Baking cookies with children? Too stressful? With these baking tips, Christmas baking with your minis becomes a calm, pre-Christmas activity!
Today is the 1st Sunday of Advent, and that doesn’t just mean that the Christmas season officially begins… No, it’s also the official starting signal for Christmas baking! Baking cookies with children is, of course, a fixed part of the program during Advent! And finally, that’s the case for us too!
Yesterday, my big mini and I spontaneously baked our first cookies together! While last year the little madam was still sitting playfully in the corner and showed no interest in cookie baking while I baked and decorated cookies, yesterday she was right in the middle of the Christmas baking action!
We kneaded, cut out, and decorated together! My mini stayed fully focused the entire time and accompanied our baking skills with a cheerful “Bake, bake cake.” Despite countless Christmas cookie cutters, she discovered her passion for unicorns (she received a unicorn cutter from my friend—and I thought the unicorn fever had quietly passed us by… looks like I miscalculated without my friend! 😉).
While I baked delicious Christmas cookies with my mini, I kept a few things in mind that turned our little Christmas bakery into a lovely pastime for both of us. My little one had lots of fun baking and is still incredibly proud of her beautifully decorated cookies. And I, too, was able to enjoy baking cookies with my child without stress. These baking tips made baking cookies with children simple and relaxed, and I can only warmly recommend them to you for your peaceful Christmas baking.
My 5 Tips for a Happy Christmas Baking Session with a Toddler
Baking cookies with children can certainly be exciting and exhausting at times! And a little bit of that is perfectly okay. Which tricks and tips helped me ensure that my child experienced a happy Christmas baking session and I experienced one that was as stress-free as possible, you can read here.
Time – Baking Cookies with Children Takes Time
The most important thing at the beginning! Time! Plan as much time as possible. Baking cookies with children takes a looooot of time! Ideally, bake on a day when there are no follow-up appointments. That way, you won’t get caught up in the all-too-familiar Christmas stress, and your child can calmly and carefully search for the perfect spot for every single sugar pearl on the cookie.
Many small steps
Kneading dough, cutting out cookies, and decorating afterward… Depending on how old your minis are, it can easily take a few hours until even the last cookie is decorated! Not only a sweat-inducing thought for parents! Even a (small) child can run out of steam at some point. The solution is called “Many small steps„!
I’ve found that my mini has the most fun baking cookies when she gets to take little breaks in between. Working in—or dividing things into—several steps is something I generally recommend when baking with minis! And baking cookies with children is practically made for working in separate steps!
That’s why we prepared the dough and spent the chilling time at the playground. After that, the cookies were cut out, and after the midday nap, they were decorated. To save time, you can also prepare the dough without your children, so you can get started with cutting out cookies right away. Another option would be to spread the different steps over several days—doing a little bit each day. As you can see, you can design baking cookies with children creatively and adapt it to your needs.
Keep It Simple – Simple Is Best
Everyone knows the beautiful 3D cookie cutters—delicate snowflakes, Santa figures with faces and belt buckles—beautiful and full of lovingly crafted details. But unfortunately, they are a breeding ground for frustration for the youngest children. As pretty as these 3D cutters are, their fine details are usually better suited for older children or their parents.
When baking cookies with children, you should use simple or classic cookie cutters to avoid frustration when the dough doesn’t release properly from the cutter. Christmas trees, stars, and hearts are also perfect for Christmas baking—and your mini can cut out the cookies more independently!Perfect! So, keep it simple! (Speaking from experience: our unicorn cutter was already pushing the limits, but the stars and heart quickly lifted the mood again 😉).
Lots of Colorful Sprinkles – Lots of Small Bowls
The minis’ passion is usually truly awakened when it comes to decorating the cookies. Decorating becomes easier if you transfer the sugar pearls and sprinkles into individual small containers. That way, little fingers can reach the tiny treats more easily, and you can also portion out small quantities.
Our elastic silicone muffin cups*are especially well suited for this. Refilling leftover sprinkles—if desired—is really easy with them, as they can be squeezed into a funnel shape. (Small tip: silicone muffin cups also come in fun shapes!)!)
(Dirt-) Protection for the Work Area
I probably don’t need to mention that your kitchen will look like it’s been visited by a true Christmas baking whirlwind after baking cookies with children, right? Flour in every crevice (giving “white Christmas” a whole new meaning!), sugar pearls on the floor…! So stay relaxed and clean both child and kitchen afterward!
But I can reassure you—there are little helpers! If you already feel reluctant to bake cookies with children because you’re thinking about the cleanup, try using a wax tablecloth or a rolling mat as a base on the table. These make cleaning easier and protect the table in case your child cuts out cookies with a bit too much enthusiasm! The same applies to sensitive floors: a large garbage bag or a small plastic tarp laid out can sometimes work wonders 😉
If you have any more ideas that make baking cookies with children a memorable experience for everyone, let me know!
I wish you and your minis lots of fun in your little Christmas bakery and a wonderful 1st Sunday of Advent!
Have fun baking cookies!
Yours, Lia
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