 | Cinnamon Dough Ornaments are easy to make. They'll add a homemade touch to your Christmas tree and the spicy aroma of cinnamon to a room. You can paint and decorate them with cinnamon hearts, cloves, raisins, etc. but they also look nice with no enhancements, just a thin red or green ribbon for hanging. |
In addition to being cute tree ornaments, they can be used in other ways - Cinnamon dough ornaments are strictly for decorations and crafts. They are not for eating. Here's the directions for making them ... Preparation - Cut with cookie cutters. Use a drinking straw to make a hole at the top of each one for hanging. To Dry - Place ornaments on a wire rack for 3 to 4 days, turning a few times each day for even drying. Decorate with acrylic craft paint if desired. String a piece of thin ribbon or yarn through the hole for hanging. Preparation - Salt dough ornaments are strictly for decorations and crafts. They are NOT for eating. If you have a dog, hang all ornaments made with food well above the height where your dog could possibly reach them. Traditional gingerbread men (and ladies) make adorable ornaments. Add raisins, cloves, tiny cinnamon hearts or other candy decorations before baking and use Royal Icing to finish decorating them after baking. These are edible cookies if stored in a covered container. After hanging on a tree, especially if unwrapped, they'll harden and will no longer be edible. For use on a tree, spraying with with a clear craft spray is recommended. Preparation - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/8" thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving a space between each cookie. Using a plastic drinking straw, make a hole in the top of each cookie. Insert raisins, small candies, etc. for buttons, eyes, nose, etc. Bake 8 minutes at 350º or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet and place on wire racks to cool. Decorate with royal icing when completely cool. Tie a small piece of thin ribbon through the hole for hanging. Preparation -
Mix applesauce with cinnamon to form a stiff but rollable dough. Adjust these amounts depending on the consistency of the applesaauce used. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use extra cinnamon for rolling the dough, as you would normally use flour.
Salt Dough Ornaments are fun to make. Paint them with acrylic paint, then add a few coats of clear spray for colorful, long lasting, keepsake ornaments.
Pour the boiling water over the salt and stir. Allow to cool, then add the flour. Mix well, forming a ball. Knead until the dough is soft and workable. Roll the dough on a floured surface. Cut with your favorite cookie cutters into desired shapes. Make a hole in the top of each one for hanging. A thin drinking straw works well for this. Place the cut out dough on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake at 175º for 2 hours or until the dough becomes hard. When thoroughly cooled and dry, paint and decorate the ornaments with acrylic craft paint. After the paint is dry, wait 24 hours, then spray with 2 or 3 coats of clear acrylic paint. Allowing complete drying between coats. Tie a small piece of ribbon or yarn through the hole for hanging.
In a large bowl combine sugar, butter or margerine, molasses and beaten egg. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to first mixture. Beat at medium speed until well-mixed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
Royal Icing dries very hard in a few minutes.
Combine ingredients. Beat on high speed for about 7 minutes. Use a writing or small decorating tip and fill a pastry bag and to decorate completely cooled cookies. Keep the the bowl of icing covered with damp cloth while you're work to keep it from drying and hardening. Also wrap the decorator tip with a damp cloth as soon as you lay it down to keep the icing inside from hardening and clogging the tip.
Ateco 7-pc. Cake and Pastry Decorating Set
Create professional-looking pastries, cookies and treats. S\This set includes a pastry gun, 12 plastic tips, 2 stainless tips, 2 decorating bottles and a frosting spatula. Use the squeezable bottles for colorful accents. The tips create ribbons, stars, flowers, lettering, outlines and more.
Flexible spatula makes smooth frosting easy.The Gingerbread Architect: Recipes and Blueprints for Twelve Classic American Homes
Detailed instructions cover everything from baking and assembling the walls to piping icing and landscaping the yard. To help match gingerbread houses to bakers and little helpers, each house has a difficulty rating, ranging from one gingerbread man to four. With full-color photographs of the finished houses, tips on the construction schedule, baking and candy resource guides, a glossary of architectural terms, and instructions for lighting the houses from within, The Gingerbread Architect is the complete guide to the ultimate family holiday baking project.
