Here is a fun, simple cooking activity to do with kids that produces tasty caterpillar and snake shaped cheesy biscuits. The recipe uses raisins for eyes and involves some great skills for kids to learn e.g. grating, rolling out pastry, cutting, sprinkling, and brushing on egg. And of course breaking an egg, which my son relishes. Hopefully the resulting mess won’t overwhelm you as much as it did my boyfriend, who described it as ‘a tragedy’.
The recipe is from a lovely kids activity book called ‘What Shall I Do Now?’ by Usborne, the kind of old fashioned, appealing book that only seems to exist in charity shops or the library.
For more ideas for cooking with kids check out the category on the right of the page!
Ingredients for cheesy snakes and caterpillars
(makes about 8 snakes and 4 caterpillars)
150g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
25g margarine/butter, softened or melted
75g cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg and 2 tbsp milk, beaten together
Raisins for eyes
A bottle top
Mix together the flour, margarine and salt. Leave a tbsp cheese on a plate and add the rest to the flour, margarine and salt mixture. Put a tbsp of the egg mixture in a cup and add the rest to the flour mixture. Mix to make a dough.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is as thick as your little finger. Use a blunt knife to cut eight strips as wide as two fingers. Bend the strips in to wiggles to make a snake. To make a caterpillar, cut out circles of dough with a bottle top and lay them overlapping each other in a wiggly line. Press them together.
Brush the shapes with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Firmly add raisins for eyes.
Use a slice to lift the shapes on to a non-stick or greased tray. Bake at gas mark 6/200 degrees for approx. 15 mins, until golden.
Recipe from What Shall I Do Now? by Usborne
katielovescooking 
Hi Katie. I’ve been enjoying browsing your blog. Each weekend I post an episode of a culinary mystery. Episodes are based on “3 things” readers send, with a recipe at the end. (The current story is a Victorian Era, steampunk adventure.) I’d like to feature a link to this blog post — because this weekend, one of the “things” is caterpillars! Hugs, Teagan (Don’t worry — it’s G rated.)
Hi Teagan! Yes sure that is fine : ) Thanks for letting me know. Katie
Okay I have a question about the book you said the recipe is from. Would it happen to be a small paperback book that also happens to have recipes for chocolate octopus cookies coconut mice and other fun kids recipes? I ask because lately I’ve been thinking a lot about a cookbook I had when I was younger but I’m not sure what it was called and would like to try to find it again and this is the same recipe from the book.
Hi Mimi! So sorry I can’t find the book but I am pretty sure it was a big hardback book. I tried to find it online but no luck so maybe it is out of print. Sorry not much help! I do generally find that Usbone or Dorling Kindersley books are great though : )