Hey, crafty mamas & papas! Welcome to our 12 Days of Crunchy Christmas Crafts for the whole family! For our first day, we eased in and made Peanut Butter & Popcorn Pinecone Bird Treats, and then for day two. . . ummm . . . we went wild.
Christmas-Cookies-911
In parenting, sometimes you’ve just got to call a lifeline. For me, Christmas Cookie Decorating is that time. Nothing but nothing overwhelms me more than a flour-dusted table laden with bowls of frosting and sprinkles. Just the smell of the powdered sugar alone zings me.
So, for this one, I wisely put in a call to Grandma (know thyself), and true to form, she arrived in a puff of sprinkles and pure cookie magic.
Dad brought her famous red crate up the icy path, and suddenly there was everything we needed! Christmas Cookies 911 . . . like Merry Maids but with frosting and sprinkles . . . a parents’ dream! Plus, this service was free! It’s not what you know, it’s who, people.
Even with Grandma on board, however, project ~Nativity in Gingerbread~ still took the better part of the day and pushed on through the not-so silent night right up until dinnertime. The kids were only halfway through decorating their piles of cookies when Grandma had to go! My hopes and fears of all the years flashed before my eyes in that moment. Thankfully, my hubby walked through the door right before Grandma disappeared in a poof of confectioner sugar.
“Just wait ’til your Father comes home” has a unique meaning in our home; sweet relief and all things help and skillfulness.
Today as I count my blessings, I’m thankful for my hubby and my mom who are far more artistic and skillful than I will ever be. And I’m thankful they are always eager to lend a hand where mine are lacking. If you’re in my clumsy boat, don’t be afraid to dial a hotline from time to time. We could all use a little help from our friends and family, especially when swans are swimming, geese are laying, and kids are flying off the wall.
~Oh, Little Town of Gingerbread~
In all truth, this activity was a lot of work and it for sure broke my rule of keeping craft time short and simple. But I have to say, twenty-four hours recovered, that I feel merry, and the kids are proud as partridges. So, I guess it was worth sweeping up the sprinkles.
DIFFICULTY (aka Happiness Meter): Moderate
MESS METER: Extensive! Gloop warning! Things may get sticky.
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- nativity cookie set (see below)
- gingerbread dough (needs to be a durable building dough)
- royal icing (we used egg white, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar)
- frosting glaze (we used powdered sugar, high fructose corn syrup. . . I know, gross, and milk)
- food coloring
- rolling pin & pastry cloth
- white flour
- little mixing bowls, spoons, knifes, toothpicks or q-tips or paint brushes
- parchment paper
- baking trays
- sprinkles and other decoration items
- display tray(s)
TIME NEEDED: a full day, and another to recover
KID RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars; Goldilocks gave it a full five+ stars, but the Captain got tired of decorating toward dinnertime)
“I learned not to be greedy and try to make six kings and camels.” -The Captain, age 9
“The entire day was fun! In fact, it felt short it was so much fun. I’d rate it a hundred stars… or ALL the stars!” -Goldilocks, age 6
PARENT RATING: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars; on one hand, this is just so much work and mess and stress. . . but on the other hand it really is one of those unforgettable Christmas traditions and makes a charming family centerpiece.)
WAIT A MINUTE. What the health? If you follow this blog you’re probably wondering about the above ingredients and thinking, “hey, I thought you only post healthy recipes, lady!” I’m as stunned as you. I mean, we bought HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, people. That was an absolute first. Please don’t fret; I haven’t fallen off the healthy homestead wagon. We just approached this as a CRAFT RATHER THAN A RECIPE. In other words, we let the kids know ahead of time that this was an art project that we will let harden on the countertop (not in our guts) to keep through the whole Christmas season. As a treat substitute, I made popcorn and our vegan hot cocoa. All is calm, all is bright.
1.) Order a nativity cookie cutter set.
We’ve had this cookie cutter set since before I was born. And bless her heart, my mom busted it out and made these with us almost every year! Imagine my surprise when I went online to see what is available for any of you crazy enough to hop on the cookie train, and there I see the very same set is still being made! For thirteen bucks. . . yeah, this thing has paid for itself many times over in family memories.
2.) Roll out the dough and cut out the stable walls FIRST.
Roll out onto a lightly floured pastry cloth until about 1/4 inch thick. The walls are quite large, so you will need to roll out at least two large rectangles of gingerbread.
3.) Then, roll and cut at will! Cue Christmas playlist.
4.) Place cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
No! They do not have to be perfect! They’re getting covered in frosting and life is short.
5.) Bake your cookies at 375 degrees for 10-20 minutes or until golden and nearly firm to the touch.
6.) While the cookies cool, whip up your frosting and royal icing!
Our royally unhealthy icing recipe:
-1 large egg white
-1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
-1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Just whip it, whip it real good.
Our high-fructose frosting recipe:
-2 cups powdered sugar
-1 & 1/2 tablespoons high fructose corn syrup
-1 to 2 tablespoons milk (until spreadable consistency)
Just whip it. Into shape.
7.) Put frosting glaze into little bowls and mix your colors!
8.) Ready. Set. NAP! Just kidding. . . DECORATE!
“Look! This one looks like it had an accident at the beauty shop!” -Goldilocks, age 6
9.) Construct your stable. Eh-hem, Papa please! At least in this family.
10.) Allow everything to dry. Then, assemble and adhere everything in place with royal icing.
*PRO TIP FROM PAPA: use royal icing to glue extra cookie pieces to the backs of the characters for “stands,” then ice them in place.
11.) Make a cookie-crumble floor with extra cookie bits or crushed graham crackers.
12.) Display proudly. Celebrate. Have a cup of hot tea. Sing “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Oh Little Town of Gingerbread” just for a few giggles.
Well, my friends . . . Christmas cookies are a wrap over here until next year. And just like that . . .
Thanks for crafting with us today! Hope to see you tomorrow!
Love, ~Candace Arden
Pssst!!! Click on this link for more Christ-Centered Christmas Traditions!
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