Kids' birthday cake ideas: 3-D treats

Materials:

• cookie dough (such as gingerbread, sugar or other roll-out cookie dough)
• royal icing
• cookie cutters

Directions:

1. Make gingerbread dough and chill overnight. Then roll out on to a floured sheet of parchment paper. Use cookie cutters to cut out both pieces of each. Chill again before baking. Bake cookies according to recipe directions. Cool fully and decorate as desired (leave spots where cookies slide together free of decoration).

2. Carefully fit decorated cookies together with royal icing to make three-dimensional shapes. Serve on their own, atop a birthday cake, or if it's the festive season, hang from the Christmas tree.

Note: We used these Snökul 3-D pastry cutters, $5 (set of 6), ikea.ca

A version of this article appeared in the December 2013 issue of Today's Parent.

See more of our DIY birthday cake ideas here>