How to Make Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments
These gingerbread ornaments look and smell like edible gingerbread - but don't eat them! They become very hard after they are baked and are meant to be painted and then hung as Christmas ornaments.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- 6 tbsp. shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. ground cloves
- 2 tsp. ginger
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 7 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Brushes
- Groceries
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
- Cookie Sheets
- Flour Sifters
- Holiday Cookie Cutters
- Knife
- Rolling Pins
- Cookie sheets
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-
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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2
Beat shortening and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in molasses.
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3
Sift baking soda, ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon and flour together in a large bowl. Stir this mixture plus water into the sugar and shortening mixture, alternately adding the water and baking soda mixture to the shortening mixture.
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4
Stir until mixed thoroughly and refrigerate 6-8 hours.
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5
Cut dough into three equal pieces, knead each piece lightly and then use a rolling pin to roll out each piece to a 1/4-inch thickness.
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6
Use holiday cookie cutters made in the shapes of gingerbread people and houses to cut shapes out of the dough.
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7
Use a medium- to large-sized drinking straw or the end of a wooden chopstick to make a hole at the top of each shape.
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8
Put cookies on cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn oven off and allow cookies to cool in the oven. This will help harden the cookies.
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9
Place cookies on racks to completely harden. Place racks in a cool, dry place and let sit for two to three days.
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10
Coat cookies with clear acrylic or varnish and allow cookies to dry thoroughly.
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11
Paint cookies with acrylic paints as desired. Allow paint to dry thoroughly.
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12
Thread a 5- to 6-inch length of narrow ribbon or cording through the hole at the top of each ornament. Knot ends and hang ornaments.
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1
Tips & Warnings
This recipe can be halved. The recipe above makes approximately 30-40 cookies; the number of cookies you actually get will depend upon the size of your cookie cutters.
String gingerbread people together to make a gingerbread garland or a gingerbread wreath.
Coat cookies with an additional layer of clear acrylic or varnish to protect paint.
Explain to small children that these cookie ornaments are not to be eaten.
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Comments
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I did hand prints, only the dough rose. I was hoping that it wouldn't rise, something more like real gingerbread or sugar cookies.
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I'm so going to make christmas special for my little boy, hand made deco, and he can help.
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use powedered sugar to dip your rolling pin in & flour your work surface. the powder sugar will dissolve when you bake it!
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NutMeg1987
Dec 03, 2008
Okay, this may be a dumb question, but here goes. I'm having a big problem witht the dough being sticky. I floured my rolling pin and dusted the dough. I also floured my cookie cutters. The dough is so sticky that even if I use a knife to cut around the edges of the cookie cutters, it either makes them look "smeared" or leaves little bits of dough on the edges. If I flour it more heavily, will the flour "disappear" when baked, or am I stuck with ornaments with white dusting? Thanks. -
NutMeg1987
Dec 03, 2008
Okay, this may be a dumb question, but here goes. I'm having a big problem witht the dough being sticky. I floured my rolling pin and dusted the dough. I also floured my cookie cutters. The dough is so sticky that even if I use a knife to cut around the edges of the cookie cutters, it either makes them look "smeared" or leaves little bits of dough on the edges. If I flour it more heavily, will the flour "disappear" when baked, or am I stuck with ornaments with white dusting? Thanks.
