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.

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!

In an episode called, “The Dinner Party,” Jerry Seinfeld, on his namesake show, eats a black and white cookie while waiting for his friend Elaine to come out of a New York bakery. Jerry likens the cookie to a perfect metaphor for racial harmony. He advises that everyone should “Look to the cookie!” for world peace.

Despite the hilarity of the situation, the cookie has always been a serious New York icon. The iced cookies are simply a circular shortbread, sponge-like cake/cookie that is frosted on one-half of the top in chocolate fondant and the other half in vanilla fondant. The icing is sweet and when combined with the cake-like texture of the cookie, is pure eating delight.

The origin of the black and white cookie is really a mystery. It may have something to do with a cookie called the Half Moon which originated in upstate New York. The cookies look similar, but are actually quite different in texture. So, any stories traced back to the Half Moon fizzle out when held under scrutiny. The mysterious black and white has no definite birth place. But New Yorkers are still crazy about it nonetheless.

The black and white is a bakery favorite in its larger version as well as in its mini version. Grocery stores have tried to emulate that classic flavor and texture, but end up falling short. Perhaps only a hand-made batch of batter can turn out the perfect black and white. Maybe it needs to be made by someone’s Uncle Joe in a basement bakery in Brooklyn to taste right.

Anyone visiting New York City, in addition to seeing the Statue of Liberty and eating a dirty water hot dog from a street vendor should rush to a bakery and grab hold of a luscious black and white cookie. It matters little whether you eat the vanilla or the chocolate side first. One bite and you’ll be hooked. You may require weekly shipments of cookie boxes to your home after that first delicate bite. Or, you can try making them yourself if you dare. Here’s how.

This recipe is from epicurious.com.

Black and White Cookies

For cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

For icings

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 to 2 tablespoons water

• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

Make icings while cookies chill:
Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.

Ice cookies:
Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.

First off, get an oven thermometer. Every oven is different and if a recipe says to bake your cookies at 350 degrees, you can’t just assume your stove is an exact 350 degrees when the dial says so. Test it. Make sure the internal temperature matches what it says on the dial. Then you can compensate for it if it’s not accurate. Don’t just stick your cookies in the oven and walk away. Come back eight or nine minutes later and you may find that you have discs as hard as steel that are going to have to end up in the trash.

Another way to get soft cookies is to store them properly. You may bake up the perfect batch but then store them incorrectly. Air will lead to drying out of the cookies. If you want your cookies to stay soft, store them only after they are cooled. Place them in an airtight cookie tin and stick a piece of bread in there with them. The bread will emit moisture that will be absorbed by the sugar in the cookies. That will keep them soft for a little while. Of course they won’t last forever because they have no preservatives in them. And change out the bread every two days or so to ensure that mold won’t grow. But more likely the cookies will be eaten before they can ever go stale!

Be sure to use the freshest ingredients and don’t over bake your cookies. Allow for the fact that they will harden a little when they cool, so take them out before they feel hard in the oven.

Here are some recipes from Allrecipes.com for soft cookies you can whip up today.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies (courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies (courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

Snickerdoodle cookies are delicious round, flat delicacies dusted in sugar and cinnamon. These cookies are beloved by most cookie aficionados because they are light and fluffy and crispy. However, because they are so basic in their ingredients and simple in their form, no one really knows for sure where the snickerdoodle first originated.

Some sources, like The Joy of Cooking cookbook, say that the snickerdoodle could have come from Germany in days of old. Their culture has a cookie similar to the snickerdoodle. It is a flat cookie featuring the delicious sugar and cinnamon coating. The word snickerdoodle may actually have come from the German word “schneckennudeln,” which is the name for their version of the same cookie. Many recipes of old come close to the snickerdoodle, so it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact time in history these favorite cookies were born.

Regardless of the origins of the snickerdoodle, people all over the world know and love them. Home bakers can easily whip up a batch of snickerdoodles with common ingredients. If you want to try your hand at baking these treats, be careful. People will come running when they smell that cakey, sugary goodness in the air!

Because snickerdoodles are easy to make and are flat when baked they make ideal gifts. They can be wrapped in pretty cellophane or in decorated jars and given to teachers, office coworkers, moms at the Playgroup, and hairdressers. Brighten someone’s day with a just because gift of snickerdoodles.

Growing up, I  remember Snickerdoodles as being a cookie only seen during the holiday cookie exchange, but why wait for the holidays?

The Betty Crocker web site, www.bettycrocker.com, lists a recipe for snickerdoodles that’s easy to follow. You can make them in about 40 minutes and get four dozen cookies easily from this recipe. That’s enough to bring to a bake sale or feed a group of hungry carolers at the holidays.

Betty Crocker Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose or unbleached flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400º F.

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Serving) Calories 90 (Calories from Fat 35 ),Total Fat 4 g(Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 15 mg; Sodium 55 mg; Total Carbohydrate 13 g(Dietary Fiber 0g,Protein 1 g; Percent Daily Value*:Calcium; Exchanges:1 Starch; *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

You should always try to follow the ingredient list carefully when baking. Baking is a science. Try not to substitute margarine for real butter and don’t use processed butter substitutes. In baking, the chemical makeup of these spreads can break down and create a cookie that’s nothing like what you intended. Use exactly what the recipe calls for and you will find you get the results you’re after.

There are various ways to make a cookie bowl, but rest assured they are all relatively easy and undeniably delicious.  This easy one comes from eHow and can be done with homemade or store-bought dough.  You will need:

• Rolled cookie dough.  This is in contrast to “drop” cookie dough, like chocolate chip.  Sugar or gingerbread cookie dough are good choices for this one.
• 1 ½ inch scalloped cookie cutter
• Ovenproof bowl or pan
• Foil
• Vegetable cooking spray

To make:

Start by covering the ovenproof bowl or pan with foil and spraying it lightly with the cooking spray.  Roll out your dough until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick.  Using your cookie cutter, cut the dough into the scalloped shapes (hearts and circles work very well for this particular project).

Begin the bowl by placing a row of your cookie shapes along the lower edge of the foil.  When this is done, place another row of shapes overlapping the first.  Press the shapes together lightly, and continue on to the next row.  Repeat until the bowl is covered.

Bake the bowl at 350° for about 15 minutes or until the edges of the bowl are firm.  Allow the bowl to cool completely on a wire rack.  Remove the bowl carefully by lifting it off the foil.  Once the foil is off, the bowl is ready for your party.

If you prefer chocolate chip, try this idea from Ruhlman.com.  You will need:

• a good chocolate chip cookie dough recipe
• two ovenproof dishes, one that fits inside the other, for each bowl you want to make
• vegetable cooking spray or butter

To make:

Spray the inside of the larger of the two ovenproof bowls, and then spray the outside of the smaller dish.  Press cookie dough into the bottom of the larger bowl, and then press the smaller bowl on top of the dough.  You want dough to begin to push up around the sides, but not all the way.  The dough will expand in the oven.

Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and twist the small bowl to get it out of the larger bowl.  Ruhlman used tongs to do this – be careful!  Put the cookie bowl back into the oven for another 5 minutes or so.  When the bowls are cool enough, trim along the edges and run a paring knife along the sides to free it from the bottom of the ovenproof bowl.  Allow to chill completely.

With either variation, you can serve ice cream in these edible bowls or your choice of yummy treats, including yogurt, frozen yogurt, fruit and whipped cream, custard, or pudding. It is sure to be a fun, unique dessert that is as impressive as it is delicious.

Love cookies? Check out more great, creative dessert recipes!

Flavorful flowers will look garden-fresh and also eliminate the need for any other decorations. You’ve got your party done. Just add some finger sandwiches and a few pots of tea and you can sit down and relax, too.

Here are some recipes to get your creativity flowing.

Flower Power Cookies (Courtesy of DivaVillage.com)

What you’ll need:

* Sugar cookies cut into flower shapes

* Frosting, tinted in spring shades of yellow and pink

* Mentos® Sours and Mixed Fruit flavors

* Airheads® Candy bars in Strawberry or Cherry and Green Apple or Watermelon

Directions:

1) Make or purchase flower cookies. If desired, insert lollipop stick or short skewer into each flower before baking for cookie pop.

2) Frost cookies with pink and yellow frosting. Place pink, yellow or green Mentos® in the middle of each cookie.

3) Cut each Airheads® bar into thin strips, roll strips to round edges.

4) For “looped” petals, fold Airheads® strip into teardrop shape fitting to petal, cut off excess and press into frosting with pointed end facing the center of the flower. Repeat for each petal.

5) For “curly” petal, wind Airheads® strip around a skewer or toothpick. Carefully slide curl off and press into frosting on the petal, repeat for each petal.

Cut Out Flower Cookies in a Pot (Courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 3 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter flavored extract
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and flavorings and mix well. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to batter and mix well.
2. CHILL 3-4 hours or overnight before using.
3. Roll cookies out approximately 1/4 inch thick and insert cookie sticks at least 1/3 to 1/2 way into cookie.
4. Bake cookies at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes. This dough keeps well in a covered container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
5. Decorate as desired. Display 3-7 cookies in a 6 inch clay pot (depending on size of cookie). Weigh pot down with dried beans and cut a circle of Styrofoam to fit snugly into top. Add ribbons and enjoy.

Whether you start from scratch or use rolled cookie dough from the store, you can create flower cut out cookies that look adorable on a garden table. Use them instead of real flowers and you’ll save yourself money while your table looks great. Send some cookies home with the guests so they can enjoy your party long after they’ve gone home.

Nothing is more festive than home-baked cookies. So for your next party, start early and make a little extra time for cookie baking. You’ll be so glad you did when you see the looks on your guests’ faces.

Once you've perfected flower shaped cookies, next task is making flower cupcakes!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

In a large mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer with the white paddle), cream butter and sugar together. Then add the egg, milk, vanilla, almond extract beating well. Stir together flour and baking powder in a separate bowl or on a piece of wax paper (to make it easy to add to wet ingredients). Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mixing to a smooth dough. If you are going to add food coloring to the dough, I recommend doing it when you have about half of the flour mixture added so that it is easier to mix in.  Do NOT chill the dough! Shape dough in small logs and place in a cookie press (see the video below for great tips). Choose the press die to create the cookie shape that you want.  Then press cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degF for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Remove cookies from sheet and cool on a rack. Makes 7 to 8 dozen Spritz cookies.

My Tips - If you are making Christmas trees or wreaths, you will likely want to color the dough green. I recommend using the paste type food coloring so that it doesn't change the consistency of the dough. No matter what the cookie shape, you can decorate them with colored sugars prior to baking in the oven.

Here is a great video that I found at YouTube.  It shows how to load and use a cookie press to make Christmas designs.  It also details how you can take those shapes and arrange them to create a Christmas cookie wreath.

Are you a little lost when it comes to these spritz cookies? That's okay! Here are some Tips for Buying a Cookie Press.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda

Using a large stand mixer or glass bowl, cream the sugar and butter together. Add egg, vanilla and almond flavoring; mixing thoroughly. Sift flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda together and stir in to the wet ingredients. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Prior to removing the dough from the refrigerator, preheat oven to 375°F. Divide dough in half and roll out on lightly floured pastry board. Roll thin (1/4" to 3/8" thick), but thick enough to cut with a holiday shaped cookie cutter. Dip cutter in flour before each cutting. Use care so that you can cut as many cookies from each rolling as possible. Use a spatula to move cookies from pastry board to a lightly greased cookie sheet. Remaining dough can be rolled again to make more cookies.  Add cookie decorations such as red hot candies, jimmies, colored sugars, confetti candy, M&M's, and nuts. Bake in 375° F oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until delicately golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a rack.  Store cookies in an airtight container.

My Tips - These sugar cookies are light and crisp in texture so I recommend decorating them with colored sugars and confetti candies rather than a heavy icing.  I found this EXCELLENT video with fun tips and ideas for decorating holiday Christmas cookies with candies, colored sugars, gourmet nuts and more.

Find more Christmas cookie recipes!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Hershey's chocolate kisses or dark chocolate baking stars

Cream together the shortening, peanut butter, and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well (I use a kitchen aid mixer for this process). On a large piece of waxed paper or in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt) and then add them a bit at a time to the creamed mixture. Mix well between each dry ingredient addition.

Shape by rounded teaspoonful into balls (I prefer to use a #80 cookie scoop to achieve a consistent size). Roll each cookie ball in sugar and place them on ungreased cookie sheet. Be sure to leave a couple inches between the balls so that they don't run into each other. Bake at 375°F for 8 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven and place a solid Hershey's Kiss or Chocolate Star on the top of each one pushing down slightly (so that cookie cracks around the edge). Return the cookies to the oven and bake an additional 2 to 4 minutes. Remove cookies from the baking sheet and cool on a rack.

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to try these Peanut Butter Cup Christmas Cookies.