[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.
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Easy Mix-and-Make Sweets (11–20)
Shiratama parfait
We’ve gradually been able to resume cooking activities that were hard to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In cooking sessions, thinking through the steps, using your hands, and of course eating the finished dish all provide excellent stimulation for the brain.
Here, we’ll make a shiratama parfait—a sweet collaboration of Japanese and Western styles.
We use tofu instead of water for the shiratama dough, which boosts the nutritional value.
Kneading the soft shiratama dough is soothing, isn’t it? Once they’re boiled, let’s enjoy topping them with sweet red beans, fruit, and whipped cream.
Soy milk shiratama with kinako and kuromitsu
Shiratama sweets are popular with people of all ages, from children to adults.
Here’s a very simple shiratama treat: soy milk shiratama with kinako and kuromitsu.
As the title suggests, you only need four ingredients: soy milk, shiratama flour, kinako, and kuromitsu.
Mix the shiratama flour with the soy milk, pinch off bite-size pieces, and drop them into boiling water to form dumplings.
Let them cool slightly, plate them, then drizzle with kuromitsu and sprinkle with kinako to finish.
You can use store-bought kuromitsu and add as much as you like.
It’s a highly recommended snack known for its delightfully chewy texture.
transparent cake
Here’s an eye-catching idea for a transparent cake.
As the name suggests, this cake lets you see right through the inside.
The “sponge” is actually made with gelatin, so you can easily make it by simply mixing and chilling.
It looks beautiful topped with fruit, and you can also embed fruit inside.
There are many ways to decorate it, so try coming up with your own original design.
Note that gelatin takes time to set in the fridge, so keep that in mind.
Black Soybean Pound Cake
This is a pound cake packed with highly nutritious black soybeans.
It’s an adapted recipe you can even make with leftover New Year’s simmered black beans! The method is super simple: put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix, pour into a loaf pan, then bake in a 180°C oven—that’s it! It’s very easy to make, so why not include it as a snack activity at a day service? Making it themselves not only stimulates the brain, but also lets everyone enjoy a New Year’s seasonal touch.
A homemade treat will undoubtedly taste extra special.
Pumpkin soft cookies
Let’s try making soft pumpkin cookies.
When you think of cookies, most are crisp with a bit of crunch, right? By using pancake mix, even seniors can easily make soft cookies.
The cookies also include mashed pumpkin that’s been microwaved.
You’ll get cookies with a gentle pumpkin aroma and a fluffy, tender texture.
Seniors might find it refreshing to use pancake mix for treats beyond just pancakes.
Pancake-mix recipes were trendy a little while ago.
There are many snacks you can make with pancake mix, so why not give it a try?
Easy no-bake sweets (21–30)
matcha cake
This matcha cake can amazingly be made in a rice cooker! The key is using pancake mix, which makes it easy to prepare a quick treat.
Just mix pancake mix, milk, eggs, and matcha powder, pour the batter into the rice cooker, and cook it using the cake mode.
If your rice cooker doesn’t have a cake mode, use the regular white rice setting.
The striking look when you take it out of the rice cooker is a fun surprise, and seniors are sure to enjoy it too!
Soy milk and carrot mousse
Here’s how to make a gentle, smooth-to-swallow soy milk carrot mousse.
You’ll need soy milk, heavy cream, carrot puree, sugar, agar, and water.
Put the sugar and agar in a saucepan and mix, then add the remaining ingredients.
Stir well and heat over a low to medium flame, stirring as you go, until just before it comes to a boil.
Divide into containers and chill to set.
Arrange the containers in an ice-water bath to cool more quickly.
Once set, top with whipped cream and mint leaves if you like, and your carrot mousse is ready.