It's technically baking if it goes in the oven...

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Baking with my kids can inevitably lead to a loss of control in the kitchen on my part. Flour here. Little tongues licking this. Fingers where they shouldn't be. And how many ingredients exactly have we already put in?

I promised the girls (and by promise I mean I promised them during our advent devotions so I had to follow through!) that we would make cookies this week, before we light the second advent candle. Not even 24 hours after the promise was made, I was wondering what I was thinking - despite the warm fuzzy feelings baking with your children should generally evoke.

I was ever so happy to come across a relatively simple, flour free, chocolate involved, "baking" recipe of sorts this week to use with the girls. Hardly any mess. Easy. Quick. And we did it together without me losing my mind.

Here's what you'll need: a bag of waffle pretzels, a bag of Hershey's hugs, and a bag of holiday m&m's.

Step 1: Unwrap the hugs.



Step 2: Place the pretzels on a baking sheet. Center precisely Top with one of the hugs.



Step 3: Bake at 170 for 4-5 minutes til the hugs are a little bit melted.

Step 4: Top with an m&m (patterning is optional *grins*).

*** To help them set faster, it helps to put them in the fridge or freezer for a little bit after finishing them.