Gingerbread Christmas Wreath - The DIY Gourmet Decor

2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:10

Indeed, nothing rhymes better with the end of the year celebrations than a well thought out and stylish centerpiece. This season, the trend is for gourmet antipasti wreaths that are a perfect replacement for traditional centerpieces with branches of greenery. However, our latest crush is the gingerbread Christmas wreath decorated with scented cookies. This adorable festive decoration will bring an appetizing touch to your interior with its sweet scents of ginger and is of course delicious to snack on too! Get creative in the kitchen and create the perfect edible Christmas gift for your kids. Ready to start?

How to prepare a gingerbread Christmas wreath to decorate the interior or to munch with appetite?

Christmas simply wouldn't be complete without the delicious, homemade, hand-decorated gingerbread cookies. Baking and decorating these spicy dough treats is the perfect festive activity for the whole family and with our easy to follow step-by-step guide you can now make your own Christmas cookie wreath. Just choose the right molds for you and enjoy the aroma that spreads throughout the kitchen. You will only need to knead the dough and make royal icing to embellish and assemble your masterpiece. How to proceed ?

Ingredients for the cookie dough

• ⅓ cup of brown sugar
• 100 ml molasses
• 100 ml of maple syrup
• 115 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 medium egg
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Ingredients for the royal icing

• ⅓ cup of egg whites
• 2 cups of icing sugar
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• a little water to dilute the icing if necessary
• food coloring to tint the frosting (optional)

Equipment

• electronic kitchen scale
• measuring spoons
• adjustable rolling pin to spread cookie dough evenly much easier
• selection of cookie cutters in your favorite shapes
• baking sheets
• piping bag
• overpriced paper

How to make the dough for the gingerbread Christmas wreath?

Before you begin, it helps to know that the decorated cookies and the ring can be made up to a few days before assembling the edible crown to allow the icing to dry completely. Store sweets in an airtight container separated by baking paper.

Step 1

First, preheat the oven to 170 ° C and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, make the dough. For this purpose, put the sugar, molasses, maple syrup, butter, all the spices and salt in a large bowl. Heat in the microwave in small increments of 30 seconds until the butter begins to melt. Afterwards, stir until the butter is completely melted and you have a smooth and thick liquid.

2nd step

Whisk in the baking soda and egg. Gradually incorporate the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon.

Step 3

Use your hands to work the last flour into the dough, adding as much as needed to create a soft, non-sticky dough. Thoroughly knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface and gather to form a ball.

Step 4

Divide your dough into two equal amounts and keep any unused dough covered so it doesn't dry out.

Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a disc about 0.5 cm thick.

Step 5

Then use a plate or cake pan to draw an 8 inch circle. Use another smaller plate and a knife to cut out the center. (To prevent your knife from sticking to your dough, you can coat it with flour. This ring will form the base of your crown of cookies. Return the leftover dough to your second ball.

Step 6

Roll out the second ball of dough in the same way and cut it into festive shapes using your cookie cutters of various sizes. Carefully lift the cookies and arrange them on your prepared baking sheet, slightly spaced.

Step 7

Bake the ring and cookies for 12 minutes at 170 ° C until they begin to brown a bit around the edges, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to prepare royal icing?

Prepare the royal icing. To do this, put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl and beat on low speed until you get soft peaks. Increase the speed and start adding the icing sugar a little at a time until the icing forms stiff peaks. Once ready, separate it into two parts.

Indeed, the icing must be very thick to be able to assemble the crown and the small elements. On the contrary, for decorating Christmas cookies, it should have a somewhat lighter consistency. So, if needed, add a few drops of water to the second part until it slowly falls from a spoon.

Transfer some of the icing to a pastry bag and poke a very small hole in the tip. Decorate the cookies according to your preferences. Let dry completely at room temperature before use.

How to decorate the ginger cookies?

The contour technique

Your frosting for the contour should have the texture of toothpaste. If it looks a bit thicker, add a little water.

If you are creating an outline where you intend to fill the inside with frosting, the first thing you need to do is make sure you meet the ends of your line. The goal is to form an unbroken wall around the shape you want. If there are any gaps, the filling icing will flow through.

In case you're new to cookie decorating or your kids insist on assisting you with the process, choose a larger tip or cut a larger hole at the end of the disposable pastry bag. Let the walls dry for about 5 minutes before filling them with icing.

The filling technique

The filling frosting is a bit more runny than the outline frosting. You just need to add a little water to the basic recipe to get the right consistency.

If you need to cover a larger area, you can use small, clear plastic bottles. For small areas, it is easier to use a pastry bag with a small nozzle. Fill the area in the same way as with the outline icing, but be careful because the icing will flow if it is not secured.

For simple designs or when you are just starting out, you might as well drop the frosting on the cookies and spread it out using a cocktail stick or small skewer.

Snowflake cookie sprinkled with sugar

Assemble the gingerbread Christmas wreath

Arrange all the cookies around the base in a nice configuration and have your pastry bag handy. Use the frosting to make the cookies stick to the ring, layering them as needed. Pour a small amount of the creamy substance on the back of each cookie and arrange on the gingerbread circle. In addition, it is advisable to first fix your larger snowflakes and then, to fill in the empty spaces with the smaller ones.

Once you are happy with the arrangement, let your wreath dry for at least an hour. If you've made a mistake, know that you can move the cookies while the icing is still wet. As soon as it is dry it will be as hard as a diamond.

Finally, add a colorful ribbon to hang your gingerbread Christmas wreath or use it as a centerpiece.

Useful information

1. Is there a substitute for maple syrup?

Yes, you can make this recipe by replacing the golden syrup with light corn syrup or agave nectar.

2. Does the cookie dough need to be cooled before cutting the cookies?

This paste can be used right away without cooling it first. However, if you want to do that, it would make the cutting a bit easier.

3. How long does the gingerbread dough last in the refrigerator?

Flatten the dough to form a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap, then store it in the refrigerator for up to three days.

4. How do I store gingerbread cookies?

Store the cookies in an airtight container, separated with parchment paper. Make sure all decorations / frosting have dried completely!

5. How long do the gingerbread cookies last?

Your cookies will last 2-3 weeks if stored correctly.

6. Can you freeze gingerbread cookies?

Yes, this dough freezes well. Space the cookies (undecorated) on a tray and freeze them until they are solid, then store them in a container, separated by baking paper.

7. Can we hang the gingerbread Christmas wreath?

Indeed, yes. Still, if you want to use it as a tree ornament, it is recommended that you make small wreaths so that they are not so heavy. Also, in case you hang a cookie wreath for an extended period of time, it will likely break off eventually.

8. Can I use another dough for the cookies?

Yes, any crispy cookie dough that is hard could be used as long as it is not crumbly.

9. Is icing mandatory?

In fact, you can create a crown simply by layering the cut cookies before baking. Simply let cool before baking so that the cookies retain their shape.

2 in 1 cookie dough Christmas wreath and candle holder

Photo credit: supergoldenbakes.com

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