Gingerbread Ornaments

  

A dehydrated spin on the traditional gingerbread man!

  • Prep: 1 hrs
  • Dehydrate: 5 hrs

Ingredients

2 cups Baking soda

3 tbsp Ground cinnamon

1 cups Cold water

Parchment Paper

Paint Brushes

Craft glue (optional)

1 cup Cornstarch

2 tsp Ground cloves

Small candies for decorating (optional)

Cookie Cutters

Clear craft varnish or paint

Decorative ribbon, string or elastic

Directions

1 In a saucepan, whisk together baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in water and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until thickened into thick dough and loses shine. Scrape mixture into a heatproof bowl and cover immediately with a damp towel and then with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Let cool at room temperature.

2Place a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Divide dough into pieces and work with one piece at a time, keeping remaining pieces covered with a damp towel.

3Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to 1 1/4 inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes rerolling scraps and adding a touch of water as necessary to keep the dough smooth and pliable. Using a plastic straw or a skewer, cut a small hole in the top that will be used to thread string to hang the ornament. Roll out a scrap of dough for a test piece, making sure it is the same thickness as the ornaments.

4Place shapes on mesh drying trays and dry at 155°F (68°C) for 3 to 5 hours or until very firm and dry throughout. Break the test piece to check the inside and make sure there is no sign of moisture. Let cool completely on wire racks.

5Paint all sides of each ornament with varnish or other clear paint to seal. Let dry.

6Using glue, attach candies to ornaments to decorate as desired. Let dry completely.

7Thread decorative ribbon through the holes, leaving enough length to hang over branches.

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