LIBRARY BLOG

Baking with Brooke

Three Holiday Cookies the Kids Can Help Make

One of the best parts about the holidays is baking all sorts of delicious treats for family and friends. The most iconic treat for this time of year is cookies. There are lots of fun shaped and decorated cookies to put you in a holiday mood this season.

Candy Cane Cookies

This fun holiday cookie is shaped to look like a classic Christmas candy, the candy cane. It can be fun for the children to help twist and shape the cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • (2 teaspoons red food coloring for the red batch of dough)

Gingerbread Person Cookies

This iconic Christmas cookie is definitely fun to decorate. They can be cut into people, snowmen, or any shape you want. Then the kids can take frosting and any other candies and sprinkles to decorate the cookies. It’s a great bonding experience for the whole family.

Ingredients:

  • I teaspoon plus ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup light molasses
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ to 1/3 cup milk
  • Any sprinkles and frosting wanted to decorate

Thumbprint Cookies

These are a fun and easy cookie to make with the kids. Even the small ones can help when you use your thumb to indent the cookie in the middle before baking. And there are so many options for toppings like chocolate chips, nuts, and even jam. That way there is one for everybody’s tastes.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon grated lime zest (optional for a bit of zing)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ to 11/3 cup finely ground almond, walnuts, or hazelnuts
  • Any filling or topping desired

Full recipes can be found in Christmas Sweets: 65 Festive Recipes, Table Decorations, Sweet Gift Ideas in the library.

– Brooke Jones, Youth Services Clerk

Important Links