When we first moved to Switzerland, Becca was just over six months old. For the first time in my life, I was a stay-at-home mom—and I quickly realized I needed to find a community. Being the introvert that I am, this wasn’t an easy task. Still, I sat in front of my laptop and searched for English-speaking playgroups, since my German was almost non-existent.
In one of the parent chat groups, I found mention of an English playgroup run by an organization called Famiplus. As it turned out, Famiplus had its own property where it hosted various language-based playgroups and also offered open-house days a few times a week. Parents could drop in with their kids to use the house and garden and simply socialize.
I emailed them to ask whether the English playgroup was still active. They replied that it no longer existed, but that several English-speaking moms visited regularly, and I should feel free to come by with Becca. So I did. That’s how I met Jo and Jen, along with their kids, Mateo and Lily.
From there, our little group grew to include Soyoung, Ji, Jitu, and Emi. Coincidentally, we were all Asians—go figure! Eventually, we branched out from Famiplus and began taking turns hosting Friday lunches at our homes.
Over the years, more babies were born (most of us ended up with two). Jen and Lily moved away, then Emi, and eventually Jitu. As the kids grew older and started school, finding common time became more and more difficult. With different extracurricular schedules, our weekly gatherings gradually dwindled to just a few times a year.
Last year, hoping to revive some of that old camaraderie, I hosted my first cookie-decorating party. I invited the remaining moms and their kids, covered the dining table with brown paper for easy cleanup, distributed cookies and icing bags, and let the kids take over. I was pleasantly surprised by how focused and well-behaved they were—old enough now to sit still, concentrate, and decorate.
It was a low-stress event (at least on the day itself; I did have to bake cookies and make the icing beforehand! I used recipes from Sugar Spun Run and loved them so much that it’s now my go-to), and everyone went home with treats they were proud to show off.
This year, I’ve already hosted a small decorating session and hope to invite the mamas and their kiddos again for another round.
NO-CHILL SUGAR COOKIES
Ingredients:
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch (or 3–4 tbsp extra flour if unavailable)
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• Additional flour for rolling
• 1 batch sugar cookie icing (recipe below)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and well combined, but not fluffy.
3. Add the vanilla and egg, mixing until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add this to the butter mixture. The dough will be crumbly; gather it with your hands and knead lightly.
5. Divide the dough into two portions, keeping one covered. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to ½ cm thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Re-roll as needed. If the dough becomes too soft or sticky, refrigerate for a few minutes.
6. Baking time varies depending on cookie size, so begin checking at 10 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
SUGAR COOKIE ICING
Ingredients:
• 3 cups (375 g) icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 3–4 tbsp milk
• Gel food coloring
• Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and 2 tbsp milk.
2. If the icing is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it drizzles in a smooth ribbon that holds its shape for a few seconds before blending back in. If it’s too thin, add more icing sugar.
3. Divide and color as desired.
4. Spoon into piping bags, snip a tiny opening, and decorate the cookies. Allow the icing to harden completely before storing.*
