Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments

Add baking gingerbread Christmas ornaments to your holiday to-do list. It is easy to make, one-bowl recipe to make these fully customizable cookie ornaments to decorate your Christmas tree.

Every year, I can't get enough from holiday baking, and these cute gingerbread Christmas ornaments are not an exception.

A few years ago, I started making holiday cookies and turning them into Christmas tree decorations. The most fun I get when I use unusual Christmas cookie cutters, some fancy ones.

To make cookie ornaments, I chose a no-fail dough, the gingerbread dough. I finally adapted a recipe for gingerbread cookies created by the French chef Gilles Marchal.

Experimenting with different cookie cutters and decorations, I ended up with plain cookies arranged into gingerbread Christmas garland.

Edible ornaments vs. non-edible ornaments

Before making Christmas ornaments, it is advisable to decide if you want to proceed with edible or non-edible decorations.

Edible Christmas tree ornaments are mostly gingerbread or sugar cookies made with the real cookie dough, baked, and hanged on a tree.

Non-edible ornaments are usually made with different spices, applesauce, and white glue, dried in the oven, then tied with a piece of twine or ribbon for hanging on the tree.

While both edible and non-edible ornaments are fun to make with kids, edible ones are yummier and safer when kids want to taste “the dough” or ready decoration.

Edible Christmas ornaments also make a great edible gift during the holiday season. Moreover, you can eat these treats right from the tree!

How to make gingerbread cookies into ornaments

To turn gingerbread cookies into Christmas tree ornaments, make sure to punch a hole in each cookie using a plastic straw, but not too close to the cookie edge.

Then use a ribbon, a string, lace, or raffia for hanging in the tree. You can tie each cookie individually or make a gingerbread cookie garland.

How to decorate Christmas cookie ornaments

You can leave cookie ornaments bare, undecorated. Just make a hole in the cutout cookies before baking, tie on a ribbon, and hang on a tree.

Or you can arrange pieces of dried fruit or nuts on each cookie before baking. It brings additional texture to this sweet baking project.

If you want to personalize cookies, use alphabet cookie stamps set before bringing cookies in the oven.

The simplest way to decorate baked cookie ornaments is to brush them with Royal icing and sprinkle with Belgian pearl sugar, edible glitter, or holiday sprinkles.

The more elaborate way to decorate these ornaments is to use homemade or store-bought decorating cookie icing.

In any way, use different varieties of cookie cutters, kids friendly or grown-up themed ones, and decorate cookie ornaments in any way you desire. The possibilities are endless.

Why this recipe works

1. One bowl, easy recipe is great during a busy holiday season.
2. The recipe results in a batch of cookies to please the crowd.
3. These cookies make a beautiful edible gift during the holidays.
4. Making a small hole in each cookie before baking makes unique Christmas tree ornaments.
5. Cookies are fully customizable: leave them plain or decorate them any way you desire.
6. This gingerbread ornament recipe is universal: make scented cookies or omit ground allspice and make regular almond cookies.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for detailed amounts and instructions. I recommend making this recipe as written for the best results. 

Butter: use unsalted softened butter to make these cookies. take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start.

Almond flour: it brings melt-in-your-mouth texture to these cookies.

Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or purchase a store-bought powdered sugar.

Salt: it enhances the flavor of cookies.

Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour.

Egg: use one large egg.

Ground allspice: use this spice or replace it with a mixture of ground clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

How to make gingerbread ornaments

To make the cookie dough, place softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until smooth. Add almond flour (photo 1) and mix.

Then add icing (powdered) sugar, ground allspice, salt, flour and egg, and mix again until the dough becomes homogeneous (photo 2).

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to the thickness of about ⅕ inch/5 mm. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 300 F/150 C. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and cut cookies, using Christmas cookie cutters. Save, press together, and re-roll the dough scraps (you need to chill the rolled dough before cutting the cookies again.)

Make a small hole in each cookie using a plastic straw. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet covered with parchment (photo 3) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or till the light brown color (photo 4).

Expert tips

1. Beat softened butter using an electric mixer. Combine the rest of the ingredients with a rubber spatula or your hands if you do not have a stand mixer.
2. Decorate baked cookies any way you desire.
3. Store Christmas cookie ornaments in an airtight container for up to 2 to 4 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Love cookies? Try these next!

• German Cinnamon Star Cookies – Zimsterne
• Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
• Authentic Italian Shortbread Cookies
• Browse all the Cookie Recipes

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only and should be used as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool. Please, read the disclaimers in our Privacy Policy.

The recipe was adapted from https://www.lemonde.fr/. It was originally published on December 24, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.