Turn Your Favorite Everyday Cookies Into Holiday Cookies

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     This is that cookie baking and eating time of year and as a matter of fact, Monday is National Cookie Day!  When I asked everyone what their favorite cookie is, I got two answers from my daughters.  Chocolate chip, or Oreos.  Even with all of the gingerbread and sugar cookies around for Christmas, those two still were the hands-down favorites.  So, we decided that for today's Friday Faves, we would take our two favorite cookies and turn them into holiday cookies, festive enough for gifting! Not only that, I will give you my time tested tips on having your kids help with the cookie decorating.  (By the way, this is Friday Faves #42!)

How do you turn your favorite cookies into holiday cookies?

Chocolate Chip Cookies:     

    Lindsey and I decided to take on this all time favorite.  Chocolate chip cookies are so delicious and never get old.  Especially when you eat them with a glass of cold milk to dip them in.  Everyone has their favorite recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. I pretty much use the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag with just a couple of variations.  

• I use 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening in the recipe in order to get the perfect chewy texture, not too flat, not too cake-like.  Plus, you get that buttery taste and crunchy outer crust.
• I use 1 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. white sugar.  I feel like that brown sugar taste is so delicious in these cookies. 

    Now, here is how Lindsey takes chocolate chip cookies and gives them some holiday flair! 

She says, "​I bought some holiday Alpine mints and mixed them into the cookie dough with the chocolate chips.  In the past I have also added some peppermint extract and red and green M&M's
You could also crush up starlight mints and mix them in, or sprinkle them on top before you bake them." Peppermint is always such a good holiday flavor and these would look great on a holiday platter of cookies! 

      I decided to use my gingerbread people pan for my chocolate chip cookies.  Some people love the idea of decorating gingerbread people, but really enjoy eating it.  So, here is an idea for chocolate chip people instead! It all starts with this baking sheet: 

This is mine, already sprayed with cooking spray.

     I can't find one just like it, I have had it for some time.  But here is a similar one by Wilton that has gingerbread men and gingerbread houses. 

I just spread the cookie dough into the mold and baked at 375 degrees for about 10 min.  You will have to experiment with the mold you have.  Click on the photos below to explain it all.

I put a blob of dough into the mold and spread it out.

You don't want them to be overly full, as the dough will expand while cooking.

That edge that rose around the edge of the mold is actually helpful when decorating the cookies.

I piped white frosting all around on the little edge! It worked out really nicely! Then, using my large supply of sprinkles, I decorated with them, using dots of frosting to make everything stick.

I also frosted some of the cookies with chocolate frosting on the body and still outlined with white.

Here is a crowd of gingerbread people on a platter! They look like a party on a plate!

     I did one extra little thing with some chocolate chip cookies, since I had the chocolate frosting.  I made smaller round cookies and turned them into sandwich cookies and piped on a wreath of frosting.  They came out super cute! 
​

I love the little holly leaf decorations! I adore sprinkles.

Oreo Cookies:

     Maddy came up with a sophisticated look for her Oreos.  She piped on a little more frosting around the outer edge of the cookie and rolled them in silver and gold sprinkles.  They would look great on the table at a nice Christmas party! You could use red and green sprinkles as well and they would look so festive!

     Alicia also used sprinkles, but first she dipped her Oreos in chocolate! I like how she sprinkled just half of the cookie with sprinkles and let the chocolate show on some of them.  

     Alicia also thought of making reindeer with pretzel antlers, but she has a 2 year old who got in on the act.  Well, his reindeer became a Halloween/Christmas mashup! I am glad she got a picture of it because this will be a great memory! 

Ha Ha Ha! What a clever boy!

     Speaking of decorating cookies with kids, I have some experience with this.  I have done it with my own children, with my school children and with my grandchildren and I have come up with ways to keep the mess down, and still have lots of fun.  Here is what I have figured out over the years:

• Plan ahead! You will need the proper supplies.  You will need paper plates, paper cups, popsicle sticks, napkins or paper towels, ziplock bags, frosting (homemade or store bought), lots of sprinkles!  Oh! Of course the cookies.  I always baked them with my kids and grandkids.  For school, I baked them in advance.
• Give every child a paper plate, a cup of frosting, a popsicle stick for spreading, a napkin, and another plate with samples of various sprinkles on it.  If you only have a couple of kids, you don't have to give sprinkle samples, they can just share the containers.  But, with a lot of kids, this works well.
• Have everyone wash their hands. Let each child choose a cookie to start with.  Remind them that it probably is best not to lick their fingers, but don't hold your breath.  Let them frost and sprinkle away.  Some kids will be really fast and want to do as many cookies as they can.  If you want cookies for anyone else to eat later, you need to limit the number you let them decorate. (refer back to the finger licking part.) You can decorate while they do and put those non-licked ones aside.  I like to let them decorate as many cookies as their plate will hold.  Then they can slide the entire plate into the ziplock bag to take home.  Some kids will only want to decorate one or two and just pile all of the sprinkles on the one cookie.  It is a lot of fun to see their different personalities come out in the way that they decorate. If these are being done by your grandchildren, you can put some of your own, non-licked cookies on another plate for their parents to enjoy.  Of course, the kids will want to make some for their parents.  Ha Ha, good luck with that! 
• If the kids use up their frosting in their cup, you can refill it and give them more sprinkles as needed.  I have found that kids get tired of decorating after awhile.  Some hold out longer than others.  I usually have a bunch of cookies to finish when they have had their fill.  
• When they are finished, let them help clean-up by throwing away their cups and other trash.  Put their plates in ziplock bags that you have first written their names on.  Have everyone wash their hands and faces.  Now sweep up the sprinkles that have gotten everywhere and you should have a bunch of beautiful cookies that the children will be so proud of.

   
​What is your favorite cookie that you would love to turn into a holiday cookie?  How would you do it? I gave one other idea here. 

Sprinkles do wonders to add that holiday feel!

   
​   It is December 1st! Day 1 of Light the World! How will you light the world this Christmas Season?