Celebrating National Sugar Cookie Day With Recipes That Kids Can Make

Comedian Gary Gulman said it best when he said, “Every cookie is a sugar cookie. A cookie without sugar is a cracker.”

Sugar cookies have a reputation for being a bit basic in the baking world but, for me, they conjure up all sorts of delicious food memories from my childhood. There were the long days spent at my grandma’s house, when my mom would send me over with a box of sprinkles and all the makings for a basic recipe, and the spring breaks spent at my sister’s first apartment, where we’d bake sheets of them together in her little kitchen for hours on end. In college, I remember mixing the dough with the little ones I babysat, their happy faces covered in flour. And today, I love watching my nieces and nephew reach their hands into the cookie jar for the most coveted after dinner dessert: a perfectly soft sugar cookie topped with buttercream frosting.

The art of crafting sugar cookies has long been something that soothes my sweets-loving soul. National Sugar Cookie Day takes place on July 9th and this year I’ll be celebrating by hosting a baking bonanza with my youngest family members. To switch things up, I’m branching away from the classic sugar cookies—like drop and cut outs—and diving into a world of unique variations.

Here are a few of my favorite (and craziest) ways to add a fresh twist to this classic dessert so you, too, can host a sugar cookie bake off. It’s a sweet party idea for toddlers, kids—and the young at heart. So, without further ado, here are some National Sugar Cookie Day recipes that even kids can make.

A Sugar Cookie Recipe for Anyone Nuts for Donuts

Sounds a bit wild but there really are such a thing as “donut” sugar cookies. I first made these a few years ago as a birthday gift for a friend who was donut-obsessed and they sparked a lively conversation of donut-related stories. Mine had to do with my first attempt at homemade pasta dough, which was disastrous, and ended in a gourmet dinner of donuts down the street.

These are fun for everyone to make—and they’re fun to eat, too (especially paired with a cold glass of milk). Plus, kids seem to get a kick out of making donut cookies because they sound like a 2-for-1 treat!

Ingredients List:

For the cookie dough:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• Extra flour for rolling
• Round cookie cutters in two sizes

For the buttercream frosting

• 6 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Food coloring

Baking Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350º F. In a large bowl or mixer, cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Mix your flour, baking powder, and salt then add to your first mixture. If your dough feels too sticky, add a bit of flour.
3. Sprinkle a surface with flour, then roll out your dough to ¼ inch thick.
4. Using your larger cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Using the smaller cookie cutter, cut the center out of the cookie to form your donuts.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
7. While the cookies cool, make your icing by mixing all the ingredients together. If the mixture is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too stiff, add more milk.
8. Once your donut sugar cookies are cool, frost then top with sprinkles for the full donut effect!

Putting the Fun in Sugar Cookie Recipes With Funfetti Ice Cream Sandwiches

I’ve always found any excuse I can to pair ice cream with cookies—and the little ones in my family are quick to back me up. I love crushed chocolate chip cookies on top of a big bowl of vanilla ice cream, a scoop of caramel on my snickerdoodles, or a hefty serving of strawberry ice cream nestled between two chocolate wafers.

My fiancé has a child-like love for all things funfetti that I hope he never outgrows (and requests it for his birthday cake every year). He also shares my deep appreciation for ice cream sandwiches. So, this year for his half birthday I enlisted the help of my niece and we mixed all three of his favorites into this ultimate treat: funfetti sugar cookie ice cream sandwiches. It’s a mouthful to say, but tasty to eat! The recipe for my new favorite sugar cookie ice cream sandwich is:

Ingredients List:

• 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
• ½ cup cane sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• Sprinkles

Baking Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400º F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar together. Then add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt next, then fold in your sprinkles.
3. Shape the dough into a 12-inch log and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer for 40 minutes.
4. Slice the cookie dough into 20 equal slices (to make 10 sandwiches) and place your slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. When completely cooled, scoop ice cream onto the bottom of 10 cookies. Top with the remaining 10 cookies and place in the freezer for 20 minutes before serving.

A Sugar Fortune Cookie Recipe for Good Luck

Although the mention of sugar cookies may not initially inspire visions of fortune cookies for you, it sure does for me. They’re made with the same ingredients, after all—sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla and flour—and when I was a kid, I’d ask for the “good luck sugar cookies.”

Making these treats homemade is a lot easier than you may think, and definitely a sweet treat your littles can help you make. For an extra dose of magic for this National Sugar Cookie Day recipe, you can even have your kids write messages or secret wishes for each other and place them inside the cookies when they come out of the oven!

Ingredients List:

• 3 egg whites
• ¾ cup cane sugar
• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. water

Baking Directions:

1. First, have everyone write out some fortunes on small pieces of paper.
2. Preheat your oven to 375º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large glass bowl, whip your egg whites and sugar with an electric mixer until they become frothy. Then, reduce the speed and mix in your melted butter, vanilla extract, and flour. The mixture should be somewhat like pancake batter in consistency.
4. Spoon the batter into circles on your baking sheets (careful: the batter will spread).
5. Bake for 6 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
6. Remove from the baking sheet, place your fortune in the center, and fold in half to form the classic fortune cookie shape (like a horseshoe). If you’re having trouble getting the cookie to stay closed, place them in a cupcake tin until they set.

From donut cookies to funfetti ice cream sandwiches and fortune cookies, there’s a whole lot of sweet homemade delight to be experienced with kids and found in these unique spins on one of the world’s favorite desserts: the sugar cookie.

This year, on July 9th, I’ll put on my apron, turn on some upbeat baking tunes, and fall into a deeper love for all things sugar cookie with the youngsters in my family. And the best part about food celebrations is that they’re imaginative holidays that encourage celebrating whatever inspires you. From all of us at Elfster, however you decide to celebrate National Sugar Cookie Day this year, we hope it’s a fun day filled with lots of sweet memories. Happy baking!

For more creative cookie ideas, explore our Sweet Foods Gift Guide. Or, connect with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter @Elfster, or Instagram @Elfstergram.