Christmas Cookie Decorating With Kids

Christmas Sweater Cookies

Credit: Dane Tashima

Mark the days before Santa's arrival with these adorable holiday sweets. We trimmed a lot of the baking steps so kids can get to the favorite parts—decorating and eating. Your kitchen will be overflowing with homemade treats and happy children in no time.

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Winter Dream Scene Cookie Cake

Credit: Dane Tashima

Baking sweet treats for a large crowd? Consider one giant cookie cake! We love this pretty winter dream scene, but let your kid channel her inner Picasso and decorate to her heart's content.

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Candy Tree Cut-Outs

Twinkly Trees

Credit: Tara Donne

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Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph Cookies

Credit: Tara Donne

Slice pieces from Pillsbury's Simply Peanut Butter cookie dough in half. Shape into 1-1/2" triangles and place 3" apart on cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. While they're still warm, push a mini chocolate pretzel (we used Flipz) on each side to resemble antlers. Let cool completely. Ask the kids to make the face: Attach brown M&M's Minis for eyes and a red M&M nose with frosting. Makes 24.

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Snowman Cookies

Mini Frosties

Credit: Tara Donne

He'll melt in your mouth: Microwave canned white frosting on high for 10 seconds. Dunk 24 plain doughnut holes in frosting; allow to set. On half of the holes, squirt on eyes and a mouth with chocolate tube frosting. Stick in a dried papaya triangle for the nose. Make a hat with half an Oreo Mini and a piece of an Oreo Cookie Stick. Place a fruit-leather scarf on top of an undecorated doughnut hole. Top with the face.

Find Christmas cookie recipes on BHG.com

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Gingerbread Village

Gingerbread Cookies

Credit: Tara Donne

These whole-wheat cookies are an easy alternative to one big house.

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Christmas Sweater Cookies

Credit: Dane Tashima

Skip the measuring and mixing! These adorable Christmas sweater treats are made with store-bought pie crusts, which make for a more relaxing family cookie day.

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Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Peppermint Secrets

Credit: Tara Donne

There's a surprise inside these cookies: a gooey marshmallow. Start with a 14-oz. package of Immaculate Baking Company's Chocolate Peppermint cookie dough (immaculatebaking.com). Slice each piece in half and reshape into a ball. Place 2" apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350?F for 8 minutes. Push a marshmallow half into the top of each cookie; bake another minute. Cool. Frost with chocolate icing and top with crushed peppermint. Makes 48.

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Cookie Grams

For Santa Cookies

Credit: Tara Donne

Let your kids write a note to friends, family, or even Santa Claus on Keebler Vanilla Wafers. Use food coloring to tint store-bought or homemade Royal Frosting; thin with a few drops of water if needed. Frost the cookies and allow to dry for several hours or overnight. Then print on letters with white tube frosting.

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Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwich

Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

Credit: Dane Tashima

What do you get when you combine festive gingerbread with a refreshing summer treat? These addicting ice cream sandwiches!

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Caramel Posies

Caramel Cookies

Credit: Tara Donne

Squirt vanilla tube frosting in the center of 16 Anna's Ginger Thins (find out where to buy them at annasthings.ca), and sprinkle on colored sugars. Shake off excess sugar. Meanwhile, melt 24 soft Kraft Caramels and 2 Tbs. whipping cream in the microwave on high until smooth, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Spread about 1 to 2 tsp. caramel on each plain cookie and have the kids top with their decorated ones.

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Snowflake Chips

White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Tara Donne

Make your favorite chocolate-chip dough (or use our yummy recipe) but leave out the morsels. Instead, use Wilton's Jumbo Snowflake Sprinkles and Nestlé Toll House Premier White Mini Morsel Toppers. Roll the dough into teeny balls and bake.

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Sparkly Streamers

Sparkly Streamers Cookies

Credit: Dane Tashima

These flaky treats add texture and dimension to any holiday dessert spread! All you need is frozen puff pastry, apple pie spice, and sparkling sugar or nonpareils.

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Stenciled Chocolate Wafers

Cocoa Wafers

Credit: Tara Donne

Ask the kids to put a stencil on top of Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers and sift powdered sugar on it. You can get these tree and gingerbread stencils (plus six others) as part of our 12 Days of Christmas Cookie kit at shopparents.com. To make your own, trace a cookie on paper. Draw or trace a design in the center. Cut out the circle and center design.

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Iced Spritz

Cookie Press Cookies

Credit: Tara Donne

Whip up a batch of these dainty treats on a day your little princess wants to throw a holiday tea party. You make them with a cookie press -- we like the Wilton Cookie Pro Ultra Plus ($25; readershopping.com). It's so simple even a 4-year-old can use it. It's easy to clean too.

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Shining Stars

Star Cut-Outs

Credit: Tara Donne

Knead 2/3 cup flour into 1 lb. refrigerated sugar-cookie dough; roll to about 1/4" thick. Make the stars using an assortment of 2" to 3-1/2" cookie cutters. Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets about 2" apart and have your artists in residence squirt on dots with Cake Mate decorating gels. Bake at 350?F until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.

Host a cookie decorating party.

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Candy Ornaments

Ornament Cookies

Credit: Tara Donne

Knead 1 lb. store-bought sugar-cookie dough and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour. Roll to 1/4" thick. Cut ornament shapes with a 2-3/4" cutter; use a straw to remove a small circle at the top. Place 2" apart on cookie sheets and bake at 350°F for 7 to 9 minutes. Tint store-bought or homemade Royal Frosting the color you want. Frost the cookies and let dry at least 4 hours. Microwave Tootsie Roll Fruit Chews for a few seconds, then flatten with a rolling pin to 1/8" thick. Ask the kids to cut into strips with a pizza wheel. Secure on cookies with a drop of water. Thread twine or ribbon through holes if desired..

Get more fun and festive holiday cookie ideas.

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Crunchy Cereal Wreaths

Credit: Miki Duisterhof

No baking necessary for these crispy treats that kids will love to shape -- while getting sticky hands! Marshmallow, coconut, and candy bows round out festive wreaths worthy of wowing a cookie swap gathering.

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Gingerbread Men

Credit: Rick Lew

The iconic Christmas cookie is a blank canvas for little artists. A palate of edible beads, buttons, and icing brings each gingerbread man to life.

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Spice Crackles

Credit: James Baigrie

Pumpkin pie spice and cocoa make basic sugar cookies unique, and colorful finishing sugars give kids free reign to make original crackles.

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Sweet Stockings

Credit: Mary Ellen Bartley

Sugar cutouts of Christmas stockings are perfect stocking stuffers! Colorful royal icing and sprinkles make decorating as exciting as finding a full stocking on Christmas morning.

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Snowflake Cookies

Credit: Jim Franco

Icing, sparkly sugar crystals, and creativity in the kitchen prove that no two snowflakes are the same. These cutouts are as beautiful as they are buttery.

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Peppermint Puffs

Credit: Alison Miksch

It's as if a little bit of Christmas magic turns wispy whips of sweetened, billowy egg whites into light crunchy puffs. Flavored with peppermint, these meringue clouds are fancied up with a sprinkle of crushed candy canes.

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Candy Cane Twists

Candy Canes Twists

Credit: Alison Miksch

Kids will love rolling and twisting colorful cookie dough into the shape of Christmas' favorite candy.

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Reindeer Gingerbread Cremes

Reindeer Names

Credit: Mary Ellen Bartley

These sandwich cookies will go down in history -- just like Rudolph -- as a famous Christmas favorite. From-scratch gingerbread dough cut in the likeness of Santa's trusted sleigh-pullers come together two-by-two with creamy icing centers.

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Mouse Macaroons

Mouse Macaroon

Credit: Mary Ellen Bartley

Candies, icing, and a little imagination turn these simple, chocolaty almond treats into cute Christmas critters. Shaping and decorating them is almost as much fun as opening Christmas gifts!

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Chocolate Malt Crinkles

Credit: Miki Duisterhof

Surprise Santa with a malty twist on a basic chocolate cookie. Kids will love rolling the dough in powdered sugar and watching the crinkles form as the cookies bake.

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Pecan Snowballs

Pecan snowballs

Credit: Rita Maas

The finishing touch of rolling cookies in powdered sugar makes kids feel like they're actually rolling snowballs, and nabbing the last cookie of the batch will give new meaning to snowball fight! A coating of melted white chocolate adds extra sweetness to pecan treats.

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These melted snowmen will be the hit of your holiday party. Bonus: They take only minutes to prepare.

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