This evening I am hosting my 4th annual Christmas cookie swap here at the house.  I have changed it up a little this year by encouraging my girlfriends to bring their daughters along with them.  I love the laughter, chatter, and bonding that goes on in my kitchen when I can cook with Samantha, Kenzie and Madeline, so I thought it would be fun for everyone to experience some of that same bond with their own girls.

An easy way to bake cookies with the kids when time is short (it’s finals week & we have had church, an away basketball game, a school play and a trip to the ER since Monday) is to buy Pillsbury sugar cookie dough and dress it up!

We chose the special edition Peppermint sugar cookie dough to use.  Slice (cutting the dough in half if the cookies are going to spread way too much) and bake.  Cool on a plate.

To make these cookies cookie swap worthy, Kenzie melted chocolate and then with Madeline they dipped half of each cookie in.

Place on wax paper to harden.

You can add a few sprinkles if you would like before the chocolate becomes firm.  The result is just delicious and the cookies appear homemade!

 Kenzie wanted to participate in the cookie swap (Samantha was on a date & Madeline was at a basketball game), and she was quite proud of the cookies she had to offer.  Her place card read “MacKenzie’s Famous Chocolate dipped peppermint cookies”.

I’ll be back with the rules for hosting your own cookie swap, and the recipe to my most favorite cookie ev-ah later this week!