Bake a holiday treat
Bake festive holiday cookies from scratch, measuring ingredients, mixing dough, cutting shapes, and decorating with icing and sprinkles under adult supervision.
About this activity
Bake festive holiday cookies from scratch, measuring ingredients, mixing dough, cutting shapes, and decorating with icing and sprinkles under adult supervision.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Ask an adult to preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 2
Step 2
Wash your hands with soap and dry them so your baking is clean.
- 3
Step 3
Measure all ingredients into separate bowls: 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter.
- 4
Step 4
Cream the measured butter and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
- 5
Step 5
Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar.
- 6
Step 6
Mix the egg and vanilla into the butter mixture until the color and texture are even.
- 7
Step 7
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently until a soft dough forms.
- 8
Step 8
Lightly sprinkle flour on a clean surface to keep the dough from sticking.
- 9
Step 9
Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness with the rolling pin.
- 10
Step 10
Use cookie cutters to cut festive shapes from the dough.
- 11
Step 11
Place each cut cookie onto a parchment-lined baking sheet so they are slightly apart.
- 12
Step 12
Ask an adult to bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are set.
- 13
Step 13
With adult help use oven mitts to move the baking sheet and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
- 14
Step 14
Make simple icing by stirring powdered sugar with a little milk until spreadable then add food coloring and decorate the cookies with icing and sprinkles; let the icing set.
- 15
Step 15
Take a photo and share your finished festive holiday cookies on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I bake festive holiday cookies from scratch with my child?
To bake festive holiday cookies from scratch with your child, choose a simple sugar or butter cookie recipe. Together, preheat the oven, measure and mix dry and wet ingredients, chill dough if required, roll it out, cut shapes, and bake on lined sheets. After cooling, let kids decorate with icing and sprinkles while an adult handles oven use, hot pans, and sharp tools. Keep tasks age-appropriate and supervise every step.
What materials and ingredients do I need to bake holiday cookies with kids?
You'll need basic baking ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder or soda, salt, and vanilla. For decorating, get icing, food coloring, sprinkles, and edible decorations. Tools: mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a mixer or sturdy spoon, rolling pin, cookie cutters, baking sheets, parchment paper, cooling rack, spatula, and piping bags or zip-top bags. Have oven mitts and adult supervision ready for handling hot items.
What ages is holiday cookie baking suitable for?
This activity suits different ages: toddlers (2 to 3) can pour premeasured ingredients and stir with help; preschoolers (3 to 5) can measure with assistance, press cookie cutters, and add sprinkles; ages 6 to 8 can roll dough, cut shapes, and pipe simple icing; children 9 and up can take on more independent baking tasks under supervision. An adult should always handle hot pans, sharp tools, and oven controls.
What safety tips and fun variations make holiday cookie baking better?
Safety tips: always supervise near the oven, keep young children away from hot pans, use child-safe utensils, pre-measure ingredients for little helpers, and teach handwashing. Use silicone baking mats to avoid sticking. Variations: try gingerbread, chocolate chip, or gluten-free recipes; swap cookie cutters for stamps, add natural food coloring, or make cookie-decorating stations with small bowls of toppings so kids can customize. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have parchment paper, cookie cutters, or food coloring?
Instead of a parchment-lined baking sheet, lightly grease the baking sheet, use the rim of a drinking cup or a sharp knife to cut shapes after rolling the dough, and tint the powdered-sugar icing with mashed berries or a small spoon of cocoa powder if you lack food coloring.
My dough is too sticky or my cookies spread—what should I check or change?
If the dough sticks when rolling or your cookies spread in the oven, check that you measured flour and baking powder correctly, chill the dough 15–30 minutes after mixing the dry and wet ingredients, and roll to the instructed 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
How can I adapt this activity for different ages?
For preschoolers, have an adult pre-measure ingredients and let the child press cutters and decorate with pre-made icing, while older children can measure, cream the butter and sugar, mix the dough, roll to 1/4 inch, and handle oven tasks with supervision.
How can we personalize or make the cookies more special?
Add spices like cinnamon or orange zest to the measured flour before mixing, press sprinkles into the cookie edges before baking or sandwich two cookies with colored icing, and take a photo of the finished festive cookies to share on DIY.org.