If you’ve been looking for the perfect natural Christmas decoration for your kitchen, you can look no more: this gingerbread window garland tutorial is just the thing you need!
I made this garland years ago when I still lived at home with my parents, and these photos are from way back then. I loved how it turned out at the time: sweet happy looking cookies that I made with my little siblings (I’m the 5th of 12 children) ready to greet you as soon as you entered the kitchen.
My parents’ kitchen has a 4 foot window right above the kitchen sink, with a homemade lace and white cotton ruffle curtain across the top. This garland was the perfect accent to the window.
A note about this tutorial
I made this tutorial a long time ago. And, I confess, I considered re-making this garland to hang up in my current home in order to take new pictures for the blog. But… There is something sweet, at least to me, about the “imperfections” of these pictures from way back when. They were taken in my parents’ home, which was also my grandparents’ home, and the wallpaper in the kitchen at the time (the golden, dragon-scale looking stuff) was there for all of my growing up years.
My parents have since taken that paper down and re-painted the kitchen, but since I had these pictures, I kind of wanted to keep them. There is something so good about moving forward in life, but also something so beautiful and necessary about looking back. So… Here I am. Posting my old pictures with overly yellow-warm lighting and dragon scale paper… to keep some of that Christmas nostalgia alive.
About this tutorial
If you’ve been looking for some natural Christmas decoration ideas, this one is one of my favourites. This tutorial makes a 4 foot length garland, but obviously that can easily be adapted to any sized window or door frame in your home.
I recommend making this a family activity; get the kids involved, and decorate some Christmas cookies together. Then, enjoy this garland all season long!
The best Gingerbread recipe
For this garland, you’ll want to use a gingerbread recipe where the cookies dry completely hard. This is the one I have used for this tutorial, which I really enjoy. It has a nice, mild gingerbread flavour, and the cookies are perfect for making this garland.
To make the cookies for your garland, you can use any shapes you like; just make sure that you make the little holes in the cookies while they are still warm out of the oven, since you probably won’t be able to do it without breaking them after they cool!
The best icing for gingerbread
The best icing for decorating gingerbread men and houses (and definitely also for this tutorial!) is royal icing. The reason for that is that it also dries completely hard, which makes it last all season long without spoiling, and it retains its shape without getting smudged out of place.
Making a gingerbread window garland your own
You can make your gingerbread garland “your own” by using coloured icing (I recommend gel food colouring to make sure your icing keeps its consistency right). You can also use different shapes, and decorate the cookies with sprinkles or candy to make them more unique and fun. Another idea would be to cut out paper snowflakes and use other little homemade ornaments on your garland to add a little extra personality.
Where to hang a gingerbread window garland
Personally I think that this is the best Christmas kitchen decoration, but you can use it wherever you want! I’ve never taken the time to do it (although it wouldn’t take much time if you decorated your cookies with friends and family!), but I think that using these all over the house would be completely adorable. String them over windows, door frames, and along the tops of the walls. Wherever you would enjoy to have them!
Other ways to use gingerbread at Christmastime
I have made little gingerbread ornaments like the ones in this tutorial for my Christmas tree, and I think they’re a darling addition. If you like natural Christmas decor, try using these cookies as ornaments along with my Dried Oranges & Cinnamon Ornaments and Popcorn Garlands. They are the ultimate, old fashioned, adorable Christmas tree decorations!
You can also check out my Gingerbread Wreath Cookies for another idea of how to decorate cookies for Christmas, or just make them to eat over the course of the season.
Gingerbread is one of those classics at Christmastime, and the ways to use it are endless. I love making gingerbread houses, and someday I hope to make a gingerbread castle! If I ever manage to make that happen, you can be sure that I’ll be posting pictures! (If not the entire process.) So, be sure to sign up for my email list if you haven’t done that already. You won’t want to miss that!
For this tutorial, you will need:
- 20-24 gingerbread cookies (baked)
- 1 batch of royal icing
- 1 12″ piping bag
- 1 coupler
- 1 #2 piping tip
- 1 #3 piping tip
- 1 chopstick, sharp knife, or toothpick
- 5 ft yarn
- 5-6 ft thick floral wire (or 20-24 Christmas ornament hooks)
- 1 pair of needle nosed pliers/wire cutter
How to Make a Gingerbread Window Garland
This simple tutorial will teach you how to make a beautiful, natural Christmas gingerbread garland for your kitchen!
Ingredients
- 20-24 gingerbread cookies, baked (see post for recipe link)
- 1 batch royal icing, prepared (see post for recipe link)
- 1 12" piping bag
- 1 coupler optional
- 1 #2 piping tip
- 1 #3 piping tip
- 1 chopstick, sharp knife, or toothpick
- 5 ft yarn
- 5-6 ft thick floral wire or 20-24 Christmas ornament hooks
- 1 pair needle nose pliers
- 1 wire cutter
Instructions
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Bake the gingerbread according the recipe instructions, and poke a hole in the tops of each cookie while they are still warm with a chopstick, sharp knife, or toothpick. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
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Prepare the royal icing according to the recipe instructions, and fill a piping bag fitted with a coupler and #2 piping tip with royal icing.
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Decorate the cookies with royal icing however you so choose! You can also use candy, or sprinkles to add more colour, if desired. Allow the cookies to dry completely, at least 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, if you don't have Christmas ornament hooks, cut the wire into 3" lengths using pliers. Curl one end into a wide circular loop-shaped hook, and the other end into a small hook. Set aside.
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Once the cookies are dry, insert the large looped end of the hook into the hole in the top of the cookie. (If you have Christmas hooks, you may need to reshape the large end to fit the cookies better.)
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Pipe a little bit of icing onto the hook on the back of each cookie, and smear it down with your finger to force it into the holes a little better (I recommend holding the cookie upright when you do this). The icing, once dry, will prevent gravity from pulling the cookies off of the hooks, if you have any humidity in the room where the garland is hanging.
-
Next, stretch the yarn tightly across the top of your window or door frame (this tutorial was done over the top of a 4 foot window), tying it securely on either side and trimming the excess yarn. Hang your cookies by the small hooks across the window.
How to Make a Gingerbread Window Garland
1 – Bake the gingerbread
Bake the gingerbread according the recipe instructions, and poke a hole in the tops of each cookie while they are still warm with a chopstick, sharp knife, or toothpick. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
2 – Prepare the icing
Prepare the royal icing according to the recipe instructions, and fill a piping bag fitted with a coupler and #2 piping tip with royal icing.
3 – Decorate the cookies
Decorate the cookies with royal icing however you so choose! You can also use candy, or sprinkles to add more colour, if desired. Allow the cookies to dry completely, at least 30 minutes.
4 – Make the hooks
Meanwhile, if you don’t have Christmas ornament hooks, cut the wire into 3″ lengths using pliers. Curl one end into a wide circular loop-shaped hook, and the other end into a small hook. Set aside.
5 – Make the cookie ornaments
Once the cookies are dry, insert the large looped end of the hook into the hole in the top of the cookie. (If you have Christmas hooks, you may need to reshape the large end to fit the cookies better.)
6 – Secure the ornament hooks in place
Pipe a little bit of icing onto the hook on the back of each cookie, and smear it down with your finger to force it into the holes a little better (I recommend holding the cookie upright when you do this). The icing, once dry, will prevent gravity from pulling the cookies off of the hooks, if you have any humidity in the room where the garland is hanging.
7 – Make the garland
Next, stretch the yarn tightly across the top of your window or door frame (this tutorial was done over the top of a 4 foot window), tying it securely on either side and trimming the excess yarn. Hang your cookies by the small hooks across the window.
Other great Christmas recipes:
- Classic Sugar Cookies
- Apple Butter Baked Brie
- Eccles Cakes
- Miniature Cherry Turnovers
- Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider
- Christmas Cranberry Nut Roll
Bye for now,
–Naomi
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