Christmas Nativity Cookies

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 3 hr

1. STEP 1

   

   Products. To prepare the dough, you first need to burn the sugar. To do this, take half the amount of sugar (125 g) and melt it in a frying pan.

2. STEP 2

   

   Heat until dark brown (people say that you need to heat until there is a bluish haze).

3. STEP 3

   

   As soon as the sugar has turned into dark caramel, we need to lower the temperature so as not to burn the sugar, since later our dough may turn out bitter. In order to reduce the temperature, we use boiling water and very carefully introduce it into the caramel. Be careful as the caramel will bubble!!!

4. STEP 4

   

   Next, add the remaining sugar to the caramel, let it dissolve and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat.

5. STEP 5

   

   Add butter, stir until butter melts.

6. STEP 6

   

   1 tbsp. mix wheat flour with spices and add to the still hot caramel (the flour needs to be boiled) and stir thoroughly.

7. STEP 7

   

   Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

8. STEP 8

   

   Mix rye and wheat flour with soda.

9. STEP 9

   

   Add 1 whole egg and 2 yolks to the cooled caramel (I beat them a little with a fork beforehand), stir.

10. STEP 10

    

    Adding flour in parts, knead the dough. The finished dough needs to be kneaded well, it should turn out a little soft and at the same time keep its shape well

11. STEP 11

    

    The kneaded ball of dough should not spread. Place the finished dough in a bowl and in the refrigerator for a day, but if you don’t have time, then at least for 4 hours.

12. STEP 12

    

    This dough can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks. Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up for at least 30 minutes.

13. STEP 13

    

    Roll out the dough (it is best to do this between 2 sheets of parchment) and cut out future figures, animals, wise men, shepherds

14. STEP 14

    

    (for the barn I just used a piece of paper, and for the figures I found pictures online, enlarged them, printed them and cut them out)

15. STEP 15

    

    Roll out to about 3-4 mm thick and bake for about 8 minutes. at 190 C (baking time depends on size, small cookies take 5 minutes to cook).

16. STEP 16

    

    Let the cookies cool, and in the meantime prepare the icing. We will need one protein. Beat it lightly with a fork (I kneaded everything with a mixer at the lowest speed),

17. STEP 17

    

    add powdered sugar in parts, rubbing the mixture thoroughly,

18. STEP 18

    

    at the very end add 0.5 tsp. lemon juice and mix well.

19. STEP 19

    

    We put the icing in a pastry bag (I have a disposable one), cut off the corner and decorate our figures.

Comments on the recipe

Anet

20.08.2023

4.6

Thanks for the recipe! Very appropriate before the Christmas and New Year holidays. The children and I have already baked a nativity scene. And from the dough that remained, Christmas bells and New Year trees came out. Everyone liked both the process and the result. The only thing that is not known is whether the livers will remain for the holidays, because the kids really liked it))

Strify

20.08.2023

4.7

Thank you to the author for such a wonderful idea, so yummy and beautiful! And the gingerbread house is also a lot of fun to work with)) Children really enjoy the cooking process, and in the end they get a sweet masterpiece. The recipe is quite simple, more fun and use your imagination - you can come up with figurines for the New Year's table in the same style. For example, horse figurines, in the theme of the coming year, make something like a herd, a stable)))

Shura

20.08.2023

4.6

Irisha, thank you for such a performance of the festive nativity scene, it’s very nice that you look one step ahead and show us such wonderful works!!! It looks like you already have a whole arsenal of gingerbread houses at home, you can already make a town))) Very beautiful and tasty!

Katyunik

20.08.2023

4.6

Many thanks to Irochka for the wonderful recipe for the upcoming holidays. The cookies are not only tasty, but also cute and suitable for small children due to the harmless ingredients. The little girl enjoyed making such beautiful cookies. I wish there were more such recipes. Merry Christmas!

Yulechka

20.08.2023

4.5

Irisha, what a great idea to tell children about the meaning of Christmas. Someone buys books, and then cookies are baked, and the child will have enough impressions from the game, and he will definitely remember the essence of the holiday.

Irisha

20.08.2023

4.5

Thanks everyone for the kind words! Glad you liked the recipe! I think both adults and children will enjoy the process of cooking and eating too