A gingerbread wreath is one large ring of spiced molasses dough, rolled ¼ inch thick, cut around a cake pan and baked at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes, then decorated with white royal icing garlands, piped green leaves and round candy ornaments. One wreath gives 8 to 10 slices. It sits on the table as a Christmas centerpiece first and gets eaten after.
The trick is a stiff, well chilled dough and cutting the ring on the same parchment you bake it on, so the wreath never has to be lifted while it is soft. Plan on about 30 minutes of hands-on work, at least 2 hours of chilling, and an evening for the icing to dry hard.
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- Yield: one large wreath, 8 to 10 slices
- Dough: 5 cups flour, 1 cup each of brown sugar, butter and molasses, 2 eggs, divided into two discs
- Chill: at least 2 hours, or overnight
- Roll and bake: ¼ inch thick, 350°F (175°C), 15 to 18 minutes
- Royal icing: 4 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder, 6 to 8 tablespoons warm water
- Drying: icing crusts in about an hour; let it dry hard, ideally overnight, before hanging or wrapping
- Keeps: several days at room temperature in a cool, dry place
Why This Dough Holds a Ring Shape
A wreath is really one big, thin cookie with a hole in the middle, so the dough has to be sturdier than a soft cookie dough. Five cups of flour to 1 cup of butter makes a stiff dough that cuts cleanly and keeps its edge in the oven. The 2 eggs bind it, which lets the ring flex a little under a piping bag instead of snapping.
I have baked it with both light and dark molasses. Light molasses gives a milder, sweeter wreath. Dark molasses bakes darker, which makes white garlands stand out, but the flavor is heavier and a little bitter. Light or dark brown sugar both work, and dark tastes closer to my gingerbread loaf.
The spice mix is 1 tablespoon each of ginger and cinnamon with only ½ teaspoon of cloves. Keep the cloves there. Any more and the wreath tastes medicinal.
Mixing and Chilling the Dough
Beat the softened butter and brown sugar until the mixture turns paler and fluffy, then beat in the eggs and molasses. It will look glossy and loose, sometimes a little curdled. That is normal. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a second bowl so the soda is spread evenly, then add them gradually. By the last cup the dough gets very stiff, so switch to a wooden spoon or your hands if the mixer strains.
Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a flat disc about 1 inch thick. Wrap them and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. Cold butter is what keeps the cut edge sharp in the oven, and a flat disc chills faster and rolls out with fewer cracks than a ball.
Chilled dough should feel firm, like cold clay. If the edges crack badly as you start rolling, leave it on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes and try again.
Sizing and Cutting the Ring
Roll one disc ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured sheet of parchment, not on the counter. Cut the wreath right there: trace around a cake pan for the outer edge, then use a smaller round cutter for the center. Pull the scraps away and slide the parchment, wreath and all, onto the baking sheet. Lifting a soft ring is where most wreaths break, and this skips the lift.
Keep the band itself at least 2½ to 3 inches wide. A 9 or 10 inch pan with a 3 to 4 inch center gives enough room for garlands and candies and is strong enough to pick up later. A fluted or scalloped cutter around the outside gives a lacy edge that looks finished before any icing goes on. Reroll the scraps once and cut stars or small gingerbread men to set around the wreath.
Baking Until Firm, Not Brittle
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 18 minutes. It is ready when the surface feels firm and dry to a light press and the edges are just starting to brown. Pulled too early, the ring sags and cracks the first time you move it. Left too long, it turns hard and brittle.
If the edges spread a little, set the cake pan back on the hot wreath and trim around it with a sharp knife straight away. Warm gingerbread cuts cleanly. Cold gingerbread crumbles. Then let the wreath cool completely flat, still on its parchment, on the baking sheet or a wide rack. A big ring that cools unevenly can warp, and the candies end up sitting crooked.
Royal Icing for Garlands, Leaves and Ornaments
Beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder and 6 tablespoons of warm water on high until stiff peaks form. Add more water a tablespoon at a time only if it is too stiff to pipe. Sift the sugar first, because one lump caught in a small round tip stops a garland halfway around the ring. Meringue powder stands in for raw egg white, so this royal icing dries hard and needs no fridge.
Use two textures. Stiff icing that holds a peak without bending goes in a star tip for the green leaves, and it is also the glue for the candies. A slightly looser icing, thinned with a few drops of water, pipes smoother white garlands through a plain round tip. Tint with gel color only. Liquid color thins the icing and the leaves lose their points.
Work one section at a time and press each candy into wet icing right away, since royal icing crusts within minutes. Keep the bowls covered with a damp towel while you pipe. The surface sets in about an hour, but give it several hours, ideally overnight, before the wreath is hung or wrapped. The same stiff icing doubles as gingerbread house icing if you have some left.
One Big Ring or a Ring of Cookies?
There are two ways to make an edible gingerbread wreath. This recipe cuts one large ring. It looks clean, slices into 8 to 10 pieces, and has the most room for piped garlands. The other way is a cookie wreath: cut stars, hearts, trees or gingerbread ornament cookies from the same dough, bake them, and glue them into a circle on a cake board or a large plate with stiff royal icing.
Choose the big ring for a centerpiece or a wreath to hang. Choose the cookie version for a party or a gift plate, because guests can pull off one cookie at a time and a broken cookie is easy to swap. Small cookies bake faster than the ring, so start checking them a few minutes early. Let the icing joints dry overnight before you move a cookie wreath.
Hanging, Gifting and How Long It Lasts
To hang it, thread a wide ribbon through the center and tie it at the top, but only once the icing is fully hard. Choose a cool spot away from the oven, radiators and steam. Heat and humidity soften royal icing and make the candies slide. On a table, lay it flat on a board or a large plate.
For a gift, set it on a cake board, wrap it in clear cellophane and tie a bow. My Christmas cookie packaging ideas work for wreaths too. Stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place, it holds its shape for several days. If you plan to eat it, eat it in those first days. A wreath that has hung on a door for weeks is decoration by then.
Cracks, Warping and Other Wreath Rescues
- Ring cracked before baking: press the dough back together with a damp fingertip and smooth the seam.
- Ring cracked after baking: glue the pieces with stiff royal icing, lay it flat to dry overnight, then pipe a garland or leaves over the seam.
- Dough too sticky to roll: it needs more time in the fridge, not more flour. Extra flour bakes into a dry wreath.
- Edges spread in the oven: the dough was too warm. Trim with the pan while hot, and next time chill the cut ring on its sheet for 10 minutes before baking.
- Leaves flatten or lose their points: the icing is too thin. Beat in a spoonful of powdered sugar.
- Wreath went soft on display: it was near heat or steam. Move it somewhere cool and dry; the icing firms up again.
Short Answers for Wreath Bakers
Can you eat a gingerbread wreath?
Yes. The dough, royal icing and candies are all edible. It tastes best in the first few days, while it still has a little chew.
How do you make an edible Christmas wreath?
Bake one large ring of gingerbread, or a circle of small cookies, and decorate it with green royal icing leaves, white garlands and round candies as ornaments. This dough works for both.
Can I make the gingerbread dough ahead?
Yes. Wrapped discs can chill overnight, which is the longest rest the recipe calls for. Let them sit 5 to 10 minutes before rolling.
Want another wreath on the dessert table? The no-bake white Christmas wreath needs no oven, and the Christmas wreath cake feeds a crowd. Pin this one to your Christmas board so it is ready in December.
Gingerbread Wreath Recipe
This gingerbread wreath recipe makes one large edible Christmas wreath from a stiff molasses dough with brown sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. The dough chills for at least 2 hours, rolls out ¼ inch thick and bakes at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes into a sturdy ring that gives 8 to 10 slices. Cut the ring on parchment around a cake pan so it never has to be lifted while soft, then decorate it with white royal icing garlands, green piped leaves and candy ornaments. Use it as a gingerbread Christmas centerpiece, a hanging wreath, a holiday gift or a gingerbread party project. Store it at room temperature in a cool, dry place for several days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE GINGERBREAD DOUGH
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- FOR THE ROYAL ICING
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 6 to 8 tablespoons warm water
- Gel food coloring (green, red, yellow)
- FOR DECORATION
- Round candies (such as M&Ms or Sixlets) in red, yellow, green
- Sprinkles or sugar pearls
- Edible glitter (optional)
Instructions
- MAKE THE DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and molasses, mixing until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a stiff dough forms. Divide the dough into two discs, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- SHAPE THE WREATH: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll out the chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use a large round object, such as a cake pan, to cut out the outer circle. Use a smaller cutter to remove the center and create a wreath shape. For a decorative edge, use a fluted or scalloped cutter around the outside. Transfer the dough carefully to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- BAKE: Bake the wreath for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the surface is firm and the edges are just lightly browned. Allow the wreath to cool completely on a flat surface before decorating to prevent cracking or warping.
- MAKE THE ROYAL ICING: In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and 6 tablespoons of warm water. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, adding more water a tablespoon at a time if needed for desired consistency. Divide and tint the icing with gel food coloring as desired.
- DECORATE: Pipe white icing around the wreath to create garlands. Use green-tinted icing with a star tip to create leaf or foliage effects. Press round candies into the icing to resemble ornaments, and add sprinkles, sugar pearls, or edible glitter for extra texture. Let the icing dry completely before moving or serving.
Notes
Roll and cut the dough directly on parchment so the wreath never has to be lifted while soft, and keep the ring at least 2½ inches wide so it does not crack. If the edges spread, trim them with the cake pan as a guide while the wreath is still warm. Use gel food coloring; liquid color thins the icing. Royal icing crusts within minutes, so press candies in while it is wet, and let it dry hard, ideally overnight, before hanging or wrapping. Store the finished wreath at room temperature in a cool, dry place for several days, away from heat and steam.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 903Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 88mgSodium 626mgCarbohydrates 157gFiber 3gSugar 94gProtein 9g
