Baking with the kids: Easy Christmas cookies

Kids love baking and what better way to spend some time bonding these holidays than having fun in the kitchen? Here are a few tried-and-tested cookie recipes that you can make with your child today.

Snowballs

*Makes about 35

Ingredients

• 125g soft butter
• 3 tbsp castor sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup pecan nuts, chopped
• 1 cup icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking trays with baking paper. Beat together the butter, castor sugar, vanilla, and salt. Gradually beat in flour. Fold in the nuts. If necessary, refrigerate the batter to firm up until balls can be shaped.
2. Shape 2 teaspoons of dough into balls and place them apart on baking paper-lined trays. Bake for about 12 minutes until lightly browned underneath.
3. Roll warm cookies in icing sugar. Cool completely before rolling again in the remaining icing sugar.

Stained glass soetkoekies

*Makes about 35

Ingredients

• 250g soft butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 3 cups cake flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 125g Sparkles (fruit-flavoured sweets)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the vanilla and egg.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add to the butter mixture until combined.
3. Roll out between 2 pieces of baking paper.
4. Cut into shapes with 6cm cookie cutters and transfer to baking paper-lined trays. Cut a smaller shape out of the middle of each cookie. Refrigerate until firm.
5. Finely crush the sweets, keeping the colours separate, and spoon into the cut-out centres. Bake for about 12 minutes until bases are light golden. Cool on the trays.

Gingerbread people

*Makes about 45

Ingredients

• 200g soft butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup golden syrup
• 2½ cups cake flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• Pinch salt
• 2 x 40g boxes Smarties

Method

1. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in syrup until well combined. Sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
2. Roll the dough out to 5mm thickness between 2 pieces of baking paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm.
3. Remove paper and cut into 8cm gingerbread men or women with cookie cutters and place on baking paper-lined trays. Refrigerate until firm.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place 2 to 4 Smarties onto each cookie and bake for about 8 minutes, until golden around the edges. Cool on the trays.

Reindeer cookies

*Makes about 40

Ingredients

• 125g soft butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup cake flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch salt
• 100g pretzels
• 40 red Smarties or Astros
• Black and white royal icing or edible gel pens

Method

1. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg. Sift over the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. If necessary, refrigerate to firm up the dough before shaping.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Shape balls from 30ml of the dough, place apart on baking paper-lined trays, and flatten each ball. Bake for 5 minutes.
3. Use pretzels whole or cut in half and press two into each cookie to form the antlers. Bake for a further 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges look firm.
4. Press a Smartie or Astro into each cookie to form the nose. Cool on the trays. Pipe eyes with icing or pens. Set aside to harden.

Cranberry choc-chip cookies

*Makes about 30

Ingredients

• 180g soft butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 100g slab white chocolate, chopped
• 100g packet dried cranberries
• 30ml sprinkles (optional)

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift together the flours, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
2. Knead in the chocolate and cranberries. If necessary, refrigerate to firm up the dough before shaping.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Shape into 15ml balls and place apart on baking paper-lined trays. Press on sprinkles.
4. Bake in batches for about 12 minutes until lightly golden on the bases, but soft. Cool on the trays.