homemade gingerbread cookies
Have you ever made a wreath? Surprisingly, I just made my first one a few weeks ago. I’m not sure why I had never attempted one before. I hadn’t realized how easy making a wreath really was (although in all fairness all of the materials were laid out for me: perfectly picked boughs of greenery, a coat hanger that was already transformed into a flawless circle, and an abundance of gorgeous ribbon to choose from.) Despite this, I still think that making a fresh wreath is a fairly simple thing to do and I’ve decided to make it a yearly tradition. Of course, I’ll insist on making it with my expert friends as I think the guidance will come in handy for someone who’s relatively new to the process-like me.
When I was little, I remember stopping on the side of the road to purchase wreaths from people with hand-painted signs. They were so inexpensive and we always bought a few and then decorated them at home with beautiful ribbon. Even though I made my own this year, I still stopped and purchased one from a crafty entrepeneur selling them on the side of the road. It just felt right.
In addition to making wreaths a few weeks ago, I was introduced to ‘the best gingerbread cookie’ recipe ever. They are soft and chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside and they form the perfect foundation for glamorous holiday adornments. After tasting them, I dashed to the market to buy all of the ingredients so that I could recreate them the following day with my children.
There is nothing cuter than the sight of little hands holding pastry bags. They were so careful when it came to creating intricate patterns and I love that they paused pensively from time-to-time while they pondered their next design. Initially they were very excited to eat the cookies but when they realized they had created little masterpieces, they wanted to cherish them rather than devour them. I found myself with a large platter full of beautifully decorated gingerbread cookies that nobody wanted to eat. I’m thankful for friends who drop in and want to stay for tea (and cookies.)
We ended up with a small pile of broken cookies, as they are quite delicate if they aren’t given ample time to cool and since the smell of cinnamon and brown sugar is very appealing to little noses, they couldn’t resist. I must admit however, decorating broken morsels of gingerbread are just as fun as embellishing the whole cookie. This is a great project for little fingers as the gingerbread is easy to roll and children always love using cookie cutters. Oh yes, and the cookies are just as delicious as they are pretty.
nicholetta
