This is a great project for the holidays but I think it would also be perfect for birthday party goody bags since it seems like the entire nation is in the midst of a collective attempt to cut down on plastic crap made in China. Good old Crayola Crayons are still made (see how here) in the same town in Pennsylvania they've always been made in. Yippee!
It's also a great way to Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. If you have older children you've likely got lots of bits and pieces of Crayons laying around. My son is a little young to have been that into the process but I think a child of 4 or so would get a big bang out of helping to make these and then be very proud to give them as little gifts.
I'm going to be using them as stocking stuffers and adding them to holiday gifts for the children on my list.
Click below for a detailed tutorial on how to make Color Cookies.
COLOR COOKIE TUTORIAL
STEP 1: Peel the paper off a bunch of Crayons. I'll warn you now, this is the biggest pain in the ass of the whole project. It would be easier if you did it over a few coloring session rather than all right when you want to make your color cookies. It's time-consuming. I used a knife. If Huck was older I would have made him do it--not with the knife. Once they're all naked, break them into little bits. I found this oddly therapeutic.
STEP 2: Preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange the crayon pieces in mini muffin tins. I used a 2 or 3 different complimentary colors per cup. I was worried about overflow so I didn't fill the cups all the way. I think I could have put 2-4 more pieces in each cup and it would have been fine and the cookies would have been a little thicker.
STEP 2: Turn the oven OFF, then put the muffin tin in the oven. I think mine took about 10 minutes to melt completely, but I'm at altitude so it might be a little less for most people. They get very soupy so be careful pulling them out. This is one mess you do not want on your floor.
STEP 3: Let them sit on the counter until they've firmed up, then pop them in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes. They will just fall right out of the cups once they've been in the freezer.
Voila! Big, fat, funky, rainbow Crayons! Color Cookies!
