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    Home » Recipes » Cooking Tips » Easy Cookie Decorating with Kids: Painted Sugar Cookies

    Easy Cookie Decorating with Kids: Painted Sugar Cookies

    Published: Nov 24, 2017 · Modified: Feb 24, 2019 by Bren

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!This post uses affiliate links. They don’t cost you a thing and help us bring you creative projects. Read more in Policies & Disclosures.

     

    Licking Your Fingers?

    Cookie decorating with kids is a fun holiday tradition that can get a little icky when you are a parent.

    I find myself constantly repeating, “don’t put your hands in your mouth” as delicious icing and sweet sprinkles are licked from little fingers and edges of spatulas.

    By the end of the afternoon there is usually more sugar in my kids than on the cookies and I am more than a little hesitant to hand out the “may have been licked” treats to friends and neighbors.

    I get it, cookie decorations are just too tasty to resist!

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

    Easy Cookie Decorating with Kids

    When I was a kid my mother helped us decorate cookies with evaporated milk. It’s an easy decorating technique that uses less sugar than standard icing (evaporated milk is unsweetened milk) PLUS the ingredients are much less tempting to little helpers so…

    There will be less finger licking!

    But painting cookies is just as fun as decorating with icing  and it makes sugar cookies that are soft and tasty. It’s a win-win!

    What You’ll Need

    Here’s what you need to decorate cookies with kids:

    • Parchment Paper: For rolling dough and lining baking sheets.
    • Cookie Cutters: Use simple shapes that are easy for kids to paint.
    • Cookie Dough: The sugar cookie recipe below makes about four dozen cookies.
    • Evaporated Milk: Full fat and low fat milk both work. Do not buy sweetened condensed milk.
    • Food Coloring: Use natural food coloring that is better for kids.
    • Washable Paint Brushes: Make sure the paint brushes are clean and dry.

    What You’ll Do

    Here’s how to paint cookies using evaporated milk:

    1. Make the dough and chill until firm. Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper until 1/4 inch thick.Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

     

    1. Cut out simple shapes with simple cutters. Place shapes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

     

    1. Pour a tablespoon of evaporated milk into a small container and add a few drops of food coloring, stir to combine.

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

     

    1. Use a paint brush to paint the cookies.

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

    1. Sprinkle painted cookies lightly with white sugar.

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

    1. Bake as directed. Enjoy!

    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

    Soft Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe

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    Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids fun!

    Soft Sugar Cookies for Painted Cookies

    ★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
    • Author: Bren
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 8 minutes
    • Total Time: 28 minutes
    • Yield: 48 cookies 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Decorating cookies with kids is a fun holiday tradition. Learn the easy cookie decorating technique that uses less sugar and makes decorating holiday treats with kids simple and less messy!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup butter (softened)
    • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon almond extract
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 1 – 8 oz can evaporated milk, for painting
    • Food coloring, natural
    • white sugar, for dusting

    Instructions

    1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
    2. Beat eggs int the butter and sugar one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extract.
    3. Gradually add dry ingredients mixing slowly until fully absorbed. Cover dough, and chill for 2 hours.
    4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
    5. Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.and place on prepared cookie sheets.
    6. Pour a tablespoon of evaporated milk into a small container and add a few drops of food coloring, stir to combine. Repeat for each color you wish to use.
    7. Use a paint brush to paint the cookies.
    8. Sprinkle lightly with white sugar.
    9. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly brown. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.


    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cookie
    • Calories: 95
    • Sodium: 28.1 mg
    • Fat: 4.1 g
    • Carbohydrates: 13.3 g
    • Protein: 1.2 g
    • Cholesterol: 17.9 mg

    Keywords: painted sugar cookies, cookies for kids

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @brendidblog on Instagram and hashtag it #brendid

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    I hope you try this easy cookie decorating technique with your kids this holiday season.

     

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    BrenDId

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tida

      April 26, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      Love this recipe and decorating idea, my girls had a blast! They came out great. Thank you!!

      Reply
    2. Aveline

      December 12, 2017 at 7:54 am

      Lovely! We did this growing up but my mother used egg yolk with the food coloring. (The results are darker, but she also often used the paste kind of food coloring). If you happen to have a GF recipe that you like, I’d love if you share it! I haven’t done these cookies with my boys since my younger son was diagnosed with celiac disease and I’ve noticed that your recipes seem to be GF. 🙂 Your post put me in the mood to try making these again!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        December 13, 2017 at 10:49 am

        Thanks for commenting, Aveline. I had never heard of the egg yolk painting. It sounds like a similar concept. I like using evaporated milk in case the kids lick their fingers. I’m sorry to say I don’t have a GF recipe to recommend. I’m not 100% gluten free but love to cook that way. Let me know if you find a good recipe, I’d love to try it out!

        Reply
    3. Stephanie

      March 14, 2017 at 8:54 am

      These will be great for our St. Patrick’s Day party this weekend!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        March 14, 2017 at 9:33 am

        That would be great fun for the kids!

        Reply
    4. BCS Plumber

      January 05, 2017 at 11:46 am

      Love these cookies! Looks like such a fun activity to do with the kids! 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        January 05, 2017 at 4:46 pm

        Thanks! I love how easy it is to set up and clean up too!

        Reply

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