Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments

[JerseyGirl]

Some of you guys are so crafty. I feel like you'd know the answer to anything!

For a while I've wanted to get ornaments for my Christmas tree that look like little gingerbread men, women, animals, objects, etc.

I have found a few over the past few weeks, but I was thinking I might be able to make my own.

Does anyone have any idea of what sort of materials I would need to make these little ornaments so that they look like cookies? Including the "frosting" for decorating.

I've never done anything like this before and don't know how possible it is, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask!

Also, where woud you go for this sort of stuff in Stockholm?

Thanks ;D

[Sabeine]

Do you want to bake the gingerbread people? If so that is not too hard, and the cookie forms are available at Åhlens, IKEA, Coop Forum, City Gross, Duka and other larger stores. IKEA has a more limited selection but they are inexpensive.

As for frosting someone here should have a recipe for that.

[Vember]

I wonder if baked and preserved cookies would work at all... would be the easiest thing to try, and you could eat the mistakes! ;D

I think that most folks use clay to produce realistic-looking gingerbread folks ... think claymation Christmas stuff.

Also, you could use the ol' salty play-dough home-made mix, color them and shape them with cookie cutters. Once again, you'd have to preserve them, perhaps simple laquere(spelling, ugh)-type stuff would do... here's where I'm failing in the idea department. I've had some christmas ornaments made this way that've lasted YEARS.

[Aussie]

Jerseygirl,

Wow, this brings back memories! I used to do these with my kids when they were little. I hadn't thought of it, but what a great idea for Sweden, too. I'm thinking I could make them into really nice gift tags that could be used as a decoration by the recipient.

Okay, enough rambling! I can give you the basic recipes I used.

Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments

Note: this gingerbread dough is for craft projects. The ornaments look and smell like real cookies and are made with normal ingredients, but they bake up rock hard and keep for years and smell great for years. Use gingerbread dough and your favorite cookie cutters to make gingerbread man garlands, gingerbread ornaments and houses.

3 tbsp. shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses (use Ljus brödsirap)
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp each of cloves, ginger and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy, stir in molasses. Sift the dry ingredients together. Stir them into shortening mixture in 3 parts alternating with a 1/4 cup of water each time. Dough will be stiff. Refrigerate overnight.
Cut dough into 3 pieces. Knead in order to to warm the dough slightly, then roll each piece out about 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookie out with a gingerbread pattern of your choice.

Use a drinking straw to punch hole in center if ornament will be hanging. Place cookies on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes, turn oven off and let cool in oven.

Remove from cookie sheet and place on rack to dry for about 3 days to totally harden. These cookies are purely for decorative purposes and not to be eaten. If you wish you can seal cookies with 3 coats of clear acrylic and decorate with colorful acrylic pains when dry.

If you want to "decorate" them to look like frosting is on them, use the baker's clay recipe below.

Baker's Clay Christmas Ornaments

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup water

Mix together and knead until smooth. Add food coloring if desired.

Make shapes (or use cookie cutters) and bake at 300F (150C) until set and golden (1/2 hr to 1 hr). For a more golden appearance, paint with a beaten egg when it is almost done baking and looks dry. You can paint with egg twice or three times for a darker golden colour. Don't use egg on coloured dough. For coloured dough, paint with shallac or laquer after baking. If cracks appear, patch with some slightly moister dough and continue baking.

Christmas Tree Ornaments:
Making decorations with Baker's Clay is limited only by your imagination. It's just like working with clay!

Two of the easiest decorations are the snowman and the teddy bear:

Snowman - roll three balls ranging in size from small to large. Attach head to belly by "scoring" lightly (make very small scratches in surface of clay) and brushing with water, then press the two pieces together gently. Attach belly to bottom in the same way.

Teddy Bear - roll two balls, one small and one medium. Attach as above. Roll four small cylandar shapes with flattened ends for the arms and legs. Attach to body as above. For the ears, pinch the top of head with thumbnail.

Wire hook - Use needlenose pliers to bend the end of a 2" piece of wire. Insert straight end of wire into the top of your shape, leaving the hook and about 1/4" showing at top.

Bake - Place shapes gently on cookie sheet. Bake at 300° until set and slightly golden.

Paint with a beaten egg when almost done baking for a golden look.

For coloured decorations - use food colouring in the dough. (Don't use beaten egg on coloured dough.) OR, simply paint with acrylic after baking and cooling, then use shellac to seal. You can also shellac a plain ornament, and then spray with gold or silver spray paint for a sparkling appearance.

If properly sealed with shellac, your ornaments should last for years. Be sure to store in a dry place.


Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments

1 cup cinnamon
1 tbsp cloves
1 tbsp nutmeg
3/4 cup applesauce
2 tbsp white glue

Combine cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add applesauce & glue, stir to combine, work mixture with hands for 2-3 minutes. Divide into 4 parts. Roll each to 1/4" thickness. Use straw or toothpick for hole. Place on wire rack & allow to dry at room temp. Turn after a day. (takes about 2 days to dry). I use white fabric paint to decorate, looks like frosting.