Edible Christmas Tree Decorations

What would Christmas be without edible decorations? Edible ornaments are a fun variation on the traditional Christmas ornaments plus they make a great gift for family and friends. I used to string popcorn around my tree as a garland when my kids were younger. I’ve come away from that but still decorate the tree with candy canes. I wouldn’t put these decorations up too early for fear of none to be had on the 25th! This recipe is adapted from ABC Delicious magazine using Nigella Lawson’s take on edible decorations.

Makes 40
335g (2 1/4 cups) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mixed ground spices such as cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger
120g unsalted butter
120g (3/4 cup) dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups prepared royal icing or 340g icing sugar mixed with 3 tablespoons boiling water
Sprinkles, edible glitter to decorate

Preheat oven to 160c. In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, spices. Add butter and sugar and process until smooth. Combine eggs and honey in a small bowl. With processor running, gradually add enough egg to bind mixture (you may not need all the egg). Divide dough in half and shape into 2. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Line baking trays with baking paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 5mm thick and cut out using cookie cutters. Bake 15-200 minutes until cookies are brown around the edges and have risen slightly risen in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Drip or spread icing using a teaspoon and decorate with sprinkles or glitter.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Use a straw to cut holes in the cookie dough. You may need to thin the icing so that it is slightly runny but thick enough to make an opaque coating.