Decorating with Kids

Published 9:17 am Thursday, March 15, 2012

Decorating sweet treats with children can make any holiday occasion or just a rainy day extra special.

With Easter Sunday less than four weeks away and the first official day of the start of the Spring season Tuesday, it’s the perfect time to plan to spend some quality time with children or grandchildren and get in on the baking and decorating fun.

Katheryne Landry thinks beyond store-bought marshmallow chicks and chocolate rabbits on Easter Sunday — only home-baked sugar cookies will do when she and her husband, Ross Landry, and two daughters Avianna Kilhorn, 8, and Kadynse Kilhorn, 7, celebrate Easter.

“Any day is a good day to bake and decorate desserts with your children or grandchildren,” said the New Iberia resident.

“One of our favorites is lemon-flavored sugar cookies. The kids look forward to holidays because they know we usually bake something special. It’s all about letting them enjoy themselves and allowing them to be creative with the decorations. Plenty of sprinkles and different colored icings are always fun and an easy way for children to use their imagination. Let them be creative.”

Rice Krispies squares can take on a whole new look by cutting them in various shapes with cookie cutters and decorating with icing and sprinkles set to a holiday theme, said Landry.

“We get a little messy when we bake, but the best part is eating the treats,” said Avianna, a third-grade student at North Lewis Elementary School.

“I always use a lot of icing and different colored sprinkles,” said Kadynse, a second-grade student at North Lewis Elementary School.

Linda Carlos of Patoutville, an avid baker who takes pleasure in baking for special occasions, enjoyed many memorable moments in the kitchen baking holiday treats with her children and grandchildren when they were younger.

“Decorating supplies available for at home-decorating have come a long way. There is so much more available at the cake shops and discount stores than the hard candy that we would peel off from paper sheets,” she said. “There are so many more options available to make it easy for kids to have fun and be creative.”

Carlos recommended taking a few extra minutes to visit a cake supply shop or walk through the bakery decorating isles of discount stores and supermarkets to get unique ideas from the many new decorating products on hand.

“Sheets of pre-rolled fondant, make it easy for children to cut out decorations for cupcakes or cakes. Coconut that is tinted green makes a great grass for decorating Easter cupcakes or there is the edible Easter hay,” she said. “Children also love cupcakes that are baked in ice cream cones.”

Children can dress up an ordinary cupcake by adding a cupcake wrap around the treat after they’ve decorated it to their own liking or a particular theme, she said.

“A Tisket , A Tasket, A Cupcake Easter Basket” proves that it can be a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket. Perfect for any spring treat or bunny occasion, the cupcake baskets will brighten any table and are simple to make and decorate. Use your favorite cake mix to help speed up the preparation time. Cool completely and place into Picket Fence Cupcake Wraps or Basket Cupcake Wraps and pipe with green-tinted icing to create grass.

If piping isn’t possible, spatula-ice the cupcakes and decorate festively to suit the occasion.

Young stargazers will shoot into space when they make a blast-off snack cake, complete with astronaut and candy flames. “Bee-utiful bee-topped cupcakes are sure to bring quite a buzz, while princess-ready chariot cookies will sweep any mini-majesty off her feet.