ISO Cookies for Christmas tree decoration

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lulu

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May 29, 2006
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I am thinking of decorating with cookies this Chritmas, like gingerbread men, and other cut out cookies, and popcorn garlands.

My mother did this when I was little one Christmas but she cannot remember the recipe for the biscuits, if it had anyting special to keep everything in good order for so long. It would me a shame if my gingerbread men got gangrene or my stars got mouldy, lol.

Has anybody done this succesfully and have any recipes? If they are made to last are they still ok to eat? I am thinking I'll have to bake a new batch to fill in wholes every few days.....:)
 
I just have been googling. It seems sugar cookies and gingerbread are recommended. I am still keen to get feed back from any one who has done/does this!

Really, DH just wants to know if he can eat the decor throughout the season, lol!
 
I used to make the whole gingerbread family and the only decorations I used were 'buttons' with Red Hots. It was so cute at Christmas.

Before cooking, I would put one of the large Christmas ball holders on the back so I could hang them on the tree properly but cutting a small hole in the head and using thin red ribbon is pretty, too.

I just used a normal gingerbread recipe out of my Betty Crocker Cookie Book.
 
Red ribbon sounds pretty. I read its a good ide to cut the hole with a straw before baking. Did your gingerbread men last long? How long are they edible for having hung on the tree?
 
Well, Gobo, I kind of hope people do feel they can have a nibble, I'll just keep baking more decorations, lol. Its mainly because we are in rented in Italy and as I am taking my little car over I am having to be careful not to buy too much that needs to be brought back to England eventually...thus edible decor seems the way to go! I also want a ginger bread house, but that might be overdoing it a little in our tiny flat, and the cats will probably eat it, lol.

If you drop by Milano Gobo I'll gladly give you a cookie, lol
 
lulu said:
Red ribbon sounds pretty. I read its a good ide to cut the hole with a straw before baking. Did your gingerbread men last long? How long are they edible for having hung on the tree?

As they dried out hanging on the tree, they got too hard to eat w/o breaking teeth. Well, I like soft gingerbread so they didn't appeal to me - they were probably edible but I never ate one :rolleyes: .

They are really warm and homey on the tree, and smelled wonderful.
 
lulu said:
Well, Gobo, I kind of hope people do feel they can have a nibble, I'll just keep baking more decorations, lol. Its mainly because we are in rented in Italy and as I am taking my little car over I am having to be careful not to buy too much that needs to be brought back to England eventually...thus edible decor seems the way to go! I also want a ginger bread house, but that might be overdoing it a little in our tiny flat, and the cats will probably eat it, lol.

If you drop by Milano Gobo I'll gladly give you a cookie, lol

I'm gonna hold you to that!
:P

I've never been anywhere like that. I wouldn't know what to do.
I've never left North America.
I was supposed to go to Dominican Republic this winter break, but my parents don't want to go anymore.
 
HB you are a star! OK, I am sure DH will break his teeth and I'll have some fresh ones in a tin if we get visitors. The scent had not even occured to me, but I am convinced now. Grazie mille Half Baked.

Gobo- what can I say? lol Travel!!! You might not be able to in the future.
 
I can't now. I don't have the money. Or time.
I have school, then I have to work, then I start univsersity.
If I left to go to Europe I made my girlfriend cry again. She cried when I went to British Columbia for 2 weeks. I don't wanna make her go through that again. We'll have to find a time we can both go.... some day....
 
Here's the recipe:

Gingerbread Boys

Fat, puffy cookies - really cute.

1/3 c shortening
1 c brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups dark molasses
2/3 cup cold water
7 cups AP flour
2 t soda
1 t salt
1 t allspice
1 t ginger
1 t cloves
1 t cinnamon

Mix shortening, sugar, and molasses thoroughly. Stir in water. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Blend all dry ingredients; stir in. Chill.

Heat oven to 350. Roll dough 1/4" thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with gingerbread boy cutters. At this time, decorate with red hots or raisins, if desired. I bend a large ornament wire on the back to hang the cookies on the tree. Place far apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until no imprint remains when touched lightly.


Ice cooled cookies, if desired. Makes 2 1/2 doz.- 2 1/2 " cookies

If you use self-fising flour, omit soda and salt.
 
I'm gonna go on a limb here and assume those are all tsp., not tbsp measurements.

Unless they are tonnes...
 
Yes, a small t is teaspoon, a large T is tablespoon.

To keep the frangrance, you can buy cinnamon oil and dot it on the back of the cookies as the smell dissipates.

Press the cookie cutter straight down so the sides come up straight...none of this moving it about to get it loosened from the counter.
 
I don't know where the recipe is, but I'm sure I've read many times that if you are going to hang your cookies on the tree, you should use extra flour to make them sturdier, and as such, they are not tasty to eat.

But I can't remember where I read that.
 
HB, again, many, many thanks! Cinnamon oil, and perhaps a little orange oil...and clove oil. Our home is going to smell like christmas and no mistake!
 
I don't remember the exact recipe, but I would watch a person combine about 6 oz of cinnamon with a can of applesauce and wrap that in cheese cloth and use a colander to drain it for a couple of days. As I said I am not sure on the exact estimates. After most of the moisture was gone you could roll out what was left and cut it with a cookie cutter to make ornaments. You would then let it dry for a couple of additional days.
Mark
 
If you plan on eating them, please do not, under any circunstances shellac them to try to make them last longer. Not that I did that or anything.:ohmy:
 
My mother used to make cookie ornaments that were works of art. She had special 3-D cutters and a cookie recipe and directions that went with them. Mom hand-painted them with food coloring and icing, and when they were dry, she'd wrap them with Seran Wrap, tie with red ribbons, and hang.
One thing about these cookies...they are pretty hard. They have to be to hold up well and have all those details.
Sadly, I no longer have the cookie cutter set, but I'm sure they are still available somewhere.

I got more into baked bread dough ornaments. They aren't edible, but they are fun to make.
 
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