An All Souls Day Recipe from The Catholic Kids’ Cookbook

Barb Szyszkiewicz reviews a new cookbook from Word On Fire, which includes a recipe for an All Souls Day treat. 

I've taken over the Meatless Friday space today to share the news about a Catholic cookbook your whole family can enjoy together. The Catholic Kids’ Cookbook: Holy Days and Heavenly Food by Haley Stewart and Clare Sheaf, published by Word On Fire, includes 33 recipes to help your family celebrate the liturgical year — and as a bonus, encourages kids to develop their cooking skills. 

I love that this cookbook enables families to choose age-appropriate ways to introduce cooking skills to children. The book boasts clear instructions, difficulty ratings (easy, moderate, and difficult) for each recipe, and reminders to read the whole recipe first, gather up all ingredients, and clean up any messes. I also love that none of the recipes call for exotic or expensive ingredients. I can find everything I need to make any recipe in this cookbook in my local supermarket, which is not a gourmet supermarket by any stretch of the imagination. 

Having learned to cook as a teenager, I always believed it was important to make sure my own kids knew how to cook. Sometimes that took the form of inviting, allowing, or requiring them (depending on the child) to be my sous chef; one summer, it meant that once a week a child was responsible for preparing all or part of the family dinner. They’re all grown and on their own now, and they’re all excellent cooks. A cookbook like this one is a fun way for families to encourage kids in the kitchen.

Liturgical Living Is Not Always About Crafts 

What I didn’t have when my kids were younger was a way to observe liturgical feasts and seasons. I could find plenty of craft ideas, but crafts were never our thing. The Catholic Kids’ Cookbook definitely fills that gap. 

Each recipe presented comes with a brief introduction to the feast day or liturgical season to which it’s connected. There is also a two-page liturgical year timeline at the front of the book, so you can help your family learn where we are in the Church year at any given time. Each season is introduced with a brief essay that includes suggestions for activities families can enjoy together to celebrate that season. 

Our friends at Word On Fire generously offered to share two recipes from this book with Catholic Mom readers. Look for the next one in mid-November as we prepare to celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King! 

A Recipe to Enjoy on All Souls Day 

All Souls Day, celebrated in some parts of the world as Día de los Muertos, is a day when we remember those who have died and pray for their souls. It’s a time to remember loved ones and family members who have passed away and to intercede for them. You can even visit a local cemetery and pray for the people who are buried there. This might sound spooky or unsettling, but remember that the day before All Souls Day is All Saints Day. This important time in the Christian year reminds us that when we die, we have the hope of the Resurrection! We don’t have to view death with fear because Christ has conquered death.  

Did you know that the modern-day practice of trick-or-treating for Halloween first developed when people would go door-to-door singing and asking for little breads called soul cakes? In exchange for a snack, they would say prayers for those who had died. 

Soul Cakes 

Difficulty level: moderate 

Serves: 6 

Ingredients: 

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3 cups self-rising flour
½ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon clove
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons milk
½ cup raisins
Optional: powdered sugar to add on top  

Supplies:  

Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Mixer 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Add butter and sugar to the mixer and and mix them together until smooth. 
4. Add egg yolks and beat mixture. 
5. Add flour, spices, then milk and mix. 
6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out circles with a cookie cutter or the top of a cup. 
7. Add raisins to the top and then bake in the oven until golden brown. (Check after 10 minutes.) 

Ask for The Catholic Kids' Cookbook at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Word On Fire. 

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Recipe and photos copyright 2024 Word On Fire, all rights reserved. 

This article contains Amazon affiliate links, which provide a small compensation to the author of this piece when purchases are made through the links, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting our Catholic Mom writers in this way.