These DIY Christmas cookie ornaments do double duty. They can be made as Christmas cookies and also used to decorate your tree with a few extra steps.
Since December 4 is a food holiday known as National Cookie Day, let’s make some cookies for our tree!
Part craft project, part cooking adventure, these delicious decorations are sure to bring a smile to your family’s faces. The only question is whether to hang them on the tree or have them as a snack!
Let’s dive in to see how to make these DIY Christmas cookie ornaments so you can make them at home. They’re simple and delicious.
Making Christmas themed cookies is one of the joys of baking for the holidays. Turn those cookies into actual tree ornaments by letting them dry and then adding a ribbon to hang them. Here is how to do it.
DIY Christmas cookie ornaments
The cookies are made first. Use the recipe card below to make the dough and roll it 1/8″ thick.
Use Christmas themed cookie cutters to cut the cookies into festive holiday shapes.
You can find the cookie cutters in various shapes like stockings, Santas, snowflakes, bells, poinsettias, candy canes, Christmas trees, stars, reindeer and more!
Before you bake the cookies, be sure to use a straw to cut a hole about 1/2 inch from top of each cookie shape. This will give you a place to thread the ribbon through when the cookies have been baked, decorated and had a chance to dry.
Make the frosting and divide it into several bowls and add food coloring to give you holiday colors. Once the frosting is colored place it into icing bags to make it easier to decorate the shapes.
Let the cookies cool completely for 4 hours before turning them into ornaments. You can use ribbon, twine, lace or yard as a hanging material.
Add an 8 inch piece of hanging material through the preformed hole, tie a knot and hang on the tree.
You’ll end up with 40 ornaments or cookies, depending on how hungry you are!
Recipe adapted from an old issue of Crafting Traditions Magazine which is no longer in print.
DIY Christmas Cookie Ornaments
Turn home made Christmas cookies into tree ornaments for a personalized touch
Materials
For the cupcakes
- 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup of butter flavored shortening
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
For the frosting:
- 6 2/3 cup of confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- food coloring
Tools
- Christmas cookie cuttersstraw
- 8" pieces of 1/8 inch ribbon for hanging.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Cream the butter, shortening and sugar together until smooth.
- Beat in the honey, egg and vanilla extract. Mix the flour and salt together, and gradually add it to the butter mixture.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll with a rolling pin to about 1/8" thick. Cut with seasonal cookie cutters and transfer to un-greased baking sheets.
- Use the straw to make a hole in the top of each cookie. Bake for 6 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and place on racks to cool.
- To make the frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar. milk, corn syrup and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Place frosting in individual bowls and tint it red, yellow and green, and leave some white.
- Decorate the cookies by frosting the top and then placing the frosting into plastic bags. Snip the corners and decorate.
- To hang the cookies, thread an 8 inch piece of ribbon through the hole, tie a knot and hang. Makes 40 ornaments or cookies.