You don’t need a special occasion to bake with your kids. Having fun in the kitchen on a day at home means there’s no pressure to make your creations perfect. It’s an ideal time to show the kids how to decorate sugar cookies.
It doesn’t matter what age your children are, decorating is a sensory activity for small hands. Whether kids can handle a piping bag or a pinch of sprinkles, they love the process! Take this advice from my daughter: “Kids can get messy, even turn their hands—and hair—blue or orange. Let them have one or two cookies when you’re done.”
How to Make Sugar Cookies
For the cookies, I baked Pillsbury’s break-apart sugar cookie dough, and it was simple to use. In my experience, they’re a good size for simple decorations and small hands. I also used a recipe for royal icing, which sets up to a hard, candy-like coating.
For a homemade dough, I can’t recommend these white velvet cutouts enough. They’re 100% the best sugar cookie I’ve ever made. The frosting for that recipe is different from the one I used here, but is outstanding in its own right.
How to Decorate Sugar Cookies
Tools You’ll Need
You’ll need a mixer, a plate or shallow bowl for each color of icing you plan to use, plus sprinkles, sparkling sugar and crushed candies set out in small bowls. It’s also helpful to keep some napkins nearby, and definitely a broom. We recommend these products:
Ingredients
- Prepared sugar cookies
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons water
- 4-1/2 teaspoons meringue powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles, sparkling sugar and crushed candies
Instructions
Step 1: Grown-ups make the icing
First, you’ll want to make the royal icing. Combine the confectioners’ sugar, water, meringue powder and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Beat on low to combine, then on high until stiff peaks form. That’s it!
Step 2: Grown-ups handle food coloring
As my daughter said, the coloring part can get messy. Her own fingers were blue, as well as a spot on her leg, somehow. One second of food coloring in a child’s hands is one second too long (as I learned).
I recommend grown-ups use the food coloring. Let the kids pick out their colors and have fun mixing colors together—once the coloring is already safely in the icing.
Step 3: Kids go to town
For simplicity’s sake, the dipping method for icing cookies is likely your best bet with kids. Dip the tops of your cookies in the icing and lift them up and out. Since royal icing hardens fairly quickly, you may have to mix in a spoonful of water or two to thin it out as you go. You can also hand the kids small rubber spatulas for smoothing on icing, if that works better for them.
My daughter used orange frosting, crushed Oreo cookies and a single red sprinkle on top to form “Volcano Island” cookies. When the kids are in charge of their creations, you never know what you’re going to get. And that might be the best part!
How to Set up a Decoration Bar
I brought my plain cookies to the table on a cooling rack, followed by different colors of icing in high-sided toddler plates. These make for easy dipping and won’t shatter if they’re bumped off of the table.
Set out small bowls for sprinkles, crushed cookies or nuts, sparkling sugar or crushed candies within easy reach. Work with what you have in the pantry here.
To level up, add icing to piping bags or squeeze bottles to create more designs on your cookies. For older kids, there are all kids of cookie decorating tools that are fun to use.
How to Store Your Creations
You’ve got to do a little taste-testing right away, as my daughter says, but you can store extra cookies stacked in an airtight container at room temperature for three days.
Pinwheel Pops
My mom used to make pinwheels every Christmas, and I still love them. They are so colorful, and perfect for sharing in gift boxes. —Jill Heatwole, Pittsville, Maryland
Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
I created this recipe based on our family's love of chocolate-dipped ice cream cones. Red heart-shaped sprinkles make them fun for Valentine's Day. Vary the color to match the occasion. —Jennifer Gilbert, Brighton, Michigan
Mini Brownie Treats
I like to take these quick-and-easy treats to potlucks and family gatherings. They disappear quickly! —Pam Kokes, North Loup, Nebraska
Pink Velvet Cupcakes
My daughter loves all things pink, so this recipe was just right for her birthday. Even my teenage son (not a fan of pink) ate his share, too. —Paulette Smith, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Chocolate-Glazed Doughnut Cookies
My little nieces love to help decorate these doughnut-shaped cookies. They top them with sprinkles, chopped pecans or crushed candy canes. —Jolie Stinson, Marion, Indiana
Gingerbread Teddy Bears
These cookies have been a Christmas tradition in my family since I was a little girl. The big bears are so soft and chewy that we can hardly wait until they come out of the oven!—Elizabeth Manzanares, Gloucester, Virginia
Homemade Butterfly Cake
Impress guests by making an adorable and delicious cake. It is actually easy to put together.—Bonnie Jost, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Pear-Berry Breakfast Tarts
When my kids were small, I could never get pancakes on the table while they were all still hot. Then I got the idea for these breakfast tarts. They're a good and simple recipe for any busy family. —Joan Elbourn, Gardner, Massachusetts
Rainbow Cake with Clouds
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Cheesecake Pops
This is a very quick, easy and fun dessert for any occasion. The possibilities are endless with these cute bites. Customize them for any occasion by using different toppings. —Evelyn Moore, Elk Grove, California
Homemade Confetti Cake
This is a moist and fluffy vanilla cake with lots of sprinkles and a whipped vanilla buttercream. It's almost impossible not to feel happy when you see the fun pop of rainbow confetti! - Courtney Rich, Highland, UT
Caramel Apple Bites
Kids can help make these perfect fall bites by dipping the baked cookies in caramel and nuts. It's a fun food craft for all of us. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon
Easy Cake Mix Bars
I take this dessert to work for Friday pick-me-ups. It's one of my favorite yellow cake bar recipes. I love to share them because they're so easy to eat, easy to make and easy on the wallet. —Amy Rose, Ballwin, Missouri
Owl Cookies
I came up with these cookies as a treat for my kids’ class parties. Not only do they look cute, but they are also delicious.—Starrlette Howard, Ogden, Utah
Lemony Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
These spiced-just-right whoopie pies combine two popular flavors in one fun treat. The moist cookies are rolled in sugar before baking for a bit of crunch. —Jamie Jones, Madison, Georgia
Strawberry Muffin Cones
This is a delightful, fun way to serve a cupcake. I share these with the neighborhood kids and they love the ice cream cone look and ease of eating. Adults who try them say snacking on them makes them feel like kids again. —Barb Kietzer, Niles, Michigan
Root Beer Cookies
When it's too difficult to take along root beer floats on a picnic, take these cookies instead! I've found the flavor is even better the next day. The hard part is convincing my family to wait that long before sampling them.—Violette Bawden, West Valley City, Utah
Rocky Road Cookie Cups
Traditional rocky road ice cream has nuts, marshmallows and chocolate. Using prepared cookie dough makes it easy to put the flavors together in these fast, kid-friendly cups. —Charlotte McDaniel, Jacksonville, AL
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Lemon Cutouts
Full of lemony flavor, these cookies are great for any time of year and always popular with family and friends.—Patricia C. Quinn, Omaha, Nebraska
Miniature Peanut Butter Treats
This recipe is one of my family's favorites, and I make the treats a lot, especially at Christmas. I have three children and eight grandchildren, and every one of them loves those "peanut butter thingies," as the grandchildren call them! —Jodie McCoy, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Candy Cupcakes
Rich chocolaty cupcakes include a cream cheese surprise. Get kids in on the fun by letting them help decorate. ‐Mrs. Walter Jacobson, Ashland, Ohio
Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
Baking peanut butter kiss cookies to share doesn't get much easier than this. Stir together four ingredients. Bake. Top with a kiss. Done! Your family will love this Hershey's peanut butter blossom cookie recipe. —Dee Davis, Sun City, Arizona
Chocolate-Raspberry Cutout Cookies
When my daughter, Katie, was 2, the juicy, ripe raspberries in my backyard inspired me to create this cutout cookie. It's become a mother-daughter tradition to pick the raspberries, choose the cutter shapes, cut out the cookies and frost them. —Cindy Beberman, Orland Park, Illinois
Oreo Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting
Kids and adults alike will find these Oreo cupcakes irresistible. If you want to pipe the frosting, be sure to thoroughly crush the cookies. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
S'mores Brownies
Our family simply adores our daughter's fudgy s'mores brownies. The cinnamon graham cracker crust and dark chocolate brownies bring our passion for s'mores to a whole new level! —Jennifer Gilbert, Brighton, Michigan
Confetti Cake Batter Cookies
Mom and I took up cake decorating. Funfetti was our favorite cake, so we used the mix to make cutout cookies. Plain or decorated, they’re a fave at parties. —Danielle DeMarco, Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Jelly Bean Cookies
It's a family tradition for my grandmother and me to make these colorful cookies every year for the holidays. —Cheyenne Fink, Pleasantville, Pennsylvania
Miniature Castle Cakes
You can easily make several of these pretty palaces with a boxed cake mix, canned frosting and a few common confections. Grab a goblet of milk and enjoy one with your prince of princess. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bite-Sized Apple Pies
These little bites are fun for kids to make. Simply wrap strips of pastry around apple wedges and shake on some cinnamon-sugar. Then just bake and watch them disappear! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Frosted Butter Cutout Cookies
I have fond memories of baking and frosting these cutout cookies with my mom. Now I carry on the tradition with my kids. It's a messy but fun day! —Sandy Nace, Greensburg, Kansas
Waffle-Iron Cookies
The recipe for these cookies is the easiest to find in my book because it's a beautiful mess. It's covered with fingerprints, flour smudges and memories of more than 30 Christmases! I made these with my daughters, and now I make them with my granddaughters. —Judy Taylor, Quarryville, Pennsylvania
Berry Brownie Pizza
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Shortbread Sandwich Cookies
I layer a creamy, coffee-flavored filling between buttery shortbread, then dip the sandwiches in chocolate. Guests always love them.—Bertha Seyer, Oak Ridge, Missouri
Jelly Donut Cake
Cake. Doughnuts. Now you don't have to choose between the two. Impress your family with this easy jelly-filled cake. Try your best to center the jelly in the middle of the half-filled Bundt pan so that it will not leak out the edges of the cake.—Colleen Delawder, Herndon, VirginiaThe post How to Decorate Sugar Cookies with Your Kids appeared first on Taste of Home.
Elizabeth Harris