I’ll be honest, the thought of packing up the car and hitting the road with the kids for the Christmas holiday tour of the relatives does not fill me with festive joy. Being stuck in a car with a screaming toddler and a complaining four year old for more than 30 minutes can be harrowing.
There’s just no easy way to circumnavigate Shropshire, Cheshire and Newcastle. It’s a gruelling task that has to be done.
But there are some things that can help ease the pain. The invention of portable DVD players and lots of FOOD! I’ve managed to pick up a few tricks over the past few years so I was really chuffed to be asked by Julia at KidsTravel2.com to contribute some of my pearls of foodie wisdom to her FREE ebook full of fun children’s travel games & advice!
I’ve included some top tips for preparing a picnic for a day of travelling, ideas for snackage and a couple of recipes for some home-made delights that’ll feed hungry tums and prevent the need to spend a small fortune at service stations.
Dive in and take a look – it’s FREE! Open publication
I love oatmeal cookies – they were the basis of my favourite biscuits that my Granny used to make.
This version uses Christmassy cranberries and indulgent white chocolate chips which makes them a chewy sweet delight!
If you’re having one of those tense car journeys, these will definitely cheer everyone up!
Back seat: “Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet?”
Front seat: “Here, try one of these cookies!”
Back seat: Temporary silence as cookies are munched.
They also make a great gift or contribution to school Christmas fair.
The cookies will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container. You could make them well in advance and freeze them – defrosting at room temperature.
Festive cranberry and white chocolate cookies Makes 32
125g soft butter
75g dark brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
75g rolled oats
75g dried cranberries
200g white chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 180’C/gas mark 4 and line a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment.
2. Beat the butter and sugars together until they’re a nice creamy consistency – use an electric mixer if you have one. Then beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt and oats, and then carefully fold in the chocolate and cranberries.
4. Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll them into balls in your hands. Place them on the baking tray – I fitted 9 per baking tray to give them enough space coz they do spread out. I cooked them in two batches.
5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until they are golden. They will take a few minutes to harden so leave them to cool on the sheet. Once they’ve firmed up carefully remove them with a pallet knife or spatula, and transfer to a cooling rack.
What are YOUR favourite snacks for surviving long journeys with young children?
Can I go on a journey with you and have these lovely cookies? Where do you get the white chocolate stars?
Hehehe I can knock you some up mum! The stars were from Sainsburys I think!
These look yummy and I love the white chocolate stars – very festive! I am getting lots of ideas for Christmas baking.