Meringue Christmas TreeChristmas TreesChristmas BakingChristmas DessertsHoliday BakingCake Christmas EasyCookie Tree ChristmasPavlova Christmas TreeChristmas PavlovasForwardChristmas Tree Meringue Cookies, fun and festive meringue cookies that are light as air and melt in your mouth! Super cute for your holiday party! This Christmas will be my first with homemade Christmas ornaments. Growing up, I always had the most perfect Christmas trees complete with dozens of ornaments my mother had collected from various trips around the world: they were always perfectly color-coordinated and so beautifully lit that it would break your heart to see the Christmas season go. Now that I have moved far from France to snowy Montreal I have tried to create some of my own holiday traditions, unfortunately without all the gorgeous ornaments I love taking out of their neatly packed boxes with my family every year. Making homemade gingerbread has been the perfect way to start new traditions! It takes time to constitute an ornament collection so this has been an easy and fun way to make sure the holiday tree is fully dressed.

Making gingerbread is also one of my favorite ways to embrace the colder months: the sweet aroma of cinnamon, cloves and molasses always sets the holiday spirit for me. The wonderfully fragrant smell emanating from the kitchen as the cookies bake makes it difficult to be anything else but cheerful. Add a good dose of royal icing to each cookie - the perfect, smooth snowy texture - and you're set. To be fair though, decorating tree ornaments is a slightly frustrating experience for the perfectionist type (that I am). It can be a little hard to have a perfect steady hand when piping the icing around the contours of each ornament but I think the key is just a little practice and accepting the fact that homemade ornaments should look homemade. I like the end result of this year's more rustic, homemade tree and I love how well these gingerbread ornaments meld in with the few decorations I have started to collect since moving. Here a few tips on making the cookies: 1. Don't forget to cut out a small hole in each ornament before baking the cookies so you have somewhere to tie them to your tree!2.

Make 2 batches of icing: one looser than the other. Use the firmer icing to trace out the contours of the ornaments, and the more fluid one to fill them.3. christmas tree decorations woodIf you want to correct a line made with icing, do it fast because the icing dries quite quickly.diy country decor signs Nick Malgieri's Gingerbread Recipewhere to buy indoor christmas decorations Makes about 24 large cookies, depending on the size cutter used (best exterior paint for old house 5 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)4 teaspoons ground ginger1 tablespoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg1/2 teaspoon ground cloves1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar2 large eggs2/3 cup molasses2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans lined with parchment or foilideas to decorate a dark room

In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Stir well to mix. Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until well mixed, about 1 minute. christmas table decorations setBeat in the eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition. Scrape down bowl and beater. Lower speed and beat in about half the flour mixture. Beat in all the molasses then scrape bowl and beater. Add the remaining flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, and beat after each addition until it has all been absorbed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and give the dough a final mixing with a large rubber spatula. Scrape half the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press it to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Wrap the dough securely and repeat with the remaining dough. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or for up to 3 days.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Unwrap one of the pieces of dough and cut it in half. Rewrap one of the halves and return it to the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll the dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut the cookies. As they are cut, place the cut cookies on the prepared pans with about 1 inch between them on all sides. Repeat with remaining dough. Save, press together, and reroll scraps (they don't need to be chilled before rerolling). Bake the cookies until they become dull and dry looking and feel slightly firm when pressed with a fingertip, about 12 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake the cookies or they will be very dry. Slide papers from pans onto racks to cool. Store the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover. Martha Stewart's Royal Icing(Source)

1 pound of confectioners' sugar2 large egg whites In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and egg whites. Mixing on low speed, add up to 1/2 cup water depending on the desired consistency. Mix until icing holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle. Place the icing in different piping bags with a small tip for tracing the contours and a larger one for filling each shape. Visit Jennifer's weblog: Chocolate Shavings • See more 2009 Holiday Guest Posts here (Images: Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings)Sugar Cookies Decorated IdeasSugar Cookie DecorationChristmas Cookie DecorationSugar Cookie DesignChristmas Cookie DesignCookie DecorationsDecorating Christmas Cookies IdeasPainted CookiesChristmas DecorationsForwardStunning Christmas Cookies - gahh! I would love to paint these! I absolutely LOVE how the beads are literally dancing and bouncing around the tree! You may also like:

This rolled cookie dough recipe can be doubled, and it can be refrigerated for up to three days. To freeze wrap in plastic wrap and place in a zip closure freezer bag. Defrost in the refrigerator 24 hours. Be creative and use several of the decorating ideas below. 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup soft margarine or butter 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 egg, slightly beaten 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cream of tartar In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar and margarine with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon, until smooth. Break egg into a small bowl and beat slightly with a fork. Add egg to sugar mixture and stir in vanilla extract. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. For best results, cover the dough and refrigerate for about two hours. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly flour counter or use a dough board. Place half of dough on surface and form a ball.

Rub some flour on the rolling pin and roll dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Using a Christmas tree cutter cut out several cookies. Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. If using egg yolk paint, decorate before baking. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool completely before using frosting or glaze to decorate or it will melt. One cookie contains 60 calories; 5 g cholesterol (if using butter); Easy Cookie Decorating Ideas Use snowy sugar glaze to cover the cookies first, then use colored glaze to decorate in straight lines, drizzles, squiggly lines or dots. Let the glaze dry and harden to create a perfect work surface. Do not use egg yolk on cookies after they have been baked. 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons skim milk *Few drops green food color Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Make sure cookies are completely cool then coat each cookie with the white glaze. To make colors, remove one of tablespoon glaze to several custard cups.

Add 1 or 2 drops of food coloring to each. Make some tints and some darker colors for creative decorating. Use a small brush or toothpick to swirl colors into desired patterns on cookies. To use the same recipe as frosting, simply add a little more powdered sugar to thicken. *Food Coloring comes in two forms, paste or liquid. The paste makes the most vivid and varied colors, but liquid can also work well. Start with a tiny amount of food coloring and add more until desired color is reached.Do not eat raw egg yolk paint. Paint cookies before baking for food safety reasons. Raw eggs/yolks can cause foodborne illness. Wash hands after using raw egg yolk paint. Empty Styrofoam egg carton 1 package assorted food colors Stir together egg yolk and water. Divide yolk and place in compartments of empty Styrofoam carton or several custard cups. Tint with food color to desired brightness. Using a small paintbrush or toothpick, decorate cookies before baking. Paint may dry out during sitting time, cover and add a few more drops of water to keep moist.