Holiday Cookie Gifts | Gingerbread Man Cookie Bouquet

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?