Kid-Friendly Baking Tips

Ages 2-4

Your little one will adore helping you with these easier cookie tasks.

You can:

• Have a sturdy stool or booster seat available to help little ones reach the countertop.
• Mix the cookie dough in advance.
• Bake cookies ahead of time.

Little ones can:

• Pour pre-measured ingredients into a mixing bowl.
• Roll cookie dough into balls then flatten with their fingers.
• Roll balls of cookie dough in sugar.
• Transfer cookie balls to a cookie sheet.
• Decorate cookies whether by frosting or simply dropping decorative sugar and sprinkles on top.

Try out these skills with Russian Tea Cakes, Chocolate Snowballs and No-Roll Sugar Cookies.

Ages 5-7

Your kiddo is ready to take on a little more baking responsibility.

Mom or Dad can:

• Have a sturdy stool or booster seat available to help kids reach the countertop.
• Premeasure the ingredients so all your child needs to do is pour or drop them into the mixing bowl.
• For cutouts: Roll the dough to the correct thickness. Prepare cookie cutters for use by dusting them with a little flour.
• For decorating: Set up an area with frosting, decorative sugars, sprinkles and icing spatulas.

Kiddos can:

• Use a hand-held electric mixer (with mom or dad’s help) to combine some of the ingredients.
• Stir in chocolate chips, raisins, or other fun add-ins.
• Cut out cookie shapes from the rolled dough — but probably best if mom or dad helps transfer the cookie cutouts to the cookie sheet for baking.
• Unwrap and press chocolate kisses into the tops of the cookies.
• Frost and decorate cookies.

Try out these skills with Easy Gingerbread Man Cookies, Festive Peanut Butter Blossoms and Easy Reindeer Cookie Bars Recipe.

Ages 8-10

Your big kid is now old enough to handle many of the baking responsibilities!

Mom or Dad can:

• Make sure you have the right ingredients on hand for this recipe.
• Get out the measuring cups and measuring spoons.
• For decorating: Set up an area with frosting, decorative sugars, sprinkles and icing spatulas.

Big kids can:

• Measure and pour ingredients into the mixing bowl.
• Mix the ingredients with a hand-held mixer (with some adult supervision).
• Shape or cut out cookies.
• Put the cookie sheet into the oven — under your supervision.
• Frost and decorate cookies.
• Dip cookies in melted chocolate.
• Drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of the cookies.
• Put together sandwich cookies.
• Pipe frosting features on gingerbread men.

Try out these skills with Easy Holiday Cutout Cookies, Santa Face Shortbread Cookies and Easy Snowman Cookies Recipe.

Have some kid-friendly baking tips of your own? Share them with us on social @BettyCrocker!