|

Pigs: Barnyard Treats and Reads Series

Homeschool, In the Kitchen

Sharing is caring!

Spring is here! In honor of this season when new life is in full force,  we want to bring you a special series: “Barnyard Treats and Reads.” Each week, we’ll share a creative way that you can transform Nutter Butter cookies (the treats) into one of our favorite barnyard animals! We will also give you suggestions for fun and informative books to share with your children, featuring the same animal as that week’s treat! What could go better together than a tasty treat and a good read?

Last week, we brought you a creative (and tasty) way to teach your kids all about baby chicks.  This week, we’re going to focus on pigs (or, if you have little ones, “piggies.”)  Okay, we know that in the harsh reality of life, pigs are usually in the barnyard to provide, well, bacon. However, whether you are a carnivore or a vegetarian, there are a lot of things to be learned about this fascinating and intelligent animal!

Before we suggest some great reads to share with your children about pigs, let’s get started with your treat!

The Treat: Piggy Nutter Butter Cookies

There’s no pork in this piggy treat! This whimsical cookie is so fun and easy to make. To get started, you will need: 10 Nutter Butter cookies,  light pink melting chocolates (or white with pink/red food coloring to make them pink),  dark pink melting chocolates or pink chocolate coloring gel, coconut oil and candy eyes.  (For the full recipe with more detailed ingredients and instructions, be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post!)

NOTE: For a time-saving tip and information about how to simplify the cookie-decorating process, see the note just above the printable recipe near the end of this article. 

Using a pan, a double boiler, and a ramekins, melt the light pink chocolate and the dark pink chocolate. Couldn’t find find the pink chocolate in the store? Not a problem: just use a mixture of white and red melting chocolate to create two different shades of pink.  After the chocolate melts, add a little bit of coconut oil to each ramekin and stir it to help create a smooth consistency.

Next, use a wand or fork to dip each Nutter Butter cookie into the light pink chocolate until it is completely coated.  After you coat the cookies, hold each one over the ramekin for a few moments and give the excess chocolate a place to drip off without making a mess.

Set your pink-coated Nutter Butter cookies aside on a wire rack to cool and solidify!

Next, it’s time to make the curly pig-tails. Spoon the dark pink chocolate into piping cones and draw small, squiggly lines onto parchment paper.  Make more than you think you need (some will probably break) and put the the parchment paper into the refrigerator to harden.

Place your pig’s candy eyes toward the center of the Nutter Butter. Use the piping cone to trace dark pink ears right above the eyes, as shown below. Next, pipe a simple snout below the eyes consisting of a circle and two small dots.

The final touch for your piggy is the tail, of course! To apply these, just dab the toothpick into light pink melting chocolate and apply it to the tail area. Then carefully remove and press each curly tail into chocolate. Some of them may break while you remove them from the parchment. It’s okay to eat these.

Aren’t they cute? You could also make these cookies for a birthday party (Peppa Pig or Charlotte’s Web themed). They could also be fun to bring to a  4H gathering if your kids are involved in agricultural studies.

The Reads: Books for All Ages about Pigs and Piglets

If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff (Author) and Felicia Bond (Illustrator) 

For Ages: 1- 6

This children’s book about a little pig who receives a pancake (and then keeps asking for more and more things to go with it) is a classic that young children will especially enjoy.  It’s great to read aloud to pre-readers, but it also makes fun early reading material for developing readers.

 

The Three Ninja Pigs  by Corey Rosen Schwartz and illustrated by Dan Santat

For Ages: 4-8

This fun retelling of the classic, “The Three Little Pigs,”  uses meter and Japanese culture to teach children the value of hard work and practice via three super-cool ninja pigs! It also has great illustrations!

 

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 

For Ages: 8 – 12

This classic story of friendship, featuring a particularly unlikely one between a pig and a spider, is beloved by children and adults alike.  Even if your children are older, this could be a fun one to read aloud together!

 

All Creatures Great and Small by James Heriot

Ages: Teens (and adults, too!) 

This wholesome book is based on the real experiences of the author! It tells about the adventures of a small-town animal doctor in Yorkshire. While the pigs in this novel do cause some hilarity, this book would really be a good choice along with studying any type of barnyard animal!  If you’re studying several different types of animals that live on a farm, you could even read this over the course of your entire unit.

 

We hope you enjoyed this week’s “Treats and Reads,” all about pigs! We’d love to know how your treats turned out, and which books you decided to read!

NOTE: If you’d love to make these cookies but need to simplify the process, just use Wilton Cake Decorating Icing (in 9 oz. squeeze bottles) instead of using the melting chocolates as described in the recipe. Some icing in tubes/bottles doesn’t harden well, so be sure (if you use a different brand) that you choose one that will harden.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Piggy Cookies: Barnyard Treats and Reads Series

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 27 reviews
  • Yield: 10 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This piggy Nutter Butter cookies are fun and easy to make with kids! They would be perfect to make when studying barnyard life, or even for a special piggy-themed party (for those Peppa Pig and Mrs. Piggy lovers)

Ingredients

Scale
  • 10 nutter butter cookies
  • 1 cup pink melting chocolates or white with pink food coloring for melting chocolates
  • ½ cup dark pink melting chocolates or pink chocolate coloring gel
  • ½ tsp coconut oil
  • Candy eyes
  • Additional Items:
  • 2 ramekins
  • pan for double boiler set up
  • piping cones
  • chocolate dipping wand or fork
  • wire cooling rack
  • parchment paper
  • OR
  • If you want to simplify the decorating process, buy Wilton Cookie Decorating Icing (in 9 oz. squeeze bottles) instead of the melting chocolates and related ingredients.

Instructions

  1. Set up double boiler with shallow pan and ramekins for each color chocolate.
  2. Fill with water till half way up side of ramekins *careful not to get water inside them as it will seize the chocolate.
  3. Turn heat to medium low.
  4. Add chocolates and smidge of coconut oil to each, stirring to combine as they melt.
  5. Using wand or fork, dip Nutter Butter cookies in light pink chocolate until thoroughly coated. Hover above dish as chocolate drips off.
  6. Set on wire rack to harden.
  7. Spoon dark pink melted chocolate into piping cones and draw on ears and snout.
  8. Dab toothpick into light pink chocolate and onto piggy head where you want to place the eyes and quickly add the candy eyes.
  9. On parchment paper, draw squiggly tails, making extra, and put them in the refrigerator to harden.
  10. Add tails by dabbing toothpick into pink melting chocolate and applying to the tail area, carefully press tail into chocolate.
  11. Set to dry and harden.
  12. Store in airtight container.
  13. OR
  14. If you’re using bottled Wilton Cookie Decorating Icing, decorate cookies using bottled icing instead of following the above steps for decorating using melting chocolates. Set to dry and harden.

 

 

 

 

Similar Posts

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe a stack of cookies tied with a brown bow on a white tablecloth
|

Santa’s Favorite Cookies – Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

If you’re looking for a really easy cookie recipe that doesn’t require flour, this is it! You probably already have these ingredients on hand too! And for those who are gluten free (like me), this recipe is perfect because it doesn’t require any special gluten free flour or other special ingredients. Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies…

64 Comments

  2. The little piggies are really cute, but my nutter butters never last long enough for decorating

    Reply

  5. these are so cute – they would be a hit with the kids or adults! Easy to do recipe thanks for sharing this wonderful idea!



    Reply

  6. Wow, so so sweet!. My kids love baking and my daughter just loves piggies….so fun!!
    Thank you for the great idea!

    Reply

  9. Fun if I have time and patience for it lol! Do you have to be pretty artsy to pull this off? I am not. But I would try!

    Reply

  14. Such cute idea! The girls will love helping make these – combo lesson! Home Ec, Literature and Social Skills!

    Reply

  16. These pigs are so very cute. My 5 year old granddaughter will love making them with me as a project.



    Reply

  17. I love the piggy cookies. Reading is the most important thing. I have
    read to my children and grandchildren before they could understand.
    They love to read as I do.



    Reply

  28. Oh my gosh, these little piggies are so adorable, I am going to make sure for my grandchildren!



    Reply

  42. How cute are these cookies and my kids would love to make them and eat while reading these great books to them.



    Reply

  45. These Piggy Cookies are so darn cute! This will be so much fun making with my daughter. Pigs are one of her favorite animals.

    Reply

  47. So I’ll admit it I had to look up a rameken. I may skip that part lol. Too cute and we WILL be making these this summer. I try to make different things which each child



    Reply

    1. You can make it easier by buying icing in tubes instead of having to melt the chocolates. 🙂 That would make the whole process easier and less time-consuming. Just don’t buy tubes of gel icing because that doesn’t harden well. This Wilton Cookie Icing will work, but be sure to give it time to harden if you plan to stack or store your cookies. (But we don’t think they’ll last long enough to store!) https://amzn.to/2PZUnSe

      Reply

  53. I wish my kids were still little and we could make these. They are adorable little piggies!

    Reply

    1. If you have older kids (my youngest is 16), you can make these fun treats for younger friends or relatives! My daughter and I love making things and being creative together, so we enjoy doing things like this to share with others.

      Reply

  59. These are adorable and look like they can be decorated penguins, flip flops, Mr. Peanut and other things too!

    Reply

  60. These are so cute and seem easy enough for me to do. I love that Ive never seen them before.



    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star