Ingredient: lemons, zested - save juice for icing

While certain holidays such as Christmas, lend themselves to giving food as gifts, gift-giving should be thoughtful and sincere.

We give gifts during the holiday season to express gratitude, love, or friendship to those near and dear throughout the year. But the custom of giving gifts goes all the way back to the first Christmas when the wise men brought Jesus three gifts — gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Many of the gifts we give and receive at Christmas time, especially ones related to food, have symbolic meaning and tales of folklore behind them. Others are just fun to make and share with family and friends. Sometimes those food gifts become an anticipated tradition that the gifter enjoys making and the receiver looks forward to every year.

These Christmas cookie wreaths seem like the perfect gift for our neighbors. Hope they like them because they where a lot of fun to make.

Print Recipe

Christmas Cookie Wreaths for Gifts

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course

dessert

Cuisine

American

Keyword

Christmas cookie wreaths

Servings

WREATHS MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Spicy Wreath Base

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp anise seed, ground
• 1/4 tsp EACH nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom & white pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 2 eggs
• 250 gm OR 1 cup + 2 Tbsp butter, melted

Cranberry Lemon Pistachio Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 lemons, zested - save juice for icing
• 2 tsp pure vanilla

Lemon Icing/ Toppings

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 150 gm pistachios OR pepita seeds, unsalted & coarsely chopped
• 100 gm dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Anise Shortbread Stars

• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup butter,
• 1 Tbsp anise seeds, ground
• white sanding sugar
• silver dragees if you wish

Persimmon Linzer Cookies

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter,
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Persimmon Puree

• 2 ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled & cut into small cubes
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of fine sea salt

Course dessert Cuisine American Keyword Christmas cookie wreaths Servings WREATHS MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Spicy Wreath Base 4 cups flour 2 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp anise seed, ground 1/4 tsp EACH nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom & white pepper 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 3 Tbsp honey 2 eggs 250 gm OR 1 cup + 2 Tbsp butter, melted Cranberry Lemon Pistachio Cookies 2 cups flour 1 1/2 cups cornstarch 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 4 egg yolks 2 lemons, zested - save juice for icing 2 tsp pure vanilla Lemon Icing/ Toppings 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 150 gm pistachios OR pepita seeds, unsalted & coarsely chopped 100 gm dried cranberries, coarsely chopped Anise Shortbread Stars 1/2 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup flour 3/4 cup butter, 1 Tbsp anise seeds, ground white sanding sugar silver dragees if you wish Persimmon Linzer Cookies 1 3/4 cups flour 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup butter, 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla Persimmon Puree 2 ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled & cut into small cubes 1 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp cinnamon Pinch of fine sea salt

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Spicy Wreath Base

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until dough forms. Divide dough in half for 2 separate wreaths. Roll each half into a long strip about 43-inches long. On 2 sheets of parchment paper, draw 2 round circles each about a 13-inch circumference. Place on baking sheets. Following the circle outline, place a strip of dough on each circle. Press with the back of a spoon to flatten to about a 1/2-inch thickness.
2. Preheat oven to 310 F. Bake cookie bases for about 15 minutes. They should be baked but not overdone so that the centers are soft. Remove from oven & cool on a wire rack until ready to assemble with cookies.

Cranberry Lemon Pistachio Cookies

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder & salt. Place butter & sugar in a bowl & beat with a mixer until pale & fluffy. Mix in egg yolks, lemon zest & vanilla. Reduce speed to low & gradually mix in flour mixture. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch round fluted cutter, cut out wreaths. Cut out centers using a 7/8-inch round or star cutter.
3. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. bake until just golden, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before icing.
4. Stir together powdered sugar & lemon juice in a small bowl. Spread each cookie with icing & sprinkle with pistachios and/or pepita seeds & cranberries. Yield: 24

Anise Shortbread Stars

1. In a bowl, sift together cornstarch, powdered sugar, flour & anise powder. Blend in butter with a spoon, mixing until a soft, smooth dough forms. If the dough is too soft to handle, cover & chill about 1 hour.
2. Between 2 sheets of parchment paper, roll dough out about 1/2-inch thick. Using a star cookie cutter, cut out stars & sprinkle with coarse white sanding sugar. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets spacing 1 1/2-inches apart. Place baking sheets in refrigerator & chill 30 minutes. Halfway through, preheat oven to 300 F. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are just barely browned. Yield: 18

Persimmon Linzer Cookies

1. In a bowl, sift together flour & salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar & vanilla until light & fluffy. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as possible. Mix the rest & gently knead until dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap & chill for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare persimmon puree. In a saucepan over medium low heat, combine persimmons, sugar, cinnamon & salt. Simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly then transfer to a small food processor. Puree mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2-inch fluted LINZER cookie cutter with a star attachment in the center. Place on lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool to room temperature.
5. Spread persimmon puree on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust & decorate cookies with cut outs using powdered sugar & some more puree. Place decorated cookie tops on bottoms spread with puree, making a sandwich.

Assembly

1. Arrange cookies on wreath base to your liking. You can either 'fasten' them with an bit of icing that will harden (see notes) or just place them on top base. That way they are easy to pick up by guests without to much trouble. The base can be cut into pieces after the top cookies are eaten for some more cookie goodness.

   

Recipe Notes

ICING FOR ATTACHING COOKIES TO WREATH:

• 2 Tbsp warm water
• 1 1/2 tsp corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• Mix together the warm water, corn syrup and icing sugar for the icing. Make it on the thicker side, so add more icing sugar if needed.