I’ve shared before one of my favorite tricks for encouraging young kids to try new things in the kitchen. Sometimes all it takes is relating it to something they know and love. Caribbean Rubbed Pork Chops with Mango Salsa instantly became cool when I told my three boys it’s Captain Jack Sparrow’s favorite dinner. Hummus and Tandoori chicken? “Just like Aladdin eats!” Green smoothie? “Shrek Shake.” You get the picture. My little trick turned into fun theme nights and my family loves making an event out of a dinner and movie combo. It’s a great way to add a little excitement around meal prep and have fun with the family! Because of this, Kate and I jumped at the chance to create some recipes inspired by the new DreamWorks Animation movie coming out this month. Like, we sent each other about 48 texts in the span of a few hours with all sorts of crazy caveman ideas.
Have you guys seen the trailer for The Croods? My kiddos are excited about it, it looks super cute. And can I just say, I’m so glad to live in a time where animated films are just as entertaining for adults as they are for kids. I love finding movies that we can all go to and equally enjoy. Some of my favorite movies are animated!
Kate and I thought it would be fun to make a themed dinner, which is why she posted her awesome Cranberry-Cola Glazed Babyback Ribs recipe, meant to be eaten caveman style (hands only- the messier the better!) (Click Here for the Recipe)
Now you just need dessert. When I was thinking about this, I instantly thought of my cub scout days (like, when I was volunteering with cub scouts, not when I was a cub scout. Because I was never a cub scout. Obviously.) We used to do a little activity to teach fire-building skills where we used pretzels for the wood, and marshmallows to make a little rock pit, and coconut for fire, etc. That idea quickly transformed into these darling little edible campfires I thought it would be adorable to do this on a cookie or cupcake for a dessert!
Set up a little station with some sugar cookies (I totally bought mine already baked from my grocery’s bakery, but here’s our favorite from-scratch recipe.) Some chocolate frosting, some crushed Oreo cookies, and your rock candy.
Three simple steps here: Spread on some frosting, sprinkle the top generously with dirt (Oreos!), and then surround your fire pit with rocks (safety first.)
You can do them multi-colored, or pick out the same color rocks. I think I like the ones with a uniform color.
Now we need some fire!
I just took a handful of coconut and put it in 3 separate bowls. Drop a couple drops of liquid yellow food coloring in one, red in another, and orange in the last one. Use a fork to stir and smash until the coconut is colored. At first it will look like nothing is happening, but just keep smashing it around and soon it will distribute. Place the coconut on a baking sheet and we’ll toast it in the oven.
The nice thing is that the food coloring prevents most browning, so the coconut stays vibrant and bright, but has that perfect toasted crunch to it. It also holds its shape like little fiery flames. Just place a little fire right in the center of your fire-pit.
These are pretty darn cute just like that, don’t ya think? In addition to being fun for a themed movie day- these would be great for an activity with boys in cub scouts, or girl scouts, or girls camp, etc.
And what I think is even cuter, is adding a few little mini pretzel sticks so you have some wood to burn. I gave my pretzels a quick dip in chocolate, mostly because I think things that start with the phrase “chocolate-dipped” are a general improvement over things that don’t start with the phrase “chocolate-dipped.”
Campfire Cookies
Description
These campfire cookies are a lot easier to make than they look! Quick, easy, and fun, this is a great treat for summer time!
Ingredients
- *quantities vary by the size of your cookies, how many you’re making, etc.
- Round sugar cookies
- Chocolate frosting
- Crushed chocolate cookies (like Oreos)
- Candy coated chocolate rock candy
- Coconut
- Small pretzel rods (optionally dipped in chocolate)
Instructions
- To color coconut, separate coconut into 3 separate bowls. Working with one bowl at a time, add a few drops of liquid food coloring (one bowl yellow, another orange, another red) and stir and smash with a fork until color is distributed. Place coconut on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 5-8 minutes, stirring once, until lightly toasted. Cool completely.
- Frost sugar cookies with chocolate frosting and sprinkle crushed chocolate cookies on top. Line the outside edge of cookie with rock candy. Sprinkle cooled coconut in the middle and prop up 3-4 pretzel rods (trim to be shorter if necessary.)
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
This post is in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Twentieth Century Fox’s The Croods. All opinions expressed are our own.
Questions & Reviews
I’ve never taken my kids to a movie. This would be SO fun to make a family date night out of. Ideas brewing….
Super Creative! I’m a Cub Scout leader right now… I’m going to remember these!
I made cupcakes that were very similar to these for my son’s birthday. I couldn’t find those candy rocks ANYWHERE so I used icing. We have a local pretzel bakery that makes pretzel “shorties” that were perfect for the logs and I even roasted some mini marshmallows on toothpicks (cut the toothpicks in half) over the stove and put them beside the fire on the cupcake.
Wow! Adorable! Makes me excited for camping this summer as a family!
How cute are these!!! I immediately started trying to think of a topic I can teach to my Activity Days girls so that we can make these cookies together. We may just have to have a movie night together and make these for our treat!
Adorable! I think you could also “roast marshmallows” over your fire with a couple more of those pretzel sticks and some mini marshmallows stuck on the end. Such a fun idea!
These are adorable! Too bad I don’t like coconut.
Super Cute!
I would take 3 of my 4 kids to see the movie. Don’t think my 2 year old would sit still long enough.
Love the cookies! I would take my family and our cousins!
Thanks
First of all, I was totally a cub scout. I don’t know when they started letting girls in, but I would have been around 9 years old, so… 1999-ish? I’m also in Canada, though, there might be different rules in the U.S. I remember being happy I was allowed in boy scouts, though. The girl guide I knew were having sleepovers at the church with homemade facials and pancakes in the morning and I was out in the woods cooking up hotdogs and marshmallows over a fire. After being a counselor at a girl guide camp, I realize that my impression of girl guides at 9 years old was totally wrong and it was just the leaders not wanting to do outdoorsy stuff… but still, boy scouts was the better of the options I had. Plus I won the father-child cake baking contest! (yes, I still have the ribbon…)
Second, these are super cute! I hadn’t heard of this movie yet, either, will have to keep an eye out for it. We’ve recently started up a family movie night. Maybe we’ll start having matching themed food, looks like fun – and more things to do with my son on my rare days off.
My grocery store just got those little candy rocks, I want to try this!
made these this afternoon! I was looking for an idea for a special treat for kids dessert. Usually I can always count on this one local store to have the chocolate rocks, but they were out. I subbed a mixture of vanilla and chocolate clodhoppers with teeny bits of chopped peanuts. Quick and fun to assemble once I had everything ready to go. Came together easy since my 3 year old was out of the house. We’ll see how the kids like them tomorrow! Thanks for the great idea!!!
Super cute!!! Love it!!
Sara, your brilliance never ceases to amaze me! If these aren’t the cutest things on the planet then I don’t know what is!
So cute!
I would take my niece and nephews to the movie and have a fun day with them!!
My hubby & 4 kiddos
So I got thinking, there’s got to be a way to make your own river rocks. Chop a block of chocolate into little chunks and then dip them in colored candy coating. But WHAT is the recipe for that candy coating??? I googled this and came up with nothing. Maybe you ladies could crack the code one of these days…. 🙂 (Cute cookie idea BTW!)
I’m going with my hubby and cute kiddos! My kids would love these cookies!
New Cub Scout leader! (I am excited to make these!) very clever… And I mean that even without the giveaway!
So stinky cute! I would be the bestest mom ever if we won the gift card. Thanks!
My grandchildren & Me!
What a fun activity for me and the kids during this looooooong winter!
I can’t even win the giveaway since I’m in Canada but I don’t care because I just have to say that you guys are brilliant! I am constantly amazed and impressed with your creativity. The details you guys think of blows my mind. Seriously…coconut flames…GENIUS!
Every week I look forward to what interesting (and funny) things you’re going to post and I’m never disappointed. Some of our favorite recipes have come from here. Plus, every post makes me laugh! Thank you both.
I HAVE to make these for my kids AND my cub scouts!! My kids would love to go see The Croods!!
Love it! I shared the idea with my son’s scout leader. I would also pick the rock candy off and eat that first.
I do the same thing to get my kids to eat things. And this movie looks cute! What a fun idea for a cookie!
Cute idea!! I love the creativity. I would take my boys to the movie because sometimes they can be a little “crood” themselves!
I just showed my kids the pics and they can’t wait to make them!