Kids will be very busy coloring and eating their cookies at your Chanukah party.

At every Chanukah party, I like to plan an activity that keeps the kids busy so the adults can relax, eat, and do what they want to do anyway…shmooze.

We’ve had craft stations (I love many of the kits available at www.JewishCrafts.com), carnivals (with tickets and prizes), and one of the all-time favorites, a cookie coloring activity.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Bake cookie-cutter sugar cookies. Big, small, shapes, or just plain circles and squares. It doesn’t matter!

Ice ‘em. Sure, store-bought fondant would work on these cookies, but it won’t taste nearly as good as royal icing. And we do want to eat them too. But there’s good news! First, this is for the kids so your icing doesn’t have to be perfect. Second, you don’t need to make the icing from scratch. You can use a mix like CK’s Royal Icing Mix (also available at baking supply stores and sites). It’s certified by the cRc. Just follow the instructions on the back (i.e. add water and mix). Add the icing to a piping bag and cover the cookies.

Let the cookies dry overnight. That’s all you need to do. You can even let the kids ice the cookies one day and color the next day.

The last thing you’ll need for your Cookie Coloring Activity is edible markers, such as Wilton’s Food Writer Edible Markers.

Put all the cookies on a platter in the middle of the table; scatter the markers and let the kids color away (and maybe eat some cookies).

Note: The more cookies you prepare for the kids ahead of time, the more schmoozing and relaxing time you’ll have for the adults.

Need a good Sugar Cookie recipe? It’s coming next week.

p.s. Checkout Chefchayas gift guide and our Chanukah Gift guide!