Nothing evokes the spirit of Christmas more than the delectable aroma of freshly-baked cookies wafting from the kitchen. There’s no treat more delicious than Christmas cookies for kids — and for adults! However, the mental load of the holidays coupled with everyday parenting tasks and responsibilities can often sabotage your Christmas cheer. Sometimes, it takes considerable effort just to get the stockings hung and the Christmas tree decorated.
If you’re struggling with the thought of yet completing yet another Christmas activity with the kids, worry no more. Want to bake for Christmas as a family, but worried about the mess? Here’s everything you need to know to help you bake Christmas cookies with your kids without getting overwhelmed — so you can have the most magical holiday season yet.
Benefits of baking with kids
Baking with kids: Recipe favorites for Christmas
There are just some children’s Christmas cookie recipes that stand the test of time. They remind us of our childhoods and bring back the nostalgia of old. These tried-and-true Christmas cookie recipes are just what you need to put you and your family in the holiday spirit.
- This vintage home-ec staple is making a comeback: no-bake Christmas Wreath Cookies made from melted marshmallows, cornflake cereal, and cinnamon candies are quick and easy. They’re the perfect recipe when you want something fast and Christmas-y with minimal fuss.
- Get little hands rolling with this 4-ingredient recipe from Jill Mills of Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons. “This Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls recipe is my favorite candy for the Holidays and so incredibly easy to make!” Mills wrote. “[They’re] like little Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but in ball form.”
- Finally, if you’ve always wanted to make a from-scratch gingerbread house with your kids, food blogger and author Aimee Winbrush-Bourque from Simple Bites has the perfect solution. “We broke the after-school gingerbread project down into five steps that can each be done in under 30 minutes,” the mom of three wrote in her 5-day Gingerbread House blog post.
If you’re struggling with how to bake easy Christmas cookies for kids this year while keeping up with everything else on your to-do list, remember that it’s ok to take shortcuts. Pre-packaged cookie mix tastes just as good as homemade and they’re quick, easy, and fun. Or opt for a pre-made Christmas cookie kit. Don’t feel bad if you can’t do it all this holiday season, you’re doing more than enough, Mama!
