How to Make a Pencil Treat Bag
I love finding fun things to add to care packages that are cut that my kids will enjoy that aren’t too complex or too expensive. These DIY pencil treat bags fit the bill perfectly.
They’re cute, and they’re filled with things my kids enjoy. They aren’t too expensive to make, and they work for a variety of care package themes.
These adorable pencil treat bags work for a back-to-school care package as well as they do for a finals care package and pretty much anything in between. Kids need school supplies all the time, so when you send more charger cords or another mouse or whatever they need.
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What Materials Do You Need
Most materials you may have in your house, and if you don’t, you can easily pick them up from the store. I’ve done these a few different ways, and you have options depending on how you want to build your pencil.
- Clear piping bags
- Chocolate chips (regular or mini)
- Popcorn or white chocolate chips (both work)
- Goldfish or other cheddar crackers
- Hershey’s Kisses
- Pink Starburst (get the FaveREDS bag)
- Scotch tape
Does Popcorn or White Chocolate Chips Work Better?
This is totally your call. One benefit of using white chocolate chips is that they won’t go stale between the time you make the pencil treat bag and your child receives it in the mail.
Popcorn can be easier to make, and it pairs nicely with those chocolate chips when you want to eat the treats in the pencil candy bag. It doesn’t take much popcorn, so even if it does go stale, it’s not a major loss.
Note that the white chocolate chips should be “normal” size ones and not mini. But again, I like using these only if I have a plan for the rest of the bag like making cranberry white chocolate chip cookies to mail to my kids.
PS You know the tips about how to safely mail cookies to your kids already, right? Who doesn’t love receiving cookies?
What Size Chocolate Chips Should You Use?
For the pencil lead, the chocolate chips work best as mini-chocolate chips because they slide down to the pointed end of your piping bag better. That said, if you don’t have plans for the rest of a bag of mini-chocolate chips, feel free to use regular-size chocolate chips.
I tested this with both regular and mini-chocolate chips, as well as both popcorn and white chocolate chips. Both work, and both look good, so go with what you have on hand and what you prefer.
Which Starburst Should I Buy?
As you know, Starburst come in a rainbow of colors, and erasers are pink. The good news is that Starburst now makes a FaveREDS bag that means you have more Starburst that will work.
There are four colors, so separate them out into piles. The light and medium pink – and yes, there are two distinct colors if you look closely – are perfect for the eraser color.
The dark pink actually works, as well. Think of it as the manky eraser that’s old and sorta dried out and doesn’t actually erase anymore.
The only color that doesn’t work in this bag is the true red. And honestly, that’s your reward for making these pencil treat bags, so enjoy them.
If you get the 15 ounce bag, that has enough Starburst to make approximately a half dozen of these pencil treat bags. If you want to make more, get the party size to ensure you have enough.
Can I Make These Gluten-Free?
Yes! The good news is that most of the ingredients for these pencil candy bags are already gluten free, so you don’t have to make many changes.
The only item that has gluten is the Goldfish crackers. While Goldfish doesn’t make a gluten-free version, there are cheddar crackers that work for this.
My favorite gluten-free cheddar cracker is Qwackers, which are about the same size as Goldfish, so they fit well in the bags. I like their taste and texture, so that’s what I would use for my gluten-free kiddos.
Popcorn – especially if you pop your own – is naturally gluten-free. The vast majority of both semi-sweet and white chocolate chips are also gluten-free, as are Starburst and the Hershey’s Kisses.
Of course, if you have a gluten sensitivity, you know that companies often change their recipes. Always check your ingredients to make sure the brands are safe to consume.
How to Assemble Pencil Treat Bags
You only need about six regular-size chocolate chips or a dozen mini-chocolate chips to put in the tip of the bag first. Just shake it lightly to make sure they get all the way down.
Add four to six pieces of popcorn to form the sharpened wood part of the pencil. If you use chocolate chips, use six to nine, and gently press them to the bottom to ensure there are no gaps.
Add three handfuls of the cheddar crackers. You want this to be longer, but you need to leave three to four inches at the top for the rest of the pencil.
Nine Hershey’s Kisses is usually enough to create the metal layer that holds the eraser on a pencil. I find that turning them so the flat end faces up and toward the outside of the bag works better than point side up.
The last step is the Starburst. Eight to ten Starburst are enough to form the eraser layer, though you can add more if you choose so long as you leave enough room to close the piping bag.
To finish the pencil treat bag, fold the back of the bag forward, then fold the two ends towards the center. Pull the front part towards the back just like wrapping a present and tape it down in the back with a piece of Scotch tape.
Voila – you have an adorable pencil treat bag that is perfect to send to your kids in their care packages. These are fun to make and include if you do a care package packing party, as well, or even to use as graduation gifts for kids.
How Would You Use Your Pencil Treat Bag?
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