As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes, so we can certainly spend a little time on decoration. Especially with Christmas cookies, flavor improvements can be achieved. Here I have summarized my favorite decorations for Christmas cookies:
Couverture
First of all, the classic with Couverture: It is best to buy ready-made couverture (there is milk, dark, or white couverture). Melt this in a water bath (place a melting pot over a pot of water and heat it with the steam), let it cool down a little (not too much, otherwise it will harden again) and then dip the cookies and let them cool on a cooling rack lined with parchment paper. If you like, you can also fill the chocolate into a Piping bag and use it to 'paint' beautiful motifs or grids on the cookies.
Golden threads
Very elegant are Golden threads on the cookies: To do this, melt 100 g of sugar with 1 tsp of water in a pot, stirring until it has a beautiful golden color. Then use a tablespoon to draw fine threads over the cookies.
Icing
A beautiful and simple decoration is icing: Make a somewhat thick mixture with 200 g of powdered sugar and various juices (6 tbsp lemon, orange, or cherry juice, etc.) or a lightly beaten egg white.
If the mixture becomes too firm, add a little more liquid (water is also possible), and if it is too runny, add more powdered sugar.
The icing can be excellently colored with food coloring. Then either dip the cookies, brush them with a brush, or fill the whole thing into a piping bag and paint various patterns.
Sprinkles or nuts can be excellently applied to the icing.
Jam/Preserves
If Jam or Preserves is to be put on the cookies, I have had the best experience when the jam is warmed up in a water bath . This makes it easier to spread and it shines much more beautifully afterwards. Simply place it in the middle of the 'angel eyes' with a spoon and let it cool down.
By the way, I brushed the angel eyes beforehand with an egg yolk and 3 tbsp of cream, then the cookies themselves also shine beautifully. Instead of cream, 3 tbsp of milk also works. As jam, I used apricot and redcurrant; it not only looks good but also tastes very good.
Sugar pearls and nuts
To decorate your cookies with various sugar pearls or nuts, it is recommended to first brush the cookies with egg white , as egg white is a good glue. Or you can use a powdered sugar icing, the pearls and nuts hold very well there too.
For nuts, all types of nuts can be used whole, sliced, or in halves, such as hazelnuts, walnuts, or almonds.
Extra tip: If you want to save a few calories, you can roast a few oat flakes with a little sugar and butter in a pan over low heat. This gives the oat flakes a wonderful nutty taste and you can sprinkle the cookies well with them.
Pistachios or shredded coconut
A tasty and beautiful decoration are pistachios, whether finely ground or chopped. Furthermore, shredded coconut is also a very pretty decoration for Christmas cookies.
I sprinkled these on a chocolate glaze so that they hold well. However, you can also sprinkle the sprinkles on the cookies before baking. Here, however, brush the cookies with egg white or egg yolk beforehand so that the coconut flakes or pistachio sprinkles hold well.
Candied flowers
A very elegant and romantic decoration are candied flowers, such as violet or rose petals. Available at confectioners or at the weekly market.
Sugar
Also very tasty is a decoration with powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste, vanilla sugar or Cinnamon. Sift this mixture onto the still warm cookies or turn the cookies in it (e.g., vanilla crescents).
Flour-sugar mixture
To decorate cookies or biscuits in a crispy way, sprinkle the baking board with a Flour-sugar mixture before rolling out the dough. That is then like a crispy glaze.
Now you are spoiled for choice on how to make your cookies and biscuits an eye-catcher!
Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
