Sugar Cookies With The Kids

My six year old loves to spend time in the kitchen with mom.  “Can I help?” is a question I hear just about ever day.  Usually the answer is yes.  I want my kids to feel confident in the kitchen.  I want them to be comfortable with cookbooks and new recipes. 

My kids and I made these for our 4th of July party.


They loved creating this look for the frosting.


The idea came from the July issue of Martha’s magazine.  My son read the directions to us and thought it was so cool that we could make the frosting do this.

We followed Martha’s directions for frosting the cookies, but I use my own recipe for the sugar cookies.  Here is the recipe I posted on my other blog.

My original post on this recipe was a St. Patricks’s Day cookie.  It’s the same recipe, just a different cookie cutter and different way of frosting the cookie.

2 Cups Flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 TBSP butter

1/3 Cup shortening

3/4 Cup sugar

1 egg

1 TBSP milk

1 tsp vanilla

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Cookies for Christmas

Beat butter and shortening until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients. Beat until well mixed. (I usually make a triple batch. They freeze well.)

The dough needs to be refrigerated for about 3 hours to make it easier to handle.

I like a thick sugar cookie. That way they are soft, rather than crispy. I roll them to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 375 for seven minutes.


I frost my cookies with a simple powdered sugar and milk frosting. I don’t ever use a recipe. I just pour in a little powdered sugar and a little milk until I get a consistency I like. The Wilton food coloring paste is the only way to go. You can buy it at Michael’s. It gives a much more vivid color than regular food coloring. Stir it up until the color is well blended.

I love to frost my cookies and then use a little sanding sugar from William Sonoma. Oh, they’re just so pretty. It’s a tradition my kids love and it makes the house smell great too.

Cooking, baking, and food prep with your kids is rewarding, fun, and promotes literacy in the tastiest way possible!  Have fun in the kitchen and get the whole family involved!

Here are a few linky parties I like to participate in.

Happy cooking!

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