Easter Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Also you will need:

tape
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  (Do this now so the oven is ready by the time you reach step 8.)

1.  Place the pecans in the baggie and let the kids beat them with the wooden spoon to break them into pieces.  Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. 
Read John 19:1-3

2.  Pour the vinegar into a mixing bowl.  Let each child smell the vinegar.  Explain that when Jesus was on the cross and He became thirsty; He was offered vinegar to drink. 
Read John 19:28-30

3.  Add the egg whites to the vinegar.  The eggs represent life.  Explain that Jesus gave up His life, so that we could have life. 
Read John 10:10-11

4.  Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand for him to taste.  Put the rest in the bowl.  Explain that this salt represents the salty tears shed by the followers of Jesus and the bitterness of our own sin. 
Read Luke 23:27

5.  So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.  Add 1 cup of sugar.  Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus loves us.  He wants us to love Him and trust in Him. 
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

6.  Use a mixer on high speed to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (12-15 minutes).  Explain that in God's eyes, the color white represents the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.  
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

7.  Fold in the broken nuts.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid to rest.  
Read Matthew 27:57-60

8.  Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door, and turn off the oven.  

9.  Give each child a piece of tape to help seal the door.  Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.  
Read Matthew 27:65-66

10.  Go to bed.  Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight, and that Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.  
Read John 16:20-22

11.  On Easter Morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.  Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.  The cookies are hollow!
Read Matthew 28:1-9