Holiday Cookie Gifts | Gingerbread Man Cookie Bouquet

By Angela Sellari

If you saw my Christmas Tree Cookie Stack post from this morning, you already know that we are busy baking Christmas cookies all week. I am up to my eyeballs in royal icing right now but want to hurry and share this with you, in case you’re looking for a little baking inspiration this last week before Christmas. This Gingerbread Man Cookie Bouquet came out pretty good for a first attempt. It would make a fabulous centerpiece or holiday cookie gift for someone special.

To create the bouquet you’ll need the following:

Your favorite gingerbread cookie recipe
Royal icing – The recipe I use can be found here.
Lollipop sticks (the long ones)
Large gingerbread man cookie cutter
Small gingerbread man cookie cutter
Star shaped cookie cutters (in 2 different sizes)
Holiday mug
Dry oasis or styrofoam (large enough to fit inside the mug)
candy decorations (optional)

Begin by whipping up a batch of your favorite gingerbread cookie recipe. I have a confession to make… for this bouquet I used a box gingerbread mix (gasp), and it turned out great. Once your dough is prepared, roll out onto a flour surfaced, approximately 1/2 inch thick. I don’t recommend going any thinner than this, otherwise your sticks will poke out.

Using your cookie cutters, cut out your shapes, and using a spatula carefully transfer to a greased cookie sheet or one that has been lined with parchment paper. For my bouquet I cut 1 large gingerbread man, 2 small gingerbread man, 4 small stars, and 3 stars of a slightly larger size. It’s a good idea to cut a few extras, just in case. You can always eat them, if you don’t use them.

Before baking, carefully place a lollipop stick into the bottom of each cookie. Bake cookies according to your recipe directions.

Once cookies have cooled completely, prepare royal icing and decorate cookies. I basically outlined the cookies, and gave some of the stars dots and stripes. I used 2 green M&M’s on the feet of my large gingerbread man, and one red M&M on his hand. On the other hand, I attached a small candy cane using royal icing.

After your icing has hardened, you can prepare the base. Cut a piece of dry oasis or styrofoam to fit snugly into a mug. Carefully insert each lollipop sick into the foam, to create an arrangement. I placed my large gingerbread man front and center, then worked around him from there.

Have you ever made a cookie bouquet?