Get into the festive spirit by decorating cookies with your kids! It's a fun and creative activity that little ones love. Enjoy the cookie chaos when the air tastes like sugar and core memories are being made (try not to worry about the clean-up yet!). Plus, getting messy is an important part of early childhood. It lets kids explore their senses, build their creativity and boost their sense of self. Messes can always be cleaned up, so savor the moment with these fun cookie decorating ideas!
Pasta surprise
Before baking cookies of your choice, break out some pasta for decoration (it’s not weird, we promise). Use bowties as cookie stamps for a fancy treat or stamp the end of penne into the cookie to create a petal design.
Gingerbread “houses”
Gingerbread houses are wintertime favorite, but they can be a bit complex to make from scratch. Instead, simplify the process by making gingerbread house-shaped cookies. Provide different colors of icing, candies and mini marshmallows for decorating the "houses." Use the icing as glue to attach candy cane chimneys, gumdrop bushes and candy roof tiles.
Marshmallow icing
Add some mini marshmallows to your baked cookies and pop them back into the oven until the marshmallow melt. Or add a large marshmallow on top, melt it slightly in the oven and then have your children decorate it to look like a melting snowman!
New Year's countdown
Welcome the New Year with countdown cookies! Use number-shaped cookie cutters to create cookies shaped like the upcoming year. Let your children decorate each cookie with colorful icing and add edible glitter for a celebratory touch. Count down together as you enjoy these sweet treats.
Stained glass window cookies
Stained glass window cookies are a unique and beautiful way to decorate sweets. Use hard candies to create the stained-glass effect. Crush the candies into small pieces and arrange them in cookie cutouts. When baked, the candies melt and create a colorful, translucent effect.
Colorful stars
Before baking sugar cookies (store bought or homemade dough is fine!) dip a whisk into food coloring or powdered drink mix. Then press the whisk into the cookie dough to create a coloring star.
Cookie canvas
Like the colorful stars idea, you can paint sugar cookies before you bake them. Dilute an egg yolk with water and then add a few drops of food coloring. Once the consistency is paint-like, use clean watercolor paintbrushes to decorate the cookies. If you can’t use egg yolks, try making the paint with aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas). Start with one tablespoon of aquafaba and a few drops of food coloring. You may need to experiment a little to get the right consistency, but that’s part of the fun!
A few tips to help manage the mess:
- Create a decorating station and lay out everything you need before decorating
- Cover your table with a plastic tablecloth
- Place down towels or plastic tablecloths on the floor (just in case …)
- Use squeeze bottles if decorating with royal icing
- Put sprinkles, candies and other loose edible cookie décor into bowls or muffin tins with spoons
- Make icing a few days in advance and store it in the fridge
- Try out edible markers if you don’t have icing
- Spread icing with popsicle sticks
- Experiment with alternative items like eye droppers, textured rollers (before baking) or cookie stencils
Happy baking!
