![[Snack Activity] Easy and Delicious: Snack Ideas to Make Together with Seniors](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e_2kh-XWRD4/sddefault.jpg)
[Snack Activity] Easy and Delicious: Snack Ideas to Make Together with Seniors
The time it takes to chill and set yokan in the refrigerator, the moment you add toppings like fruit, the aroma of steam rising from the steamer.
Making snacks together with older adults lets you share a sense of excitement and create warm memories that go beyond the recipe itself.
Traditional Japanese sweets are familiar to many seniors and are sure to delight them.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy everything while staying seated! When the sweet scent of the finished wagashi fills the room, it will surely bring back fond memories as well.
As hands stay busy, conversation flows, and the joy of savoring the finished treat is truly special.
Seasonal Wagashi Recipes (1–10)
Warabi Mochi in Anmitsu Style
Warabi mochi has a jiggly texture that wobbles in your mouth.
It’s often coated with kinako (roasted soybean flour), but topping it with matcha or drizzling it with kuromitsu (black sugar syrup) is also delicious.
Warabi mochi is made with a starch called warabi flour, though using warabi flour can sometimes result in a firmer texture.
Try using store-bought kits that yield softer warabi mochi, or make a softer version with potato starch (katakuriko).
You can also turn it into an anmitsu-style dessert by adding sweet red bean paste and fruit, then finishing with kuromitsu.
It transforms warabi mochi into a more festive Japanese confection than usual, and it’s likely to be appreciated by older adults as well.
Three-Color ShiratamaNEW!
The three-colored shiratama, which strikes a good balance between appearance and ease of preparation, is a perfect idea for a handmade snack activity in April.
Kneading the shiratama flour with water doesn’t require much strength, so older adults can take part with confidence.
For the three colors, in addition to the white of the shiratama flour and the green of matcha, using pickled plum paste adds a gentle pink hue and a subtle tang.
The matcha green also lends a springlike feel.
Rolling the dough and separating it by color encourages conversation among participants and creates a calm atmosphere for the whole activity.
Once the dumplings are boiled, serving them with sweet red bean paste or kinako adds variety in flavor and plenty of satisfaction.
Give it a try!
Japanese-style parfait with matcha mizuyokan and brown sugar syrup
Let’s try making a Japanese-style parfait topped with kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) over soft matcha mizu-yokan.
You can use store-bought matcha mizu-yokan, and kits that include the ingredients make it easy to prepare.
These days, you can enjoy parfaits casually at family restaurants and cafes, and even supermarkets sell cup parfaits.
However, there was a time when parfaits weren’t so readily available and were considered an occasional luxury.
Some older adults might still feel that way about parfaits.
During a snack-making activity where you make parfaits, why not ask people what kind of image or impressions they have of parfaits? It could spark a lively conversation.
Castella ball
Let’s try making a snack using castella, a cake everyone knows well.
You only need two ingredients: castella and either chunky or smooth red bean paste.
Roll the bean paste into balls like you would with sand dumplings from childhood, then cover them with finely diced castella to create “castella balls.” You might even want to dust them with powdered sugar or try other tweaks.
The sizes will vary as you roll them—some bigger, some smaller—showcasing each maker’s individuality, which adds to the fun along with the flavor.
Amazake Soy Milk PuddingNEW!
Here’s an idea for a fun time: make homemade “Amazake Pudding,” perfect for Hinamatsuri.
Soak gelatin in 100 cc of soy milk, add your preferred amount of sugar, and warm it in a saucepan while dissolving everything together.
Once well mixed, pour into pudding cups and chill in the refrigerator until fully set.
Finish by topping with strawberry sauce and strawberries for a cute, festive Hinamatsuri dessert.
With the gentle sweetness of amazake and a creamy texture, this homemade pudding is a delight for everyone—both its look and taste are sure to satisfy.
From making it to enjoying it, it’s perfect for a Hinamatsuri filled with smiles.
Sweet potato kinton (sweet potato tea towel squeeze)
Let me introduce smooth and delicious sweet potato chakin-shibori.
First, heat the sweet potatoes until soft, then mash them finely.
If you put them in a plastic bag and crush them with a pestle, anyone can do it easily.
Once there are no large lumps, add apple jam and mix.
If the mixture isn’t soft enough, adjust the texture by adding a little milk or soy milk at a time.
Take a piece of plastic wrap in your hand, place about two spoonfuls of the mixture on it, and roll it into a ball while shaping it.
Pulling the ends of the wrap will give you a neat “shibori” finish.
You can easily make a charming wagashi-style sweet, so it’s also recommended as a recreation activity in senior care facilities.
dorayaki
You might think, “Can you really make dorayaki by hand? And as a recreational activity?” But there’s actually a very easy way to do it.
Just make the pancake part with pancake mix and use ready-made store-bought sweet red bean paste for the filling—these two steps make it super simple.
If you cook the pancake skins on an electric griddle, you can make a lot at once, and they come out nice and even.
For the bean paste, choose your favorite type—chunky (tsubuan) or smooth (koshian)—and you could even try adding whipped cream as a filling!
