Decorating Cut Out Cookies For Kids

What kid doesn't love a decorated cookie? All kids, all ages love decorated cookies. These days you can go just about anywhere and find cookie cutters. Cookie cutters range in price and style from about 60 cents for a small aluminum cookie cutter to well over 5 dollars for a large copper cookie cutter. You can walk into your local grocery store and get several plastic, easy to handle, easy to use and clean, cookie cutters. Let's just start there. While you're there swing over to the section where the refrigerated cookie dough is kept. This is the easiest dough to use when decorating cut out cookies for kids. Add about 1/4 cup all purpose flour to the dough, roll it into a ball and chill if for about 1 hour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out onto a floured surface and use the cookie cutters to cut the cookies out. The cookies should be about 1/2 inch thick. Bake the cookies according to package directions and let them cool completely. Meanwhile here's a quick frosting that can be made and colored to decorate the cookies:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

\"Decorated Cookies\"

2 teaspoons milk

Decorating Cut Out Cookies For Kids

2 teaspoons corn syrup

(recipe can be doubled)

In a bowl, mix all 3 ingredients together thoroughly. It should be like the consistency of Elmer's glue. The frosting will be a little thick, in which case you can can add more milk and corn syrup each, 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Divide the frosting into bowls and use food coloring to color. Pour the frosting into pastry bags or strong sandwich bags. Snip the tip of the bag with a pair of scissors to allow a little bit to come out. Now you are ready to start decorating cut out cookies for kids. The possibilities here are endless and the kids will love them. You can even add a little flavoring to the frosting. Try a teaspoon of almond or lemon extract before coloring the frosting. This is a frosting that dries with a nice shine. The thing to remember when you are decorating cut out cookies for kids is that this frosting should dry for about 8 hours, so it may be best to let them dry on a cooling rack overnight. The kids can eat the cookies before the frosting dries. It just gets a little messy, but that's all in the fun of making the cookies! Check kitchen and housewares stores for more of a diverse selections of cookie cutters. Of course there is always the internet. Now that you have mastered the art of decorating cookies for kids you can have cookies for all of the holidays. Just make sure to get the appropriate cookie cutters and there is no stopping you!

Decorating Cut Out Cookies For Kids

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Make Your Baby Shower a Success With the Perfect Table Setting Decorating Idea

The perfect table setting decorating idea will be determined by three main things. First, by where the shower is being held. Second, by the theme you have chosen for your baby shower. Thirdly, by the tastes of the guest of honor and the guests you have invited.

Listed below are the items you will need for a successful table setting. Keep in mind that your own decorating idea/s will have a bearing on the table arrangement. Only you know the guests, the mother to be and family members. The items suggested below are only that, suggestions. They are to be used as hints to help you plan a successful baby shower.

\"Decorated Cookies\"

• Table Cloths: Linen and/or lace tablecloths would be used for a formal setting. For an informal party use paper tablecloths, or sheets with a design that fits the theme.
• Napkins: Napkins can be personalized with the names of the guests written on them. White napkins would fit any theme. Or you could use colored napkins or napkins with designs matching your baby shower theme. You could wrap the utensils with the napkin for a nice look.
• Novelty Napkins: Baby cloth diapers folded in a triangle shape would be a nice touch. Personalizing them with the name of the guests is an option. Or leave them blank, and the guests can give them to the mother to be to use for her new baby after the shower. Baby bibs personalized or not, with different designs fitting the theme of the shower.
• Napkin Rings: Use regular napkin rings, or you could be creative. Pacifiers could be used, the ones with the loop on the end. Roll the napkins up and use different colored diaper pins to keep them rolled up. Another idea is to use baby rattles with a looped end.
• Tableware: For a formal setting, use glass or china plates, stemware glasses, and silver or quality stainless utensils. While an informal setting would use paper or plastic plates, cups, and utensils. If using paper plates, use sturdy ones that will hold up well.
• Placemats: Again, a baby cloth diaper would be a good placemat. Some merchants carry diapers with designs, which would be a nice touch. You might even be able to find some with designs to match the theme. You could use paper placemats, or for a more formal shower, plastic or cloth.
• Place Cards: Whichever item you choose, put the name of the guest on the item chosen. Plain white cards, or white cards with clip art designs matching the baby shower theme would be an excellent choice. You could make your own place cards out of construction paper, possibly adding some designs. Refrigerator magnets matching the theme if possible. Personalized decorated Cookies, which the guests could have for dessert. Personalized Teething biscuits and bibs are another idea for a table setting decorating idea.
• Novelty Decorations: Suspended items you hang from the ceiling will enhance the table setting decorating idea. Small teddy bears, baby bottles, rattles, pacifiers, bibs, rubber duckies, baby socks, baby shoes, baby bibs, or other small baby related items. Giant peppermint sticks would be something different for a decorating idea.

Make Your Baby Shower a Success With the Perfect Table Setting Decorating Idea

Make Your Baby Shower a Success With the Perfect Table Setting Decorating Idea

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Randy currently has websites dealing with Baby Furniture Reviews [http://www.baby-furniture-and-bedding.com/index.html] and Shaving & Hair Removal.

The History of Cookie Decorating

We can thank the Swiss for bringing the cookie decorating tradition to life. Their now famous springerle cookies were the very first decorated cookies. These sweet, but hard, cookies are pressed into molds and pop out featuring the most intricately designed cookies you have ever seen. The first molds were discovered from the 14th century and are now considered national treasures and held in Swiss museums.

The Swiss also used rolling pins cleverly carved with designs to roll out highly ornate cookies. The images on these cookies rival the finest artwork of the master painters and sculptors. Decorators soon realized that they could combine egg yolks and food dyes to paint these cookies. Some even paint the cookies for decoration only with paint. Of course, you can't eat these beauties, but they will last and last and become a favorite holiday decoration.

\"Decorated Cookies\"

The first scenes on cookies were from the Bible. Because people were largely illiterate in ancient times, these cookies served as a way to tell important Bible messages to everyone. Even if you couldn't read the words, you could look at these beautiful images and understand the concepts they portrayed.

The History of Cookie Decorating

The Germans were next to promote cookie decorating. Back in medieval times, they made gingerbread, called Lebkuchen. The cookies were so revered that a guild of artisans called the Lebkuchen Guild banned together to make a law that only their members could bake gingerbread. The ban was lifted each year for the high holidays of Christmas and Easter. The common people, if they could afford the ingredients, were allowed to make their own gingerbread at these two times of the year.

Gingerbread cookie decorating spread throughout the world and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I gingerbread cookies adorned with gold were given to court visitors. Master gingerbread decorators started to promote their gorgeous creations as Christmas ornaments.

In 1812, the Grimm Brothers published their now famous story, Hansel and Gretel. This classic tale of two children who encounter a witch who lives in an ornately decorated gingerbread house in the forest inspired a new love of the gingerbread cookie. Soon tinsmiths couldn't keep up with the demand for cookie cutters and molds designed to help bakers create elaborate gingerbread houses of their own. German cookie cutters are still prized today as among the best made and highly sought after by collectors.

Today cookie bakers can't imagine the holidays without decorated cookies. The popularity of Royal Icing has made home cookie decorating fun. It's easy to create interesting and realistic motifs on cookies using Royal Icing. This confectioner sugar-based icing dries rock hard, so once its set, it won't smear or run. This makes it ideal for decorating cookies that need to last through the season on the tree or that need to travel. You can eat Royal Icing, of course, but most cookies that are heavily decorated in Royal Icing tend to be treasured as ornaments or for display rather than eaten.

If you're looking into cookie decorating this year for your own holiday celebrations, you have more resources than you could ever imagine at your disposal. Visit a craft store and browse their cookie and cake decorating aisle. You will marvel at the tools and colors available for you to get started with.

The History of Cookie Decorating

Betty Ann Sherman is a mother and a baker of tasty treats and decorated cookies. She has a special passion for baking cookies, pies, cakes, and everything wonderful. Check back for updates from Betty on her delicious treat adventures.