Homemade Gingerbread Christmas Tree Ornaments

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Since we are home for the holidays, my son wanted to help my mother "Oma" make gingerbread Christmas tree ornaments in her kitchen. He is "Mr. Big Helper" these days, and I am loving his enthusiasm for all things Christmas. We followed Nick Malgieri's gingerbread recipe via Kitchn and Martha's Stewart's Royal Icing recipe via Kitchn's "How to Make Gingerbread Christmas Tree Ornaments" post.

We followed each recipe to the t, and the final product was a beautiful and aromatic cookie that we enjoyed decorating. 

Baking with Oma

Baking with Oma

*Baking Tip: It is important to keep your dough cold so that the butter doesn't melt and ruin the consistency of the cookie while it bakes. 

To make the holes for the tree, take 1 toothpick and break it twice. Then place the toothpick about 1 inch from the top ensuring you made a hole all the way through. Keep the toothpick in place while the cookie bakes so your hole doesn't close shut. 

*Baking Tip: Once you remove the cookies from the oven, slide the parchment paper on to the countertop or cooling rack to stop the baking process. Also, take the toothpicks out so they don't get stuck as the cookies cool. 

As I mentioned before we used Martha Stewart's recipe for Royal Icing. In lieu of a piping bag, you can use a zip up plastic bag like below. Spoon the icing into the bag and twist one end of the plastic bag. Then cut a small piece off of one of the bottom corners. 

From here you can choose to decorate with the Royal Icing and by adding special embellishments like edible sprinkles, candy, etc. 

I know my limits and I am not an expert decorator. So, when I saw these beautiful Vintage Santa wafer papers from Fancy Flours I was hooked. I knew these images would add a sense of elegance and whimsy to my tree. As a nod to the quilters in my family, I also purchased these red and white cross stitch squares.

Fancy Flours includes a set of instructions that were also very easy to follow. 

I hope you get to enjoy some time with your family doing things that you love this Christmas season.