Decorating Christmas cookies
 

My dd and I are hosting a birthday party for Jesus for some of her friends next weekend and we want to decorate Christmas cookies. There will be 6 kids--two 1 year olds, three 3 year olds, one 5 year old, one 8 year old. Can anyone give me some tips on how to manage this? Should I have the cookies already made and just let the kids add frosting, sprinkles, writing, etc? Or should I let them do the actual cutting with the cookie cutters? It seems like that might lead to a bigger mess and more chaos than I'd like with flour and rolling pins flying around. :O

Also, I need the basics. What kind of cookies to I make? Do they sell any premade dough. :O What kind of frosting is best? What are some fun, edible decorations? I'll need non-dairy for everything. Also, I'm thinking of just decorating stars, not any other shape.

Thanks!

Re: Decorating Christmas cookies
 

You're so in luck. Pilsbury has come out with sugar cookie dough in sheets this year for just this purpose. We're going to do some this week ourselves. I personally would let the littles decorate only and MAYBE let the 5 yo and the 8 yo cut and help bake. Or just pre-bake and let them decorate. Either way they'll have a blast.

Re: Decorating Christmas cookies
 

We love putting lollipop sticks in our cookies, to make them cookie pops.

I second having the cookies ready made. Much easier.

Re: Decorating Christmas cookies
 

Ooh, I like the idea of cookie pops! Do you just put the popsicle stick on the dough before you bake it?

I'm going to check out that Pilsbury dough for sure!

Thanks, gals!

Re: Decorating Christmas cookies
 

unfortunately the Pilsbury dough is *not* dairy free :sigh It looks as if it would be on the ingredients, but if you look by the kosher symbol there's a D indicating dairy contamination. :banghead My son has had a reaction to it :sigh

I definitely would have everything baked and just let them decorate :yes

Re: Decorating Christmas cookies
 

I haven't used popsicle sticks. I've always used lollipop sticks, which you can get in a craft store (usually) in the candymaking/cake decorating aisle.

Have fun!