Mammas and Papas -
I'm having my g.f. over in two weeks with her 2 preschool aged boys. They love to cook, and I thought cookies would be fun. Any tips for festive but easy cookies?
I thought maybe thumbprints, or cookies which can be strung on the tree as ornaments.
Any links for favorite crafty type cookies that kiddies can actually manage to make would be really good.
Ideally, not too much prep, bake or time or wait time.
Also, I'd like to keep the decorating easy by using food color directly in the dough, using colored sugar, or paint brushes.
If they could taste good too that would certainly sweeten the deal.
Planning to do a trial run this weekend before getting the kiddies involved.
This is not a cookie, but it is very easy and very fast. You place mini pretzels on a cookie sheet, put one hershey kiss on each, bake for 2 min at 350 and then put a red or green m&m on each one.
Fun and yummy!
Why not do plain old sugar cookies, then set out frosting, sprinkles, etc, and let them decorate their own? My BFF and I always do this with the kids every year. Just make sure you set everything out BEFORE people get there, and use a disposable tablecloth underneath so you can throw the whole leftover mess out in one fail swoop ;) Buy little plastic Christmas bins from the dollar store with the kids names on them so they can take their goodies home :)
There is the cutest reindeer cookie craft/recipe on pinterest. Have you joined? If not, request an invite. I get all my ideas from there!
I second Rachel's idea. I would bake the cookies ahead of time, so that they don't have to wait. If you really want them to be a part of the entire process you could do what they do on cooking shows. Let the kids make the dough, but then have some cookies already baked for them to decorate. You can use the other dough later to make cookies for your family.
My son likes to make peanut butter cookies. He's 2 and can help roll them into balls, roll them in sugar and then use a fork to make the marks in them. Or you can do the ones with hershey kisses in them and skip the forking and put a kiss in instead. We also like snickerdoodles, which are similar. You roll them into a ball and then roll in cinnamon and sugar. You could have the dough ready to go because it works best if it's cold anyway and then make it like an assembly line and each child gets a job. Both recipes bake in about 10 minutes.
What do you think about having them make a few cinnamon ornaments?
They are easy & cute and smell GREAT!
http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Other/Cinnamon-Ornaments...
My son has always liked doing the sugar & criss-cross fork marks on peanut butter cookies! There's a recipe using a yellow cake mix that is really easy. Here it is:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/elaines-peanut-butter-cookies/
They have cookies that are already made and cut out at Walmart. All you do is put on cookie sheet, bake then decorate. This is what I do with my husbands grandkids. They have different flavors, sugar cookie and gingerbread. When the cookies are done baking I put sprinkles and tubes of icing on a table covered with paper and get the camera ready. Super easy, fun and much less stressfull and messy than measuring flour!
Have fun! What a good friend you are!!
Blessings!
D.
I have a word doc that has a bunch of No Bake cookies. Super easy and great for the kids because they can eat them right away. If you or anyone else wants it, just message me your email address and I'll send it to you. Have fun!!!
Easy? Cut and bake cookies. ;)
They even have gingerbread (you don't have to make the shape if you
don't want to but it's easy....cut a slice & cram it into a gingerbread
cookie cutter shape
Cut & bake chocolate chip cookies
Cut & bake sugar cookies to decorate.
You did say easy. :) I know its cheating but....
