When it’s that time of the year to celebrate the Holiday Season, the festivities are certain to begin with cookies! Christmas cookies have a special place in my remembrance of Christmas time as a child. With the soft glow of the colorful lights in the living room, the faint scent of the evergreen tree, and the songs of Nat King Cole and the Motown Christmas song renditions playing in the background, baking cookies with my mom was always a fun fun time of the year.
Now, as a dad, I have the great pleasure of making cookies with my son (of course with mom not far away, for guidance and inspiration). Making Christmas cookies with kids is an activity that creates those lasting memories and connects our past with our future. The blessings of giving to others as we have been blessed by the King are brought to the fore. Sharing time, reflecting, and giving is the real joy of making Christmas cookies with kids.
The Setup
This easy sugar cookie recipe is so much fun to make with my son. With autism, the process of making the cookies allow him to practice many of the skills with which we have worked with him over the years. Fine motor skills, following directions, paying attention to detail, and the big one, waiting, all play a role in the production of our Christmas cookies.
The Process
Organization and a game plan are key when cooking with kids. Having all of your resources, tools, and ingredients ready to go (aka, mise en place) cuts down on the dreaded wait time in between steps.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 2-1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp milk
Steps
The ingredients will all go into the KitchenAid at some point to be be mixed. Measuring and dumping them into the machine is the best part! You’ll want to follow the procedures in the video below.
Next, once your dough is done, rolling out and forming the cookies with cookie cutters offers a chance to work out any last minute shopping stress.
After rolling and cutting our your shapes, bake them on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes. You and the kids will be tempted to eat the cookies at this point…don’t do it! The best part is next.
For the icing and decorations part of the project, you’ll want to absolutely have this prepped before the kids begin. Red food coloring is nothing to mess around with! Sprinkles can be swept up, but oh, the food coloring…
Icing and decorating the cookies is the creative/artistic part of making Christmas cookies with kids. And, an amazing opportunity to see the things they will produce that had never occurred to you. Just let them do what they do. It’s Christmas time!
If you would like to explore other kid-friendly recipes take a look at these:
You can also see this recipe on Pinterest.
Making Christmas Cookies with Kids
Course: DessertsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
servings40
minutes12
minutes1
hour10
minutesThis is a great Christmas cookie recipe for making with the kids!
Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 and 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon milk
2 cans of vanilla frosting
Food coloring
Sprinkles
Directions
- Cream the shortening and sugar in the mixer. Mix on high.
- Add salt, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder. Then add to the mixer. Mix on medium to a smooth ball.
- Add milk and mix to incorporate.
- Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thickness.
- Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
- Bake in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Let cool on rack.
- Add different food coloring colors to separate bowls of frosting and mix well.
- Decorate cookies to your liking.
Notes
- Additional flavorings of your choice may be added to make your cookies unique.