Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento

This Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento is THE cutest thing you’ll eat this fall – I guarantee it! Made with simple, kid-friendly ingredients that even the pickiest of eaters can’t resist, you’ll wish every sandwich was as cute and tasty as these fun little squirrels!

 

Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento - Kids & adults will FLIP over this adorable fall bento box! Made entirely out of sandwiches that use simple, pantry-staple ingredients, even the pickiest of eaters will adore this fun and yummy kid-friendly lunch! Get the recipe at: loveatfirstbento.com

Looking for a super fun and easy way to upgrade those plain old lunchbox sandwiches? I can guarantee you that this Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento will do exactly that! Composed of a variety of sandwich flavors all decorated with cute fall toppings, this autumn-themed bento box is chalk full of edible cuteness. Plus, it’s made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry/fridge right now. And if that’s not enough to convince you… just look at those adorable chubby squirrel faces: the literal definition of irresistible!

Remember my Autumn Squirrel Onigiri Bento from last fall? Well, I took that same uber cute squirrel design (bushy tails and all) and decided to transform it into little sandwich squares, and, you guys, the result was SO INSANELY cute I literally squealed for a solid minute once it all came together. But the squirrels aren’t the only awesome aspect of this fall bento – there’s also pretty fall leaf sandwiches, and “edible acorn” sandwiches, all arranged in a fun and elegant 3×3 mosaic pattern. All those autumn colors combined with all that squirrely cuteness = a truly irresistible bento box that will warm anyone’s heart.

Squirrel Sandwich Squares

Filled with a delectable combo of peanut butter and chocolate, I divided the squirrels into two separate sandwiches: one for their face/body, and another for their big bushy tail. I used regular white bread for the base of both sandwiches, and used pumpernickel bread for the squirrels’ tails. (Check out this video tutorial to see exactly how I make the tails.) For the face/body, I covered the white bread in more peanut butter, then topped it off with chocolate sauce facial features, bread crust paws, pink sprinkles for the cheeks, and a cute little sunflower seed for between the paws. (#canteven)

Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento - Kids & adults will FLIP over this adorable fall bento box! Made entirely out of sandwiches that use simple, pantry-staple ingredients, even the pickiest of eaters will adore this fun and yummy kid-friendly lunch! Get the recipe at: loveatfirstbento.com

Of course, feel free to play around with the ingredients used; for instance, you can replace the chocolate sauce with Nutella, or even use pumpernickel bread cutouts instead. Or, if you’d prefer a more savory sandwich, try using plain brown bread for the squirrel’s face/body, and then decorating the face using pumpernickel bread cutouts or dark-colored deli meats.

Fall Leaf Sandwich Squares

These yummy maple leafs are filled with a variety of fun fall-colored sandwich fillings, including raspberry jam for the red leaf, apricot jam for the orange leaf, and yellow egg crepe for the yellow leaf. (PS: For instructions on how to make the perfect thin and bright yellow egg crepe, be sure to check out my Fall Hello Kitty Mosaic Bento recipe.) I also added a slice of cheese beneath the egg crepe, to turn it into a yummy egg and cheese sandwich, but feel free to add whatever you like best with eggs, such as ham, mayo, or pesto.

Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento - Kids & adults will FLIP over this adorable fall bento box! Made entirely out of sandwiches that use simple, pantry-staple ingredients, even the pickiest of eaters will adore this fun and yummy kid-friendly lunch! Get the recipe at: loveatfirstbento.com

And here’s a tip that’ll literally save your life when it comes to cutting out fancy, intricate shapes from bread: be sure to flatten your bread before cutting into it. It may sound strange, but I promise you, this will make the shapes you cut so much more defined and precise. Here’s what you do:

  1. Place a small piece of plastic wrap atop your pre-cut bread square.
  2. Grab something flat and heavy – I used a pile of cookbooks, but a large pot, pan, or cutting board would also work.
  3. Place your heavy object on top of the bread and gently press down, until the bread is evenly flattened.
  4. Cut out your desired shape and marvel at how easily you just created beautiful bread art!

 

Edible Acorn Sandwich Squares

What’s a cute squirrel bento without some acorns? These acorns are made out of hot dog, a mushroom cap, and a piece of fried spaghetti, then placed atop a ham & cheese filled sandwich. Hot dog acorns are actually a common “edible decoration” used to fill fall bentos, so try adding them to other autumn-themed bento boxes for a cute fall touch. They’re tasty, look uber cute, and are a cinch to make!

Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento - Kids & adults will FLIP over this adorable fall bento box! Made entirely out of sandwiches that use simple, pantry-staple ingredients, even the pickiest of eaters will adore this fun and yummy kid-friendly lunch! Get the recipe at: loveatfirstbento.com

The verdict: cute squirrel mosaic sandwich bento > pumpkin spice lattes ANY day. It’s a super creative, super cute bento that elevates the boring lunchbox sandwich to something truly irresistible! Even the pickiest of eaters can’t resist that level of squirrely cuteness 😉

 

More Fall Themed Bento Boxes:

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Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento - Kids & adults will FLIP over this adorable fall bento box! Made entirely out of sandwiches that use simple, pantry-staple ingredients, even the pickiest of eaters will adore this fun and yummy kid-friendly lunch! Get the recipe at: loveatfirstbento.com

Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento


  • Author: Shannon
  • Yield: 1 3x3 mosaic bento
  • Category: Cute Bento
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Kids will FLIP over this adorable Autumn Squirrel Mosaic Sandwich Bento! Made using simple, kid-friendly ingredients, even the pickiest of eaters will approve of these fun and yummy sandwiches. Guaranteed to be the cutest thing you eat this fall!


Ingredients

Food Items:

  • 4 – 5 slices white bread
  • 2 – 3 slices pumpernickel bread
  • Raspberry jam
  • Apricot jam
  • 1 yellow egg crepe (recipe can be found HERE)
  • Peanut butter (preferably smooth)
  • Chocolate sauce
  • 1 hot dog, cooked
  • 1 small brown mushroom
  • 1 piece fried spaghetti
  • 2 sunflower seeds (optional)
  • Circular pink sprinkles (optional)
  • 1 slice ham
  • 1 slice cheese

Recommended Tools:


Instructions

Bread Squares:

  1. Using a ruler, measure the length and width of the bento box you will be using. Divide each measurement by 3 to get the length and width measurements for each sandwich square.
  2. Take your scrap piece of cardboard, and measure out a square according to the measurements you took in Step 1. Cut this out with scissors – this will become your tracer. (Check out this video tutorial to see exactly how I make my tracer.)
  3. With a knife and using your tracer as a guide, cut out 14 squares from the white bread slices. Make sure to reserve the scrap pieces!
  4. With a knife and using your tracer as a guide, cut out 4 squares from the pumpernickel bread slices. Make sure to reserve the scrap pieces!

Squirrel Sandwich Squares:

  1. Spread a mixture of peanut butter and chocolate sauce atop 4 of the white bread squares. Cover each with another white bread square so that you have 4 mini sandwiches.
  2. Using the small circle cookie cutter, cut out a circle from the pumpernickel bread. Using (clean) scissors or a knife, cut out a fat “apostrophe” shape from the bread circle – this will become the squirrel’s bushy tail (watch this video tutorial to see how it’s done). Repeat so that you have 2 tails.
  3. Using the circle cutter food pen (large end), cut out a total of 8 circles from the crusts of the reserved white bread scraps – these will become the squirrels’ ears and front paws.
  4. Using the circle food cutter pen (small end), cut out a total of 4 circles from the crusts of the reserved pumpernickel bread scraps – these will become the squirrel’s back paws.
  5. Take one of the mini peanut butter & chocolate sandwiches, and spread a thin, smooth layer of peanut butter across the top – this will be the squirrel’s face/body. Using a food-safe paintbrush dipped in chocolate sauce, carefully paint on two eyes, a nose/mouth, and 3 forehead stripes.
  6. Using tweezers, place the squirrel’s ears and paws onto the sandwich. Optional: Place a sunflower seed in between the two front paws.
  7. Optional: To form the squirrel’s rosy cheeks, place two pink circle sprinkles right beside (and ever so slightly lower than) the eyes.
  8. Repeat steps 5 – 7 on one more peanut butter & chocolate sandwich.
  9. Carefully place the two squirrel sandwiches into your bento box, in whatever arrangement you’d like. Place the other two peanut butter & chocolate sandwiches beside each squirrel sandwich (either on the left or right) – you will be placing the “tails” on these.
  10. Take the two pumpernickel “tails” and spread a bit of peanut butter onto the back of each. Then, place the tails onto the blank peanut butter & chocolate sandwiches, so that it looks as if the squirrels have tails.

Fall Leaf Sandwich Squares:

  1. Take 1 white bread square and 2 pumpernickel bread squares and place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over top. Using a flat, heavy object (such as a book, pot, or pan), gently press down onto the bread squares until they are all evenly flattened. Remove the sheet of plastic wrap.
  2. Using your square cardboard tracer as a guide, trim off the edges of the three flattened bread squares until they’re the same size as your tracer – they will have expanded slightly from the flattening, so you want to make sure they’re still the correct size!
  3. Using the small leaf cookie cutter, cut out a leaf shape from the center of each flattened bread square.
  4. Use your square cardboard tracer to cut out a square piece of cheese, as well as a square piece of yellow egg crepe. Place the cheese square on top of a new pumpernickel bread square, followed by the egg crepe square. To complete the sandwich, place one of the flattened pumpernickel bread squares on top. Place it in your bento box.
  5. Spread the apricot jam on top of a new pumpernickel bread square. Place the remaining flattened pumpernickel bread square on top. Place the sandwich in your bento box.
  6. Spread the raspberry jam on top of a new white bread square. Place the flattened white bread square on top. Place the sandwich in your bento box.

Edible Acorn Sandwich Squares:

  1. Use your square cardboard tracer to cut out 2 square pieces of cheese, as well as 2 square pieces of ham. Place one of each atop two new white bread squares, then cover both with another white bread square to complete the sandwiches. Place them in your bento box.
  2. With a knife, cut the hot dog in half crosswise. You’ll only need one of the halves, so save the unneeded one for another bento. Cut the hot dog half in half lengthwise. Trim the top off these two pieces of hot dog until they’re a little bit smaller than your square cardboard tracer (remember: they should be able to fit nicely in the middle of a sandwich square).
  3. Remove the stem from the mushroom, then cut the cap in half. Place each cap half on top of the flat end of each hot dog piece.
  4. Break the fried spaghetti into two small pieces. Use these to secure your hot dog “acorns” together, by inserting them into the top center of each mushroom cap. Place your hot dog acorns on top of the blank ham & cheese sandwiches.
© Love At First Bento. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use any image without my prior permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your own site, you are required to (1) link back to this post and (2) rewrite any instructions in your own words.

 

Tools used to make this bento:

 

Comments (6)

  • Wow!! This is just so cute Shannon. You are so creative and I love seeing your work. I will try this out for sure. Keep up the great work!!

    Reply
    • Thank you so much! You’ll definitely have a blast making it! 😀

      Reply
  • This bento is absolutely adorable, and looks so delicious, too! Very creative, I can’t wait to give it a try 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks so much for the lovely comment Marsha! 😀

      Reply
  • Omg! These squirrels look SO adorable! They are even holding little nuts! You make the coolest things Shannon! 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks so much Joyce, you’re too kind!! And ikr, the little nuts are my favorite part too 😉

      Reply

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