If you’re having a cookie decorating day with friends or family, use this page to make it a fun (and successful!) activity.
It’s season of cookies! And I want to share my best advice for hosting a cookie decorating day not only during the holiday season, but any time of year you’re gathering together to decorate cookies. This page is especially useful if you’re hosting a cookie decorating day for kids, but decorating days can be for cookie enthusiasts of any age.
This Cookie Decorating Day Page Includes:
- My recommendations for recipes & supplies
- Make-ahead and timeline instructions
- Setting up
- Quick success tips
- Ways to make the day extra special
- Free PDF printable to help you stay organized
I include affiliate links to products my team and I useโwe are not working with any of these brandsโtruly items we find useful. We include many of these products in our Holiday Gifts for Bakers guide if you’re doing any shopping this holiday season. ๐
I’ve hosted plenty of cookie decorating activitiesโas recent as 2 days agoโand this page sums up what I usually do. Have fun!
Homemade Cookies & Icing
- Baked & Cooled Cookies: Start the day with already baked and cooled cookies. Recipes I use are sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, and/or chocolate sugar cookies. 6-8 cookies for each person to decorate is usually plenty and have extras in case any break, drop, etc. Doubling any of the recipes could work, but the doughs get heavy and it’s a load on your mixer. Therefore, I recommend making separate batches. With 5 children and 2 adult cookie decorators the other day, 1 batch of sugar cookies and 1 batch of gingerbread cookies was enough.
- Icing: Either royal icing or this easy cookie icing are great. Whichever you choose, I recommend making at least 2 batches of icing. Doubling the easy cookie icing is usually fine, but make separate batches of royal icing because the consistency can be thrown off with excess volume in the bowl.
- Optional Food Coloring: Tinting the icing is always fun and 3-4 colors total (including white) is manageable and typically enough. Gel food coloring is ideal and I like the brand AmeriColorโyou can find their gel colors in the baking aisle of craft stores or give it a quick search online. I use and recommend this set of 6 colors or this set of 12 colors. I also like these Wilton gel colors and I know they’re available in some grocery stores too. As an alternative, you can tint either icing with natural powdered food coloring. Depending on the brand, you need to dissolve the powder in a little water before using, so make sure that you very slightly reduce the amount of water needed in either icing recipe.
For Decorating
- Sprinkles & Candies: A couple favorite colorful sprinkles are these and these. Marshmallows are a popular decoration/garnish with kids. Other options are mini chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, and crushed candy canes.
- Piping Bags/Tips: Choose what you want guests to use to decorate. Piping bags/tips are always a popular choiceโI use and recommend these Disposable Piping Bags or these Reusable Piping Bags. To make things easy, I usually stick with Wilton piping tip #4 (purchase a few of them so everyone has one) and it works wonderfully for both types of icing linked. Of course you can just skip the piping tips and cut the end off the piping bag tip instead.
- OR Squeeze Bottles: Instead of piping bags/tips, have your guests use squeeze bottles. Theyโre less intimidating than piping tips and easy for young bakers to use.
- Toothpicks or Knives: Toothpicks are helpful for intricately spreading/moving icing around on cookies. If you’re decorating with kids and they are able to handle a plastic knife, those are another great option for applying icing.
- Treat Boxes: Pick up some treat boxes so guests can take their decorated cookies home. I’ve used these pastry boxes before and they’re quality, sturdy, and a nice size. If you don’t have treat boxes, any reusable container or even paper plate covered with aluminum foil works.
- Napkins: Have plenty of napkins, paper towels, and/or hand wipes because cookie decorating day is messy. LOL! The pictured pink sprinkle napkins are from Home Goods, but here’s a fun option if you’re into sprinkles like we are!!
And for more decorating inspiration, here is my full tutorial (video included) on how to decorate sugar cookies.
Make Ahead/Timing
Here’s a general timeline that I usually follow. Feel free to use it!
- 1 Week Before Cookie Day: Decide how many cookies you want to make and all the shapes. Again, 6-8 cookies per guest is usually great. Plan for some extra in case of breakage or some sneaky taste testers. Order any harder to find ingredients/supplies like piping bags, specialty sprinkles, treat boxes, and/or meringue powder if you’re using royal icing.
- 3 Days Before Cookie Day: Make the cookie dough(s). Each cookie dough linked above must chill in the refrigerator. To break up your work, make it in advance and bake the next day.
- 2 Days Before Cookie Day: Bake all of the cookies and make sure you have a place/enough airtight containers to store them. All cookies are fine covered at room temperature. See individual cookie recipes if you want to make them further in advance to freeze.
- Morning of Cookie Day: Make the icing. Store in piping bags or squeeze bottles.
Printable PDF Timeline
And because I’m sure you appreciate staying organized, here’s a free PDF to help you get organized and stay on track for the day.
**Click this link for the PDF: Host a Cookie Decorating Day
Here is a photo preview:
How to Store Icing Ahead of Time
For best taste and optimal freshness, I recommend making the icing the day of. But if you’re busy that morning, both icings linked aboveโroyal icing and easy cookie icingโcan be made 2-3 days ahead. (For specific freezing instructions, see each individual recipe.)
- Making Ahead & Storing Icing: Prepare icing, cover tightly, and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. You can store in piping bags (with clips or rubber bands to seal ends), in squeeze bottles, or covered in a bowl or container. Bring to room temperature before using. If icing has thickened up or separated, add a few drops of water and mix in to thin out. Depending how you stored the icing (squeeze bottle/piping bag/container or bowl) shake squeeze bottle to mix/massage piping bag to mix/whisk in bowl or container to mix.
If I’m storing icing in piping bags and intend to use piping tips, here’s what I do. It’s a handy trick I learned from team member and professional cookie decorator, Stephanie. Cut tip off piping bag, insert coupler base into piping bag, place piece of plastic wrap over opening/coupler base, secure coupler ring over plastic wrap and twist to seal. Fill with icing. When ready to use icing and add the piping tip, unscrew coupler ring, remove plastic wrap, insert tip, and screw coupler ring to lock piping tip in place.
Setting Up/Using Stations
- Where to Decorate: Make sure there’s enough space for each guest to decorate. Decorating can be done around a kitchen island or table and bring in extra folding tables if necessary. Cover anything not wipeable for exampleโupholstered dining room chairs! If you have a rug under your table, you might want to roll it up.
- Use Baking Sheets as Individual Stations: I love using rimmed baking sheets as individual stations for each guest. If you’re shopping for some, I use USA Pan and Nordic Ware and love these parchment paper sheets. Place 1-2 napkins on it, individual bowls of sprinkles/decorating candies (or use cupcake wrappers instead of bowls!), their cookies, a knife and/or toothpicks if using, and a bottle/piping bag of icing. If you don’t have rimmed baking sheets, wipeable placemats or paper plates work too. You can place all of the icings/candies/sprinkles in the center of the island/table and have guests pick out their own cookies upon arrival. Some guests may want to select their own cookies!
Let Icing Dry
Royal icing dries in about 2 hours, but you can speed it up by placing the cookies in the refrigerator. This easy cookie icing takes a long time to fully dry (about 24 hours), so guests will take the cookies home with partially wet icing. Arrange cookies in a single layer in a treat box or take-home container.
Success Tips for Cookie Decorating Day
- Embrace the mess. Have napkins/wipes ready to clean off sticky fingers.
- Have guests wear aprons or clothes that they can get messy. Sometimes colored icing can stain.
- If it’s a long afternoon/evening, have snacks or other food ready. Order a pizza to make it easy and salty snacks are definitely appreciatedโbowls of pretzels, Chex Mix, popcorn etc. For drinks, I love serving hot chocolate to enjoy with the decorated cookies.
Fun Extras
If you’re really into it, these extras make the day even more exciting.
- Cookie Day Shirts. My shirt shop is now open! Special cookie shirts turn the activity into a fun eventโthese are great if cookie decorating day is part of a birthday party or night in with friends. They come in tons of colors, several different styles, and 4 different designs. The โCookie Crewโ shirts would be so cute for the occasion. Kids sizes are available, too.
- Personalized Aprons. A Personalized Kids Apron is a lovely gift, especially if cookie decorating day is for a birthday party. I also just found these custom aprons that come in adult and youth sizes.
- Custom Cookie Tins are a beautiful way to store or transport the cookies.
Cookie Decorating Kits
We receive a lot of questions about making and gifting Cookie Decorating Kitsโbasically a little kit you can gift to someone with baked and cooled cookies, icing, and sprinkles/candies for decorating. I’ve gifted these a small handful of times before and here’s what I do:
- Wrap cookies in individual treat bags like these.
- Store icing in piping bags. (No need for piping tip unless you want to gift a piping tip. The gift recipient can just cut off the tip of the bag.)
- Add a bottle of sprinkles/candies or seal in individual bags.
- Gift in a treat box or cookie tin.
- Icing is fine at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that, it’s best to refrigerate it. Cookies are fine at room temperature for about a week.
Q: What’s your best advice for cookie decorating activities?
And again, here is the PDF/printable: Host a Cookie Decorating Day
You might also find this list of my most recommended cookie decorating supplies helpful. And for even more holiday baking inspiration, here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my best success guides & tips. Happy baking!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Sally, your recipes never disappoint. Iโve been relying on them for years but this time I was so impressed and happy that I had to leave a comment. The cookie and icing timeline as well as the sugar cookie and royal icing recipe were all SO on point. I made 4 batches of cookies and 2 of icing and hosted an amazing holiday party where almost every adult and kid decorated cookies (I used the squeeze piping bottles). We had judging as well. Then we had extra cookies and my kids were decorating more cookies every day till Christmas. It was so so so much fun. Thank you Sally.
We’re thrilled to read this, Rumela!
Hosted my first cookie decorating party yesterday and we had a blast! Thank you for the recipes and timelines, which were so helpful! During this very busy time of year, it’s great to have some guidance…I was able to squeeze in the dough-making, cooling, and baking between other events and activities. Thanks again, and happy holidays to all!
We’re so thrilled to read this, Tarn!
I have hosted several decorating parties. Last year I came up with the idea of using coffee filters to hold sprinkles and sugars. The size is good for dipping and when you are done it is easy to make a spout to put the leftovers back in the jar!
Brilliant!
Beginner question – can you use canned frosting? And will that work just as well in a squeeze bottle?
Hi Courtney! Regular frosting that comes in a can will be too thick for a squeeze bottle. You can often find pre-make icing in a few colors made for sugar cookies at most grocery stores, though. But our easy icing is pretty easy to throw together!
Did our Christmas Cookie Day with my two “grands” yesterday. Used the time line, used my bottles instead of piping bags and everything went well. The kids had a blast! The only thing I wish I had remembered was the cookie sheet under the parchment paper at each station. I’m still vacuuming up sprinkles. :). It’s okay because it was a memory maker.
Iโm responsible for baking the cookies for a large decorating party hosted by my daughter-in-law on 12/23. It will require 2 batches of sugar cookies and two batches of gingerbread cookies. Can I roll and cut the cookies and freeze them ahead of time and then bake them the day before the party?
Hi Janis, you could, but I recommend instead making the cookie doughs ahead and freezing them in disc form (details on how to freeze cut-out cookie dough here), then thawing in the fridge a few days before the party, and rolling out and baking them a day or two before the party. These cookies keep well, so after baking and cooling, store them in airtight containers and they’ll still be fresh for the party. Have fun!
Thanks so much, doing this Thursday with a group.
OMG, Christmas always gets away with me and I stop, and then don’t decorate the cookies. But your timeline is perfect!! Thank you so much.
I adore this sight, recipes and the team! I always feel confident that my questions will be addressed in a timely and knowledgeable manner!
Which brings me to …..
Are “painted” cookies something you know about or have made? I use to do painted cookies with our teenage foster kiddos. But that was 30 years ago and I have TOTALLY forgotton how! How to make the paint (egg? Milk?) Bake then paint? Paint then bake? Please use your expertise in baking to advise! I have elderly friends now rather than foster kids, but I believe they will enjoy it just as much!
Thank you so much for any help and pointers!
Hi Cathy, so sorry on the slow response to this one! We haven’t experimented with painted cookies, but it sounds like a great idea! We usually recommend this easy cookie icing for kids, which you can put into squeeze bottles. I see a couple tutorials online, which recommend icing the cookies with royal icing, letting that set, and then making the “paint” with gel food coloring mixed with water. Then you can use brushes to paint the colors onto the iced cookie. Hope this helps!
Cathy – I found a recipe for cookie “paint” in a children’s book about 40 years ago and still use it for decorating cookies with now my grandchildren. Super easy and great for colouring bigger cookies. Always use it for making cookie trees. Mix one egg yolk with a quarter teaspoon of water. Add food colouring, paint on cookie shapes (sugar cookies) with a brush then bake cookies as normal. Spent some years living in the US when my kids were small – we all have great memories of your xmas traditions. Sally’s recipes and baking tips are the best!!
Thank you so much! it was amazing.
I was thinking that everyone bake their own cooking with mould or different shapes with hands and not just the icing. so considering that to give them the dough and they make what they like and then goes to the oven and then come out get cold and decorating icing. how long do you think it takes? is 3 hours enough?
Hi Mary! It will really depend on how many people are participating and how many sheets of cookies you can make at one time (we recommend only using one rack at a time), but you can see prep, baking, and cooling times in our Christmas sugar cookies post.
Hi, Sally. I started making your chocolate and regular sugar cookies to decorate for my grandkids and have sent them at Halloween, Chanukah, and Valentines Day. They get so excited! I lost patience with piping and ended up using an offset spatula and sprinkles, also marbling. I did buy the 8 oz. squeeze bottles you recommended but you need a lot of icing to get them to work well, and I didnโt have enough. I do have piping supplies so may try that next time. Wondering if a smaller bottle would work. They tend to be narrower so harder to fill, which is a concern, even with a funnel. Thanks for all the great recipes! Iโve been following you for many years, at least 10!
Hello! I would like your experienced opinion on the best cookie dough for cutting/baking/decorating cookies?
Hosting and wanting the best results possible.
Hi Wanday, this recipe for sugar cookies is our favorite! We also love these gingerbread cookies. Have fun!
Love these ideas! We have been doing a Christmas cookie decorating party for the last 4+ years. I’ll definitely be adding this site to my favorites.
We also pick up some things from the dollar store, table cloths, small ramekins for some of the larger decorations (eyes, nonperels, etc.) Makes for super easy clean up
I hosted a cookie decorating party over the weekend, thanks to this article- and it all went PERFECTLY. The cookies (made all 3 suggested- sugar, chocolate sugar, & ginger bread) were amazing. Using bottles for icing helped keep things so organized and neat. Cookie sheets for little decorators. Icing (royal) was delicious and came together beautifully.
We decided to make it an annual family tradition! Thank you, Sally!!
This was so wonderful to read, Renee! Thank you for reporting back and for using this post as a guide for your cookie decorating day. How special that it will become an annual family tradition!
I am attempting this fun activity with my three little guys today ….ages 1,3&7…should be a blast (of sprinkles) ๐
Love your blog and all the helpful hints!
How much icing to should I make for a party? I want to host about 10 kids and 4 adults. I’m debating about royal icing in squeeze bottles or just making a thicker icing and giving the kids plastic knives.
Hi Roni, it depends on the number of cookies you’d like each person to have (we recommend about 6-8 per person). A batch of royal icing makes enough for about 2 dozen, 3-4 inch cookies. You may want to make a bit extra than needed to ensure you have enough for all the guests. Happy decorating!
Is there a printable PDF for these planning instructions? Thanks!
Hi Emily! Not at this time, but we are working on it.
You’ve inspired me to host a cookie decorating party with friends! Can’t wait!
I hosted a small decorating party last year using your gingerbread and sugar cookie recipe with royal icing. Iโve since moved and my friend just texted me for my cookie and icing recipe from last year so she can do it… went to your site to text her the links but instead I see this post…perfection! Such a great write up!
You have inspired me! My kids will be home! Fun idea! Only worried about the icing! Thanks for all the ideas! Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
I make lots of cookies every year for Christmas; record was 147 dozen. This year, my daughter and I are making twenty kinds. Plus, Iโm making four kinds for my sister and two more for church. My daughter makes a field guide three page sheet that includes the kind of cookie, a drawing of it, and a tidbit about it such as CinnamonMaple Stats fromSallyโs Baking Addiction. โIโm looking into 12 step programs for my mother.โ I love your recipes!
Nancy,
Wow! That is impressive! Thank you for the laugh today. Happy cookie baking!
Omgosh you could write a cookie cookbook and party plan book with this idea ๐
My daughter just asked me to host a cookie decorating day for the family, and you have it all outlined for us! Thank you so much!
My pleasure! It’s everything I’ve found helpful when I host these fun activities myself.
I always resort to your blog because I know all my questions will be answered. Storing icing, making cookie decorating kits. It’s all here!
I’m so glad to read that Kelly, thank you!