This is the perfect edible sugar cookie dough recipe for kids! A great consistency for playing and shaping as well as a tasty treat for the whole family after they bake. Enjoy this completely safe, from scratch sugar cookie recipe with your little this season!
A Kid Friendly Sugar Cookie Dough
Over the years I have tried several sugar cookie recipes that are deemed “kid friendly” however some just lacked in the right consistency for playing or they were so firm that when you baked them they lacked in the taste department. My goal was to make a great cookie dough for kids to play with that also tasted great when baked! Here’s what I discovered….
Cream cheese. Cream cheese is the “secret sauce” of this recipe! It binds the dough together and thickens it without compromising on a moist and chewy cookie!
Less sugar. It is also somewhat important to me to limit the sugar where possible when it comes to the kids, the holidays, and winter sickness. I’m not a troll about it but I do care. So this recipe has less sugar than most but not to the point of tastelessness- it’s definitely sweet!
No eggs. It’s debatable…raw eggs in cookie dough and the safe consumption rules. When it comes to our kids we can never be too careful so this recipe is eggless.
Flour. The flour is the one ingredient standing between a crunchy, stiff cookie and a soft, chewy one. Too much flour will absolutely ruin a good sugar cookie. Too little will leave the dough too sticky for the kids. It took a bit of playing with things to get this recipe ratio just right.
Making it Fun for the Whole Family
My kiddo is a nice fresh two years old. I wanted to make fun Christmas cookies, but I also dreaded the mess. That is why I decided to keep it super simple. No fun, crazy sprinkles or icing (maybe next year!) just the simple, fun play of shaping the cookies and sneaking a bite of dough every now and then! This made it more fun for both of us.
I also taped down some parchment paper for her to play with the dough on. I would not have minded her just using the table surface but there is a crack and I didn’t feel like scrubbing cookie dough out of it for a week! Make sure you have a stress-free (for you!), safe environment for them to enjoy making their cookies on.
If you have bigger kids it might be fun to get more festive with things. Icing, candy, sprinkles to decorate. They can even help clean up when they’re done!
For babies and the one year old they will LOVE squishing the dough around in their hands! Or just eating it all like my youngest did. Either way, this is a completely enjoyable recipe for the whole family!
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Baking Your Sugar Cookies
Baking these cookies is super simple. Your main objective will be to not over-bake them. Depending on how thin/thick your kids roll them out you might need to adjust the bake time a bit. Ours only took about five minutes. You want to pull them out slightly doughy in the center for that nice, soft sugar cookie texture. If you like a crunchier cookie you can always bake them a bit longer.
*Note: Since little kids will roll them out differently every time you may find it best to bake some of the thicker cookies on a separate sheet or roll the dough out for them.
Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe for Kids
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½-3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
- Add baking soda, salt, and 2 cups all-purpose flour. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is firm and thick. (Do not exceed 3 cups.)
- Roll dough out on a floured surface and allow children to eat and make fun shapes with the dough.
- When the kids are done playing bake the cookies at 350℉ approximately 5 minutes. (Time will depend on thickness of the dough and could vary if you let the children roll the dough out- see post for more details.)
- Optional: Sprinkle warm cookies with cane sugar or allow to cool 20-30 minutes and decorate with icing and sprinkles.
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