Things have kicked into full holiday gear around here. In an attempt to be better organized this year (did you read my post about my unfortunate history of last-minute shopping) I am getting a head start on some of the handmade holiday gifts I will be giving. I have a few gift ideas in mind and today I am starting off by sharing a sweet treat that would make a lovely hostess gift or teacher gift…a Santa’s sleigh gingerbread cookie garland. Turning a simple gingerbread cookie into a cute garland is so simple and it elevates this most familiar of holiday cookies. This recipe is part of our 12 days of Christmas cookies advent calendar…be sure to check it out.
Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.
Gingerbread Cookie Santa Sleigh and Reindeer Garland
Whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Now, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar together until smooth.
Add in the molasses and egg. Now, with the mixer on low, add the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until the dough forms.
Place the dough on a sheet of floured plastic wrap and use your hands to pat it into an 8-inch square. Wrap it up well and chill the dough until it is firm, 1 to 2 hours.
Once the dough has chilled, roll out the dough 1/8″ thick. To make the Santa sleigh and reindeer, use a leaping reindeer cookie cutter to cut out 9 reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph) and 1 Santa sleigh. With a toothpick or skewer, poke two holes in each reindeer’s side. Make the holes large enough so the ribbon will feed easily through. Repeat with each reindeer. Poke a hole in the back end of the sleigh and the front. Bake the cookies, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, at 350°C for 10-12 minutes.
After the cookies have baked and cooled, feed a piece of ribbon through the holes in each reindeer and into the back of the sleigh…creating a garland of flying reindeer. Be sure to leave enough ribbon hanging out either end of the garland, so that it can be hung on the tree or on hooks. 
Stack the cookies and wrap them inside a cookie tin. When the recipient opens the tin and pulls the first reindeer they will be surprised when more and more reindeer join the first. The reveal is much like when a magician pulls a never-ending string of handkerchiefs from his sleeve. Share this gift with friends, family or a teacher.
Gingerbread Cookie Santa Sleigh and Reindeer Garland
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and levelled, plus more for rolling
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 1/3 cup unsulphered molasses
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Now, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar together until smooth.
- Add in the molasses and egg. Now, with the mixer on low, add the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until the dough forms.
- Place the dough on a sheet of floured plastic wrap and use your hands to pat it into an 8-inch square. Wrap it up well and chill the dough until it is firm, 1 to 2 hours.
- Once the dough has chilled, roll out the dough 1/8" thick. To make the Santa sleigh and reindeer, cut out 9 reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Doner, Blitzen and Rudolph) and 1 sleigh. With a toothpick or skewer, poke two holes in each reindeer's side. Make the holes large enough so the ribbon will feed easily through. Repeat with each reindeer. Poke a hole in the back end of the sleigh and the front.
- Bake the cookies, on a parchment line baking sheet, at 350°C for 10-12 minutes.
- Bake until bottom is lightly golden. Set aside on rack to cool completely
Notes
Nutrition
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Check out our 12 Days of Cookies Advent Calendar
Make sure you are following along…
SUBSCRIBE TO KITCHEN COUNTER CHRONICLES TO HAVE OUR DELICIOUS RECIPES, FUN CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX.
FOLLOW KITCHEN COUNTER CHRONICLES ON
FACEBOOK:: PINTEREST :: TWITTER::INSTAGRAM
What a great idea Jen…and so simple!! I need one of these garlands for my mantel – love it so much!
Wow, that garland looks great! Perfect for a gift too – thanks!!
What a sweet idea. Love it, and so versatile too, I can think of lots of ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks…I’m dreaming of making all sorts of gingerbread garlands now.
This is a really cool idea. I also loved your reference to Martha and how you love her gingerbread cookie recipe. This also looks like it would be a lot of fun to do with children! Well done!
Yep, my girls loved cutting out all the reindeer. Thanks.
These are so cute! What a great idea, Jen!
Thanks so much! Thanks for stopping by.
Love these! I’m sure if I used these as a garland in my house, I would keep finding missing parts on them as the days went by!
Yes, I didn’t say they would make it to Christmas…crunch!
Ummm… WOW, Jen! These are amazing! I love it!
Thanks…they were really fun to make.
I ADORE this so much! I would just love to get this as a gift, I may have to steal this idea for some homemade gifts this year! Just wonderful!
Thanks so much…I really appreciate your feedback.
So super cute! Great idea
I don’t know if the gingerbread would make it to the garland! It’s one of my favorite cookies. These are so cute though that it would be worth fighting the cookie urge for. 😉
What a wonderful gift idea! I think my son’s teacher will love it.