’re light. You’re loved by God.
You are His shining star.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
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Step 6
Add 1 cup of sugar in the mixing bowl.
Stir your blend and mix it up,
How does it look to you?
Not very good? Not very tasty?
And yet we’re almost through.
Now fill one cup with sugar,
And pour it in the bowl.
The sweetest part of this story is,
Jesus died to save your soul.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
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Step 7
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 10 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks form.
Beat with a mixer on high speed,
For thirteen minutes long.
Until peaks rise that symbolize,
The mountains of our wrong.
Who could remove such high peaks,
Of error and mistake?
Only Jesus Christ, the Righteous,
The bond of sin can break.
To set you free and make you clean,
And make you whole once more,
And give you heaven and life worth living,
That’s why your sins He bore.
The white you see stands for His purity,
That He never went astray,
Tempted like us but without sin,
He chose the righteous way.
And offered Himself on the cross,
As a holy sacrifice.
Who could ignore Him? Who could reject Him,
And His offer of eternal life?
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”
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Step 8
Fold in the pecan pieces.
Now fold the pecans that you beat,
Into the cookie mix.
Each little piece stands for a time,
When we fell for Satan’s tricks.
Yes, we’ve all sinned and made mistakes,
And walked a different way,
But it’s not too late to turn around,
And let Him save your soul today.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
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Step 9
Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper.
Grab the wax paper and pull some off,
And cover your cookie pan,
And remember the covering the Savior gave,
As nails pierced His hand.
By His blood salvation came
Through the breaking of His heart,
To raise you from sin and the death within,
And give you a brand new start.
True life is more than existence and breath,
And making it through the day,
It’s joy; It’s peace; It’s love and living,
With the Savior in every way.
“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ Says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’”
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Step 10
Drop by teaspoon fulls on the cookie sheet.
Drop by teaspoons on the wax paper,
The mix that you have made.
Each little mound reminds us still,
Of the tomb where Jesus was laid.
Now put the cookies in the oven,
And close the door again.
And remember the price that Jesus paid,
To buy us back from sin.
Now take some tape and seal the door,
And remember the stone they used,
To block the entrance to the grave,
With His body so abused.
“So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.”
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Step 11
Put the cookies in the oven, turn it OFF, and let them cook overnight.
His disciples were grieved, distressed, and sad.
They had a broken heart.
You may be sad to leave these cookies,
But that is also your next part.
It’s time for you to go to bed,
To wait throughout the night,
And come and check these cookies again,
At the dawn of Easter light.
“Mary Magadalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’”
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Step 12
Remove the cookies on Easter morning and enjoy.
When certain followers came Easter day,
An empty tomb was there,
And angels greeted and sent them away,
With great news to go and share.
Death was defeated. The tomb was torn open.
The Savior had been raised.
“Jesus is alive!” the disciples were told,
And they were all amazed.
When you come tommorow morning,
Looking for a cookie for you to swallow,
You’ll take a bite and look with wonder,
These cookies are empty and hollow.
Just like the tomb so long ago,
Where Jesus’ body was laid.
But He’s not dead. He’s risen again!
And a way to heaven made.
So if you’re not sure about your soul,
Remember His sacrifice.
He’s the only way to heaven, you know.
Why not give to Him your life?
Written by Kolby King. Copyright Kolby King, 2003.
*This recipe was adapted from a recipe the original source for which is unknown.