DIY Christmas cookie garland ideas – have a tasty home decor
DIY Christmas cookie garland ideas – what could be more fun! Have you wondered how to create an amazingly magical Christmas atmosphere in your home? How to please the children and yourself with edible decoration? Does it sound unusual? Well, it is not, it is so amusing and a great idea for holiday activities. You can have unique homemade decoration – from tree ornaments to wall or fireplace decor!
Nowadays you can find almost any type of decorations in large stores in any color, size and shape. More and more people realize the fact that nothing can be compared with something that you made with your own hands and every year we see amazing Christmas craft ideas from different materials, from colored paper to plastic bottles. In addition, crafting your own decoration is one of the most inexpensive and original options to transform the home and create a festive atmosphere for the winter holidays. We will show you some of the best cookie garland ideas and, of course, will give you a recipe for your tasty decorations.
DIY Christmas cookie garland ideas – gingerbread man recipe
DIY Christmas cookies garland ideas are really inspiring yet they require some cooking skills. However, the result is worth the effort because a cookie garland not only looks amazing but it also has this very special aroma that fills the home. You can bake your Christmas garland cookies in any shape you like – gingerbread man, stars, angles, trees, hearts, snowflakes, deer, hearts – anything that pleases you. Those who have a traditional family recipe can experiment with decorating the cookies in festive colors or create ornate patterns with the icing. The main thing is not to forget to make holes in the cookies for the thread, which will connect all the elements in a single garland. If you want an “inedible” version of the decoration, you can use salt dough and decorate the surface of the dried cookies with colored sprays or glitter.
Here is a gingerbread man recipe which will be useful to those who are going to bake Christmas cookies for the first time.
Ingredients for 32 cookies:
- 125 g. unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (90 g) brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (230 g) golden syrup
- 2½ cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Method:
Preheat oven to 160 C (325 F).
Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat for 8–10 minutes until pale and creamy. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing. Add the golden syrup, flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and baking soda and beat until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper to 4mm thick and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
With a small gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut out 32 shapes, re-rolling the dough as necessary. Place the cookies on two large baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Cut two holes from each gingerbread man. You can use the tip of a 6 mm round nozzle or a straw. Bake for 6–8 minutes or until golden. Turn off the oven and allow to cool completely.
Thread the gingerbread men onto a ribbon and your garland is ready!
You can bake the gingerbread men in advance and store in an airtight container for 2–3 days before hanging them on Christmas Eve.
If you wish add icing to your cookies to make them even more beautiful and festive. Here is a recipe for royal icing:
Ingredients:
- 2 large egg whites or 5 tablespoons meringue powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Food coloring, if desired
Method:
Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice or extract on low speed until frothy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and continue beating on low speed until combined, smooth, and shiny. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat for about 5 minutes until stiff and glossy.
Add food coloring, if desired, and transfer to a pastry bag to pipe onto cookies.
All the garlands created by your hands will give even more coziness to your home, so get your ingredients and get ready for some Christmas baking! Be creative with the festive holiday decoration of your home and have a very tasty Christmas!
