[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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Seasonal Wagashi Recipes (21–30)
sweet potato yokan (Japanese sweet potato jelly)
Some elderly people may prefer soft and sweet yokan, don’t you think? Yokan is a treat where, with a single bite, sweetness fills your mouth.
Let’s make imo-yokan by adding sweet potatoes to that yokan.
Peel the sweet potatoes, slice them into rounds, and boil until tender.
Mash the sweet potatoes by pressing them through a sieve, or blend them in a food processor or mixer.
Add the mashed sweet potatoes to a pot where water and agar have been brought to a boil, then transfer the mixture to a mold.
Chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours until set.
You’ll have wonderfully soft sweet potato yokan.
Lucky bean cheese rice crackers
You can even make a classic Japanese snack, senbei, at home.
First, line a heatproof plate with parchment paper and place shredded pizza cheese on top.
Space them out a little as if you’re making several senbei.
Next, put soybeans on the cheese and heat as is.
Once it has cooled slightly, it will firm up like a senbei.
Sprinkle with aonori (green seaweed flakes) to finish.
This time we used soybeans with Setsubun in mind, but you can have fun topping them with other ingredients, too.
Give it your own twist!
soft mizu-yokan (soft water yokan jelly)
Let’s try making mizu-yokan together with seniors! Mizu-yokan is a refreshing, gently sweet dessert with a cool, delicate taste.
It may seem difficult, but using store-bought smooth red bean paste (koshian) makes it very easy.
Add powdered agar to water, heat, and dissolve it thoroughly.
Then add the koshian and mix well until there are no lumps, pour it into a container, and let it set—that’s it.
It sets at room temperature, so even those who are sensitive to very cold foods can enjoy it comfortably.
Pumpkin stick pie
Pumpkin stick pies made with frozen puff pastry sheets are an easy-to-eat, recommended snack for seniors.
Because pumpkin is hard and difficult to cut, wrap it in plastic wrap and microwave at 600W for 1 minute to make it easier to slice.
Add milk, salt, honey, and white pepper to the cut pumpkin, then microwave at 600W for about 6 minutes.
Finally, transfer to a pot and warm it while adding more milk, cooking until it becomes a soft, spreadable paste.
Spread the paste thinly over the puff pastry sheet, fold, cut with a knife, twist, and bake in a toaster to finish.
It’s also fun to change up the shapes, like squares or triangles.
sweet pumpkin
There are probably many seniors who enjoy sweet, fluffy pumpkin.
Here’s a sweet pumpkin treat made with just that.
Cut the pumpkin into moderate pieces, microwave until soft, and remove the skin.
Mix it with ingredients like maple syrup and butter, then roll it into balls.
Use a toothpick to score lines on the surface so they look like tiny pumpkins.
Bake them in the oven, and top with bits of pumpkin skin to finish—adorable, pumpkin-shaped sweet treats.
While they’re baking, the sweet aroma of maple syrup fills the air, making this a dish you’ll look forward to eating.
Chilled Summer Desserts (1–10)
milk ice
When it comes to summer, shaved ice is a classic—but here’s a step-up idea: milk ice.
The great thing about this milk ice is that you can make it without a shaved ice machine! Microwave milk with dissolved sugar, pour it into a storage bag, and freeze it… that’s all it takes.
You might think it would freeze rock hard, but the finished product becomes a sorbet-like texture that you can scoop with a spoon after a quick fluff.
Plate it up, top it with strawberry jam or your favorite flavors, and dig in! That piercing chill will make you forget the summer heat.
Mikan Calpis Jelly
With mandarin Calpis jelly, you can enjoy a refreshing taste.
The process has three main steps.
First, make the Calpis jelly using Calpis and gelatin.
Next, make the mandarin jelly using canned mandarins and gelatin.
Then layer both in the same glass, and it’s done.
This time I introduced a recipe using mandarins, but it should turn out delicious with other fruits as well.
If you take the flavor of Calpis as a guide, you can choose fruits that pair well with it.