My kids love decorating cookies – making them, too! They love every step of the process, beginning with mixing the dough and rolling it out.
These photos are from a cookie-making session in January, when then-17-month-old Lily was very happy to roll out flour while Emma rolled out the dough. 28-month-old Lily would definitely insist on rolling out the dough!
The kids love picking cookie cutters, and playing with them.
In general, I’m a fan of making things from scratch, but the icing that comes in tubes is so child-friendly that even a toddler can use them.
Lily was so thrilled to be able to control the icing, that she spent much longer decorating her bear than the other kids!
Another variation on cookie-decorating that we love is putting Nutella on sugar cookies. These photos are from March! Adding the candies was great fine motor skill practice for then-19-month-old Lily!
Emma spent a lot of time deciding where to place each candy, to create the perfect masterpiece:
Johnny was mostly into eating the cookies:
Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him eat an actual cookie. Mostly he eats the frosting and candy off the top.
Nothing better than eating a treat you designed and made!
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Great pictures! Other people’ children grow so quickly :)
Exactly! How does that happen?!
They look like they had great fun! What a great process to be involved in!
I really like the nutella and candies suggestion. Easy, delicious, and fun!
This makes me want to make cookies today !!!!!!!!!!!!
This is always a good activity! The making of the cookies and the icing and the decorating can make for a whole day of interaction. We love it! Looks like your kids did,too!
I love their faces as they’re concentrating on their cookies! We don’t make cookies too often, usually about two or three times a year, but always in December. I may be lazy this year and just buy the dough. :)
Those are some happy smiles!
Look how little they all are! So sweet. Abby and I made gingerbread playdough tonight and we both had fun using the cookie cutters with it. It smelled good too and I wanted to eat it. LOL!
I would want to eat it, too!
I am SO a fan of eating the frosting and candy off the cookie! :) What a fun time! Wanted to do this with my daughter today but we made muffins instead. :)
I was just thinking today about how I wanted to make Christmas cookies with the kids. I’ve never tried nutella on them before. Sounds yum!
Delicious AND easy! =)
Loved seeing the pictures of your kids decorating their Christmas cookies!
Those cookies look fabulous and lots of fun! :)
I agree, these photos are wonderful. What a gorgeous group of kiddos! Good idea with the nutella too, by the way!
What a terrific pictorial journey through the cookie-making process!
These pictures are all precious! Making Christmas cookies is the absolute best!