Working with dough is a great activity for preschoolers anyway. It helps them work their fine motor skills and it also is great for sparking their creativity. Using cookie cutters or even just their hands, they can make just about anything they want!
Once the cookies are made, you have a decision to make. You can keep them edible by using things like icing and sprinkles to decorate them, or, use glue and glitter instead and hang them from your tree.
No matter what you choose, gingerbread cookie ornaments make a great holiday gift as well as a festive decoration for your tree. Happy baking!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: approximately 12 cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 3 cups whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine, whole wheat flour just gives the gingerbread a nice, brown color; read more: Types of Flour)
- 1 cup salt
- 2 cups warm water (you may need to increase this depending on the consistency)
- 1 tsp. salad oil (any type of vegetable oil that you might use on in a salad dressing)
- Icing
- Sprinkles and/or other decorative elements
- Yarn or ribbon (to hang)
- Glitter glue or glue and glitter (for decorating, if you choose not to eat your ornament)
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all of the ingredients. If the dough is too dry, add additional water to soften.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface using a rolling pin. Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes as you like, about 1/8" thick. One you are satisfied with the shape, use a straw to make a hole at the top.
- Place the unbaked cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes, using a toothpick to check for doneness.
- Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack before decorating, either for eating or not!
To decorate:
Edible: First off, decide if you'd like these ornaments to be edible or not. If you choose to eat them, have your preschooler decorate with icing and sprinkles or whatever else you choose. Keep in an airtight container until you are ready to eat!
