How to Decorate Holiday Cookies

Whether you are young or old, one of our favorite activities to do as a family around the holidays is to sit around the table laughing, sharing stories, and decorating holiday cookies. However, thinking about the potential mess of smeared icing and scattered sprinkles can make some nervous. Today, we have compiled a helpful guide to icing and decorating your own holiday cookies to make a memorable and delicious treat for your family.

The first step to creating a fun collection of holiday cookies is assembling some festive cookie cutters. Some of our favorites for the holidays are the classic Gingerbread Boy, Candy Cane and the Snow Covered Tree. Kids will love rolling out the dough with a rolling pin and stamping their own shapes, but be sure that there is an adult around to put the cookies into the hot oven!

Next comes the sweetest part of the cookie making process: the icing! We love using the soft and fluffy CK Buttercream Frosting on our cookies. Delicious and easy to use, it is the perfect canvas for any cookie. You can apply it right from the can or whip it up in the mixer on low with any of our professional food colorings for a rainbow of frosting colors. Or, if you want to add more of a seasonal twist to your frosting, add in a few drops of candy flavoring oils: Peppermint and cinnamon are our favorites this time of year.

Your kids will love the last step, making their cookies truly unique by dusting on colored sugar or fun-shaped sprinkles. These Christmas Light Bulk Candy Sprinkles are perfect for any sugar cookie, or go the more classic route with White and Red Decorette sprinkles for a custom-designed candy cane look.

The options for holiday cookies are truly endless, and with the holiday season creeping up on us, it is the perfect time to start experimenting with decorations for your holiday party or just a snowy afternoon snuggled up inside with your family. For more ideas on how to decorate holiday cookies this year, check out one of our favorite guides, courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

What are you favorite ways to decorate cookies this time of year? Leave a comment and let other readers know your secrets!