Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

There are a few ways to go about decorating your Christmas tree with cookie ornaments. One way is to actually bake cookies and hang them on the tree. The other is to make a cookie-like dough that you won’t eat, cut it into shapes, and shellac the ornaments for years to come. Whether you make the edible or non-edible version, it’s a fun craft to do with children.

The Edible Version

To bake Christmas cookies to hang on the tree that are actually edible, you’ll just want to whip up a batch of sugar cookie dough. You can also purchase rolls of store bought sugar cookie dough. Don’t use a chocolate chip batter. But gingerbread is a great substitute to sugar cookie dough.

The only difference between baking cookies to eat and to hang on the tree is that you will need to make a small hole in the cookies before you bake them. This will be the hole that you will thread ribbon or an ornament hook through for hanging on the tree.

The rest is the same. Blend the dough, roll it and bake it as directed in the recipe. Decorate with royal icing so the frosting will dry hard and not stay sticky.

You can find recipes for sugar cookies and for royal icing online and in most baking cookbooks. After you have completed your cookie ornaments and hung them on the tree, allow guests to come and pick off cookies they would like to eat. Or let kids hand out the sugar cookie favors to guests as they arrive. They can eat them or save them as gifts.

The Non Edible Version

There are a few reasons you might want to make inedible cookie ornaments for your tree. First, they are easier to make and use fewer ingredients. Second, they last longer. They’ll look pretty even though you won’t be eating them.

The reason the dough is not edible is because it contains too much salt. Any child who has made handmade play dough in Kindergarten this way can tell you that it tastes terrible. It won’t harm you if you eat it, but it isn’t advised.

All you need is flour, salt, and water. You’ll also want to round up some cookie cutters with Christmas motifs and some decorating materials such as paint, glitter, sequins or feathers. Remember, it can be anything since you are not eating the final product.

Here’s the ratio of ingredients.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Flour: 4 cups

Salt: 1 cup (yes, it’s a lot)

Hot Water: 1-1/2 cups

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Knead and roll out the dough as you would for sugar cookies. Cut into fun shapes. Poke a hole with a pencil point through the top of each ornament. This will be where you’ll run your string or ornament hook through. You must do it before baking or lose your chance. Once the dough hardens, there’s no good way to make a hole without shattering the cookie.

Bake the dough in a toaster oven for a few minutes until it turns golden. Or you can bake at a low temperature (300 degrees) for three or four minutes. Watch the ornaments as they bake so they don’t burn. Let the ornaments cool. Then decorate, paint, glue on eyes, or add clothing. String a ribbon through the hole.

If you use a good craft shellac, you can preserve these ornaments from year to year. Ask at your craft store for craft shellac that will work on dough ornaments. It’s easy to find and you will have no trouble using it. Brush it on with a paintbrush on the front and back and sides of the ornament. Just remember to throw out any brushes you used for paint (or wash and put them away for another craft). Don’t use the brushes for food-grade ornaments you plan to eat. It’s ok to wash and reuse any cookie cutters on food as the dough is perfectly safe.

A cookie bouquet is such a welcome surprise. Every day is the right day to send a cookie bouquet. Send one for a graduation, birthday, get well, congratulations, anniversary, housewarming, baby’s arrival, or just because.
The finest cookie bouquets look like real flowers. Only they are decorated cookies. Usually they are sugar cookies cut out in flower shapes and decorated with brightly colored icing so amazingly done that you would swear they are real flowers. You can choose from sunflowers, tulips, roses, or more. Most companies offer standard cookie bouquets that are personalized to the occasion. So it’s not hard to find one you like. You’ll just have a hard time narrowing down your choices since they’re all so pretty.
You can order from many companies online or you can make your own cookie bouquet. It’s really simple. All you need is a good sugar cookie recipe, frosting like royal icing that will harden and is still edible, and long lollipop sticks from the craft store. Consider placing your cookie bouquet in a pretty vase that is also part of the gift. You can choose a vase that is clear with pretty stones at the bottom or fill it with colored faux gemstones from the craft store in bright colors. The weight of the added embellishments will help keep the cookies from tipping over.
When buying a cookie basket online, consider the price. You’ll want to shop around as cookies can be really expensive when done up in this elegant fashion. Be sure you know what you are getting. You may see a lush bouquet of flower cookies in the picture and come to find out that it’s only a placeholder photo and that the bouquet you ordered is really half the size. It’s happened to everyone. So be sure to ask when ordering online.
Find out what the cookies are made from so you really can keep a smile on your recipient’s face. You don’t want to gift them with a food they are allergic to. Ask how often the cookies are baked. You don’t want to send over stale cookies. If they’re not baked daily, consider going someplace else. Is each cookie wrapped individually for freshness? They should be so they’ll last longer.
Find out about personalization. Can you write a special message on your cookie? Usually the center cookie in the bouquet is reserved for that purpose. Be sure you give the correct spelling of the person’s name and write what you want to say. Best not to let the cookie company decide for you or you may get something you didn’t expect. There’s usually a space at the checkout where you can write a message that the company will use as is.
Enjoy choosing your cookie basket, but don’t get soaked by shipping. Once you find the ideal basket, you may find that to get it there will be another $20 or more. Check before you start browsing so you’re not disappointed. And also check to see that they deliver in your area. Ask for the delivery time. Is it guaranteed overnight? Do you have to pay extra to get it there by a certain date?

There is no doubt that gingerbread houses are cute – but is there any way to make them without actually using gingerbread? Whether you don’t enjoy the taste or smell or just want a simplified method of making a cookie house, what are your options? We’ll take a look at a few that will make Hansel and Gretel wish they’d found your house instead of the witch’s gingerbread home.

If you’ve ever tried to make a gingerbread house, you know that it can be difficult. You can find kits that require assembly and decorating, but which give you all the supplies you need. This can be a good alternative, but if you want to make something yourself, or with your children, try this:

Easy Cookie House

You’ll need:

• Graham crackers (about 6 per house, or more if you’re feeling ambitious)

• Royal icing

• Decorations (candies, colored sugars, Oreos, cookies, gumdrops, peppermints, pretzels, and more make great trimmings for your house)

The royal icing is a very important part of the building process. It can also be a pain to use! But, luckily, it doesn’t take long and only has a few ingredients.

• 2 large egg whites (whites only!)

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 3 cups confectioner’s sugar

Beat the egg whites and lemon juice and then add the powdered sugar. Beat this on low speed until smooth. That’s it! But royal icing dries and hardens very quickly, so make sure to cover it with plastic wrap when not in use.

Begin by making a base for your house to stand on. Use a piece of 8x10 (or so) cardboard and cover it with aluminum foil. This will give you a foundation and a little yard to decorate later.

To make your house, get six whole graham crackers. Put four of them to the side (these will be used to make the roof and the two long sides of the house). Right now, you’re going to work on the gables. Use a serrated knife to gently saw the cracker’s short side so it has a point now. You can make sure it will fit right by using the lines on the crackers to make a triangle tip. Do this for the other gable.

Now you can begin assembling the graham cracker house. Pipe royal icing onto the edge of one of the gable sides and hold it in place on your base. You can also pipe royal icing on the base, too, to get a stronger hold. With one of the rectangle pieces, pipe icing on the edge of the two short sides and the bottom edge and hold on the base. Again, be generous with the royal icing and apply a layer to the base before you put the cracker on. Next, put on the other gabled end in this way, followed by the last rectangular wall. Make sure you hold each one firmly in place to allow it to set. Royal icing dries quickly, so a few minutes should be sufficient.

Next, pipe royal icing around all four sides of one of the roof crackers (flat on the cracker, not on the edge like you did with the walls). Press this gently on to the gables and walls and hold in place until secure. Repeat this with the other side of the roof.

Let the royal icing dry and harden completely. You have completed your house! Now comes the fun part. Use your royal icing as glue for the candies, sprinkles, chocolate covered oreos and other trimmings. Remember to put some icing on the base and decorate that as well.

If you want to make a cookie house that isn’t gingerbread and has a simplified process, this is a great project.

Who said you can only make a cookie house at Christmas time? Make one of these fun houses when a new neighbor moves in as a housewarming cookie arrangement!

Calling all cookie lovers! The cookie has earned its place in America’s heart. There are hundreds of versions of cookie boxes lining the shelves of supermarkets and under the glass freshly baked in bakeries. It’s no wonder that cookies would have worked their way to the minds of those who create national holidays. You may not get a day off from school or work for these cookie-related holidays, but they sure are fun.

National Cookie Month

Did you know that October is National Cookie Month? That’s just one more reason to celebrate the fall! No one’s really sure where the holiday originated, but it has been declared a National Holiday designed to share a love of cookies and baking. The idea is that all month long people will bake and treat others to cookies. This is a great time to get creative and break out the sprinkles and food coloring. Try a new recipe or two. Learn to make Springerle or Spritz cookies or a cookie from a country you’ve never been to. Use your imagination and you can help spread the word about National Cookie Month every October.

National Cookie Cutter Week

Bet you didn’t know that National Cookie Cutter Week falls in the first week of December every year. It was made a holiday back in the 1990's by a woman named Paula Mullins. This Kentucky cookie baker thought it would be fun if she and her fellow members of the Cookie Cutter Collector’s Club had their own special edition cookie cutter each year to use for the holiday every December. The idea behind the holiday? To get people to slow down and think about baking a new form for the holiday cookies. It’s a great time for grandmothers to sit down with grandchildren and moms who are too busy most of the time to take a breather and bake with the kids. It’s a sweet idea. Don’t forget to check out the National Cookie Cutter Collector Club's Museum in Joplin, Missouri.

National Cookie Day

It makes sense that National Cookie Cutter Week falls in line with National Cookie Day which is celebrated on December 4^th every year. The origins of this holiday may be a mystery, but it gives people a good excuse to bake up a batch of cookies for their friends. Why not be the office champion this year and show up on December 4^th with a few dozen of your best?

National Sugar Cookie Day

Why National Sugar Cookie Day is set in the heat of summer is anyone’s guess. But this tasty holiday falls on July 9^th each year. It is a lesser known National Holiday to be sure, but it is the only cookie to have its own special day. So why not celebrate it to the max? If you’d rather be out by the pool than inside baking when July rolls around, why not buy a few rolls of prepared sugar cookie dough at the supermarket? You can find it in the refrigerated section. Roll out the dough and cut with your favorite beach-shaped cookie cutters for a fun pool side snack. There are so many ways to enjoy the humble sugar cookie without ever turning on the oven. You can even buy pre-made sugar cookies from a bakery and decorate them yourself with sprinkles, candies, pretty frosting colors, coconut, chocolate chips and more. Why not have a National Sugar Cookie Day party? Invite the neighborhood kids over to decorate pre-made cookie party favors outside in the sunshine and have a ball. Plus, clean up’s a breeze.

You may not find any cards in the store celebrating any of these whimsical and fun national holidays that focus on cookies. But there’s fun to be had when you take everyone’s favorite dessert and turn it into a whole day of celebration. Treat friends and family to a surprise batch or plan to hold a fundraising bake sale for a good cause on one of these holidays.

Fans of cookies, brownies, and bar cookies alike will delight in the combination of delicious ingredients that make up a Cookie Brownie. It’s simply taking the ingredients of brownies and chocolate chip cookies and turning them into a sort of cake-like cookie brownie, and they make a great, inexpensive gourmet cookie treat!

Here are some recipes. If you don’t have a jelly roll pan, simply use any non-stick cake pan. Usually a 13x 9 inch pan will work exactly the same way.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies (from food.com)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/4 cups flour

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan with foil, and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Using a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and 3 of the eggs until smooth. Add the baking soda in pinches. Mix in the flour and stir until smooth. Pour half of the batter into the pan and spread in a thin layer.

Press the chocolate chips into the batter.

Beat the remaining eggs and cocoa into the batter until smooth. Mix in the walnuts. Pour into the pan on top of the first layer and spread evenly.

Bake on the lowest rack for 18 minutes, until the top is dry but the interior is not yet firm.

Store for up to one week, wrapped in plastic.

Cookie Dough Brownies (from tasteofhome.com)

When I take these rich brownies to any get-together, I carry the recipe, too, because it always gets requested. Children of all ages love the tempting "cookie dough" filling. This special treat is typically the first to be gone from the buffet table - even before the entrees!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

FILLING:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

GLAZE:

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil and sugar. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in walnuts if desired. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until brownies test done. Cool completely.

For filling, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Spread over the brownies; chill until firm.

For glaze, in a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread over filling. Immediately sprinkle with nuts, pressing down slightly.

Don't forget your friends. Put some of each cookie brownie in a cookie tin and let your friends know that you're thinking of them!