Happy Friday! It’s the end of the week and time to let loose. So, when Will got home from school today, I called the kids into the kitchen for some cookie making and decorating. Check it out:

Mwah! Love the shaped cookie trays that we used for these.

The little chefs ... before they baked up a storm.

Pressing the cookie dough into the cookie tray openings ... We used premade dough to make it speedier.

Decorating frenzy. I iced the cookies with a simple icing made from powdered sugar and water. Then the kids went crazy with sprinkles.

Sampling the goods ...

Will's sporty creations ... his cookies are well done, but he's okay with that.

Can you say sprinkles everywhere? But that’s what this was all about … letting the kids go wild making something themselves. And they enjoyed every second of it.

To make these cookies, we used Wilton Cookie Pans, which I bought just for the occasion. They are nonstick pans with 12 places each to press cookie dough into. I used premade cookie dough from the grocery store, so that the prep work would be minimal and the kids could do most of the making themselves. In using these pans, I learned that the cookies will bake quickly — so watch them. I cooked these 3 minutes less than the package suggested, but they still were pretty well-done.

Then I whipped up an ultra-simple icing of powdered sugar and water. No measurements here, I just mixed until I got the desired consistency. Once that was brushed on, it was up to the kids to decorate them with whatever sprinkles they wanted.

Now, I am so excited to tell you about a contest that encourages you to let your kids get messy in the kitchen too. The Clorox Cook Up a Mess Contest, which is going on now, asks you to submit your best photo of your kids making a mess in the kitchen. And the prize? It’s fabulous. Really.

If you need some inspiration for your own mess making, click “Need Some Inspiration” at the bottom of the Clorox entry page on Facebook.

And a note on cleaning up … to clean up sprinkles, I start by sweeping up whatever I can and tossing that into the garage. Then I use my handheld vacuum to suck up anything left. As for the icing, which got everywhere, that requires something more heavy duty like Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner. Clorox Clean-Up is also awesome when you are working with raw eggs (like you would if you were making the cookie dough yourself) since it removes any residue from the egg that ends up splashes across the counter.

Disclosure: I was compensated for my time in creating this post by The Motherhood and Clorox. But any opinions are my own.

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