The gingerbread cookie wreath is a must-have at Christmas again this year. Every year my gingerbread men are a symbol of celebration. Gingerbread cookies are typical of Northern Europe, and their spicy flavor and unique aroma make them the ultimate Christmas cookies!
The gingerbread men can be customized as you like, and they are perfect for decorating the table or as place cards.
With the same dough, you can also create houses, trees, stars, and more; the classic gingerbread dough is made with molasses, but it can be replaced with maple syrup or even honey, and the result will always be great.
Here are my sweet gingerbread men forming a cookie wreath, they’re really beautiful all dressed up for the occasion, don’t you think?
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: European
- Seasonality: Winter
- Energy 28.30 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 4.89 (g) of which sugars 2.86 (g)
- Proteins 0.39 (g)
- Fat 0.91 (g) of which saturated 0.57 (g)of which unsaturated 0.32 (g)
- Fibers 0.11 (g)
- Sodium 25.19 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 6 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Gingerbread Cookie Wreath Ingredients
Gingerbread
- 3 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup multiflower honey
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves (powdered)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg white
- 3 drops lemon juice
- to taste food coloring (red)
Tools
- Cookie Cutter gingerbread man shape
- Parchment Paper
- Pastry Ring
- Stand Mixer
- 1 Piping Bag
- Round Tip
- Plastic Wrap
- 1 Electric Whisk
- 1 Cookie Cutter heart-shaped
Preparation of the Cookie Wreath
If you are interested in the gingerbread man cookie cutters I use, you can find them also here
Place in the stand mixer or use a hand mixer (it is possible to knead by hand on a pastry board). Add the sifted flour with baking soda and all the spices: cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg.
Add the cold butter cut into pieces and mix for a few turns of the stand mixer, just enough to blend. Then add the honey and egg. Turn the stand mixer back on at moderate speed.
The dough is ready when it forms a ball that detaches from the sides. If it seems too sticky, just add a little more flour; adjust as needed. In the end, you should have a nice compact dough ball. Let it rest in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for about two hours.
After the hours have passed, take it out of the fridge and roll out the dough to create a sheet with a thickness of about 1.5 inches. To make the job easier, always work your dough on a lightly floured surface or, if preferred, on a parchment paper sheet. Use the cookie cutter to shape cookies into gingerbread men and hearts.
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, all around a pastry ring. Alternate a gingerbread man with a heart, overlapping the gingerbread men’s feet and placing their hands on the hearts. Once the wreath is formed, bake in a preheated oven at 340°F for 15 minutes, then remove and let them cool. Remember, temperature and time may vary, depending on each oven.
Once the gingerbread men wreath is ready, focus on decorating with royal icing.
Use an electric whisk to beat the egg white with powdered sugar and lemon drops. Whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free icing; for colored icing, simply add a little food coloring, preferably in powder or gel form.
Once ready, transfer the royal icing into a piping bag with a small round tip. Now let your creativity run wild and decorate the cookies as you please.
To learn more about the gingerbread man
Storage or Variation of the Gingerbread Cookie Wreath
Storage or Variation of the Gingerbread Cookie Wreath
The cookie wreath can also be made with shortcrust pastry.
When preparing royal icing, decorate the sweets at the moment, as within a few hours it tends to become increasingly solid. If royal icing is not preferred, the wreath can also be decorated with a simple colored ribbon, also beautiful as a gift.
