If you are trying to make a lot of perfect looking sugar cookies without little helpers I recommend the method in this guide by The Kitchn. It is a very easy way to get glossy bakery style sugar cookies.
If you, like me, decorate sugar cookies as a family activity I have a couple of tips to keep it stress free, especially with younger kids.
- Accept the fact that it will messy and prepare. Pull out a cheap plastic table-cloth, cups, and lots of plastic knives so that at the end you can just toss everything.
- Pick no more than four colors that compliment each other. I like to use the neon food coloring pack for sugar cookie decorating with the kids and typically will do Green, Turquoise, Yellow and White or Pink. Every single color will end up on the kids cookies but if the colors compliment each other it just works.
- Sprinkles are your friend, they make even the most disastrous cookies look better.
- For toddlers I put a limited number of cookies and decorating supplies on paper plates. They know they can play with/eat what is on their plate which prevents fights and keeps them content while we work on the rest of the cookies.
- You can put icing in squeeze bottles but I have found that they kids struggle to get it out and get frustrated but with older kids it would probably work really well.
- Don’t be afraid to thicken the icing if you or your helpers are having trouble working with it!