Easy Cookie Recipes Make for Fun in the Kitchen

Admit it:  You love cookies.  I love cookies too, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  I mean look – they’re tasty, sweet bites of perfection, when they’re made right – and that makes for a wonderful meal-ender.  If you’re like me, then time is at a premium, and you don’t have a whole lot of it to spare on recreational things like baking cookies.  That’s why I’m always on the lookout for easy cookie recipes…in particular, quick easy cookie recipes!

Another reason I look for easy cookie recipes is that I have a 2 ½-year-old son who loves to cook and bake, whether in his own little pretend kitchen (which has an oven, a stove, a sink, and a refrigerator) or for real with Mommy and Daddy.  He stands on his stepstool and proudly wears his monkey apron to help measure, pour, mix, and whatever else we’ll let him do.  One of the funniest things is that when he’s cooking in his own kitchen, he narrates what he’s doing.  Take THAT, Next Food Network Star wannabes!

Not too long ago, I found myself searching for some easy sugar cookie recipes, thinking they would be a refreshing change from the usual chocolate chip cookies that we make.  Not that there is anything at all wrong with chocolate chip cookies – we all love them at my house – but I figured it would be a good idea to  introduce my son to the wider world of easy cookie recipes that’s out there.   There are dozens of easy sugar cookie recipes out there on the web, so that’s a great place to start.   Even though this Traditional Rolled Sugar Cookies might look like it’s complicated, it really does fall into what I would consider an “easy sugar cookie recipes” category.  You basically just mix the stuff, stick it in the fridge, then roll it, cut it, and bake it.  Of course, the most fun part of making these is the decorating, and since my little guy loves his art projects, we’ll go with the edible paint.

In my quest for easy cookie recipes, I’ve also found some that don’t even require baking.  They do require some stovetop time, but even that is minimal.  Now that summer seems to finally be here, this no-bake thing seems like a pretty good idea.  Plus, these seem to be super easy cookie recipes, with most of them having the same basic ingredients.  My son will still get to help “cook,” naturally, even though there isn’t a whole lot of cooking involved.  He is an excellent mixer, and maybe I’ll let him help spoon the cookies onto the cookie sheets.  That should be interesting!  Messy, but interesting.  I sometimes think that the messier he gets, the better day he has had!  He is a lot like Adrian Monk (of TV show fame), so I’m sure he’ll want to wash his hands at the first possible interlude.  That’s OK – I think my younger son is heading to be the opposite, so at least I’ll have one clean kid!