Mt. Tacomas Christmas Cat Piles

by Pam Koons

Legend has it that in the winter of 1890, this famous Seattle mountain was re-named from Mt. Tacoma to Mt. Rainier. This Christmas season, look up a bit of history with your preschooler, and make these tasty no-bake Christmas cookie treats that have been fondly named after this glacial mountain (and also for their humorous appearance)!

Ingredients:

½ cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp. real butter
2 eggs
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. real vanilla
1 cup angel flake coconut
1 package miniature marshmallows
Salt- just a pinch!

Directions: 

Help your preschooler to do as much as h/she can.

1. Melt butter and chocolate chips. Cool.
2. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt together in a separate bowl.
3. Add melted mixture to egg mixture and mix again.
4. Fold in marshmallows and mix all together.
5. Lay out some wax paper.
6. Butter hands and roll into balls (this is the fun part)!
7. Roll balls in the angel flake coconut. Place onto wax paper.

Voila! No baking required! Enjoy now or refrigerate for later.

Expand on it:

For a more festive Christmas touch, add 1 cup chopped nuts and/or red cinnamon candies. Have your preschooler place the red cinnamon candies into a Christmas tree.

Add 1 tsp. mint extract per batch.

Double the ingredients and freeze half for Christmas Day!

Interesting Mt. Rainier Resources and Trivia:

Mt Rainier has 26 glaciers and is 14,410 feet high! Mt. Rainer is considered an active volcano and is Washington State’s highest volcano!

Sign-up your preschooler to be a Mt. Rainier National Park Web Ranger here and learn more about the world of being a Park Ranger.

For easy, preschooler-friendly day hikes on Mt. Rainier, click here.

Washington State's highest point is Mt. Rainier, named after Peter Rainier, a British soldier who fought against the Americans in the Revolutionary War.