Easy to make Christmas Cookies to make with kids! This classic sugar cookies recipe only has 6 ingredients. I loved baking them with my 1 year old daughter!
Do you know what memory I hold most dear when I look back at my childhood? It’s baking sugar cookies around Christmas time with my Mom. We poured flour all over the kitchen table, the oven was on full blast, and Mom had this beautiful wooden rolling pin (which now lives in my kitchen!).
Christmas Cookies to Make With Kids
With a 1 year old, I decided it was never too early to start creating baking memories so we decided to bake some Christmas cookies.
Yes, that’s right. You can bake with a 1 year old. My advise? Take a deep breath and go with the flow. Yes, there will be spills. Yes, there might be egg shells in the batter. Yes, she might wear the bowl on her head. But all of that is ok.
Explain the steps to your kids from beginning to end. Explain that we need to cream together the butter and sugars. Help them pour in the flour. Have them help roll the dough into balls and put on the cookie sheet.
And yes, have them help decorate the cookies! Want to make a kids day? Give them a bottle of sprinkles to shake on the cookies. You will be the best mom EVER in that moment.
They’re so easy to make!
Here’s why I love these cookies: They are so easy to make. There’s nothing fancy about these cookies. They’re Christmas Cookies just like Grandma and Mom used to make. You need 6 ingredients for the actual cookies – and trust me, you have everything in your cabinet already.
You’ll need butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, baking powder and flour. You have everything in your kitchen, right? Yup, thought so. They’re my go to sugar cookie to bake for the holidays.
Are these Sugar Cookies?
Yes, this recipe makes classic sugar cookies. They melt in your mouth. They’re delicious. They’re the definition of “Christmas Cookies”. Did I mention they are soft but yet crispy on the bottoms? Yup, they’re perfect!
Baking With Toddlers
This recipe makes 18 cookies to share with your family, but good luck making them last until the next day. Want to know something sweet?
The day after we made the cookies, my little woke up in the morning (as usual, 6AM on the dot) and rushed to the kitchen. She pointed to the mason jar on the counter filled with cookies. “COOK-AH” she exclaimed. I told her we could come back for a cookie after we finished breakfast. She was so excited! And I was equally excited that one of her first thoughts that morning was about baking cookies with her Mama!
I mean look at the pure joy on her face when she tried the first cookie out of the oven! It doesn’t get more happy than this!
Actually it does get more happy – that’s how you feel after you bite into one! I had to take a few pictures of these cookies for the blog but my daughter was nearby, watching my every move, trying to grab a cookie when I wasn’t looking!
So if you’re looking for a easy Christmas Cookie to make with your kids, look no further. These are going to make some great memories – so enjoy it!
PS. I made a video on my phone while we baked the cookies. My husband loved the video so much he talked me into sharing it on the blog, so here it is! Hope this makes you smile. 🙂
Pin for later:
Looking for more Christmas Cookie? Try my Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies , Snowball Cookies, Christmas Cut Out Sugar Cookies and my Christmas Cookies Made with Cream Cheese!
Christmas Cookies to Make With Kids
PrintIngredients
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups flour
- festive sugar sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add butter and sugar in bowl. Use electric mixer to cream them together. Add egg and vanilla and continue to mix.
- Add in baking powder and flour. Mix until cookie dough forms.
- Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray. Rip off large tablespoon sized pieces of dough and roll them into balls. Place on cookie sheet. With a fork gently press down on the cookie. Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until browned on the bottom.
Joy says
Hi! Can i make this without an electric hand mixer?
Pamela says
Sure, you can use a spoon instead – just make sure to really mix it!
Nathali says
Thanks a lot for the recipe. I was looking for a simple Christmas cookie recipe to make with my 1 year old son. This is perfect. Loved the video. Thanks again. Happy holidays to you and to your family.
AT says
Yummmm great Xmas activity with bub
Jen S. says
These were great. Made these with my 3yo. She was so excited to be able to make Santa cookies and she felt in charge of the process. I just sorta let things happen. Not sure the actual amount of flour needed made it in. Most ended up on the floor or counter since she added the flour/baking powder mixture by hand and then eventually one 1/4 tsp at a time. It was a long process :-). She had a hard time making the balls so we had some big ones I did and she did small ones for the elves. We had a lot of fun. The recipe is so simple which makes it so much easier and less stressful to include kids in the process.
Nicole says
We made these for our annual holiday cookies (it’s a full day event) and the kids (age 1 and 4) had so much baking them. We decorated with sprinkles at the end. Delicious!
Isabel Kamonwat says
I made these cookies with my 18-month-old son. We had a lot of fun (we skipped the sprinkles this time, but he still had a great time😊). They tastes great too! I just asked my little boy if he wants to make them again next week and he said yes! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Carol says
Made these with my grandkids using our vintage cookie cutters and they turned out wonderful!
Tina says
I used whole wheat flour instead and after adding two cups of flour and mixing, it turned out so dry and crumbly. Do I need to use less with whole wheat flour? And I didn’t have baking powder so substituted with 1/4t baking soda and 1/2t vinegar. Would that work? Thanks!
Andrea says
Is the butter supposed to be softened or melted?
Pamela says
Hey Andrea, the butter should be melted.
Sonia says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Pamela says
In general I use salted butter when it comes to all baking. Honestly though, either will do and produce a delicious cookie.
Mary Rayner says
Can these be roll out then use a cookie cutter?
Pamela says
You can absolutely use this recipe for cut outs. Just make sure to roll the doll thin enough for standard cut out cookies, and you’ll need to adjust the baking time – around 6 to 8 minutes – keep a eye on them. 😊
Julie W says
I tried making this dough and rolling it out but it was too crumbly to hold shapes. I followed the instructions. Any advice for what I did wrong? Ended up just making little balls.
Pamela says
Hey Julie, did you chill the dough? I always recommend chilling the dough if you’re making roll out cookies. If you don’t chill the dough, they won’t be able to hold their shapes. I still hope the balls worked out for you, that’s my preferred cookie for this recipe! 🙂
Julie Whitaker says
No I didn’t, I knew I was missing a step! Thank you for next time. The balls turned out yummy and was super easy to make.
Stephanie says
Is it ok to double this recipe?
Pamela says
Absolutely, you can double it! Enjoy these cookies!
Karenann S. says
Your baby girl is adorable!! Have a wonderful Holiday Season!!
Pamela says
Thank you so much Karenann! I wish you holiday happiness!