Create an Edible Winter Wonderland Mini-Village

Gather the family and create a mini-winter wonderland village together!

Move over, gingerbread house! It’s time to create a winter wonderland mini-village that is pretty to look at and tasty to eat. Everyone can have fun decorating their scenes with candy, frosting, marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and rice crispy treats. Let your family’s imagination run wild!

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Get ready to build and decorate this tiny (edible) village.

Building gingerbread houses may have been the star attraction for many families over the years, but we have another fun option for you this year. Edible winter wonderland mini-villages are fun and easy to make and even better to eat once they’re done.

Turn simple ingredients into a fun snack activity that inspires creativity and looks great on your holiday table. These little villages are highly customizable, allowing you to incorporate items that might meet allergy or dietary requirements.

Start by gathering all the ingredients and supplies you will need to construct your village scenes, such as:

Supplies

• Plates (plastic work great)
• Knives (plastic for decorating, butter knife for cutting)
• Ice cream cones (can use regular, gluten-free, pointy, or short cake-style cones)
• Rice crispy treats original mega size 2.2 ounces (or make your own)
• Starburst
• Jumbo marshmallows
• Mini M&Ms or chocolate chips
• Vanilla frosting (canned or homemade)
• Premade sour candy strips 
• Gummy candies
• Pretzel sticks for snowmen

Before starting, decide on the type of scene. Some ideas include snowmen, Christmas trees, little houses, landscapes, etc. Use the pictures we provide as a guide to help you come up with fun ideas. Spread a little frosting on the plate, as that will be the “snow” base for the setting.

Cut the rice crispy treats into 1-inch slices with a butter knife. These will be used as simple house shapes (see photos). Heat canned vanilla icing by placing the container in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds until warm. Stir until smooth. 

Push a fork into the bottom of each house (rice crispy treat), then submerge the house in the frosting, leaving just the bottom unfrosted. Remove the house from the frosting container and place it on wax paper, keeping the houses on the forks while the frosting sets. 

Let the kids decorate the house using dabs of icing to attach pieces of candy, candy strips, sprinkles, and more. The nice thing about using rice crispy treats is that you can easily mold them back together if they break.

You can use large marshmallows to create snowmen, and an ice cream cone dipped in frosting makes a great tree centerpiece. You can even use leftover candy corn for the nose.

Don’t forget to take photos of the masterpieces before devouring them. 

Enjoy!

Thank you to the RISE Center IRC for demonstrating how to create these edible Winter Wonderland mini-villages.

ABOUT THE RISE CENTER

The Rise Center is a successful program that serves adults with intellectual disabilities in Vero Beach and Jensen Beach, Florida. The center offers four specialized programs designed to meet diverse needs, ranging from daily living skills to behavioral support. It promotes personal growth, independence, and community engagement. The Rise Center makes a daily difference through physical activities, community outings, and partnerships with Special Olympics.

Images Courtesy of The RISE Center IRC | PHOTOS BY SMDAVIS.SPACE