Christmas Cookies as Decorations: Gingerbread Houses
Gingerbread houses are based on basic gingerbread cookie recipes and are perhaps the most elaborate example of cookies as Christmas decorations or ornaments. It's best to plan gingerbread houses before you begin making the gingerbread: templates for gingerbread houses are available both online and in books devoted to Christmas cookie recipes. Here's one of the possible cookie recipes used to make gingerbread houses, along with a recipe for gingerbread house "cement."
Gingerbread House Recipe
The following is a simple recipe for making a gingerbread house. Before you start, choose a pattern so that you know the number and size of cutouts you will need. (Adapted from "Building Gingerbread Houses" from allrecipes.com)
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Melt the cup of butter in a large pan, and then mix in the sugar and molasses, stirring the mixture well. In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients (baking soda, allspice, ginger, salt, and flour). Slowly mix them into the wet sugar mixture.
Roll the dough for gingerbread houses on a floured surface to an even thickness of 1/4 of an inch. Cut the dough into the pieces required to make gingerbread houses (based on the pattern you have selected). Bake for thirteen to fifteen minutes. Let the pieces cool for a few minutes, and then transfer them to cookie racks.
- Cement Icing for Gingerbread Houses
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner's (icing) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2 egg whites
Because the cement dries soon after it is made, wait until the gingerbread is completely cool before making the cement. Mix the cream of tartar with the confectioner's sugar. Add the vanilla and the egg whites.
Beat the mixture at high speed until the frosting holds its own shape (add more confectioner's sugar if necessary).
Use the cement to build gingerbread houses immediately, as the cement dries quickly. Cover the cement bowl with a damp cloth to slow the drying process.
Cookies as OrnamentsChristmas Cookies Recipes: Cinnamon-Orange Snickerdoodles
Some people use cookies as Christmas decorations, hanging cookies on the tree as ornaments. Nearly any of your favorite cookie recipes can be adapted to make Christmas ornaments. The key to turning a cookie into an ornament is to poke a hole in the top of the cookies (a straw generally works best) before you bake them. After baking and decorating the cookies, you can string a ribbon through them and pepper them all over your Christmas tree.
While Christmas cookies can serve as decorations, they are most commonly a yummy, festive snack. Baking Christmas cookies can be a kid's favorite Christmas activity and can be given to friends as a heartfelt Christmas gift. Easy to make and even easier to eat, snickerdoodles are popular Christmas cookies.
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
- 2 eggs
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Beat shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, orange extract, and orange rind until fluffy. Beat in the two eggs.
In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the wet sugar mixture and mix well.
Grease a cookie sheet and drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough onto the sheet. Combine the remaining tablespoon of sugar and teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle over the cookies. Bake for eight to ten minutes.
Christmas Sugar CookiesChristmas Sugar Cookies
Sugary goodness! Sugar cookies are often included in Christmas cookies recipes. If you feel even more creative, bust out the food coloring and make fun, festive Christmas designs on them. (Adapted from "Sugar Cookies" recipe from gardenhelper.com)
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until the mixture is fluffy. Then mix the dry ingredients (flour and baking soda) until well combined.
Chill the dough at least two hours, then roll on a floured surface until 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut with Christmas cookie cutters, place the shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 °F for ten minutes or until lightly browned.
Christmas Cookies and Gingerbread Houses
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