Dog Christmas Cookie Ornament Tutorial

If you love dogs and you love Christmas, this is the DIY project for you. Just about everyone in my family has dogs, as a matter of fact, the dogs easily outnumber the people!! I thought it would be a fun twist. I started with felt ornaments, and now I’m trying out cookie ornaments.

Make the holidays even more special by including your furry best friend! My niece, Riley, is a chef and avid animal rescue advocate and she made these adorable dog Christmas cookie dough ornaments. Check out her newsletter if you like vegan cooking.

This is an easy project for kids and adults alike. Even though she is a chef, I asked her give me the beginner options like store-bought dough, royal icing using a kit and simple icing options. There are more advanced ways to ice cookies, this is simple enough for beginners.

Supplies to Make Dog Cookie Ornaments

These ornaments could also be made with salt dough instead of edible dough.

1. Store-bought cookie dough (you can make your own if you prefer).
2. Royal icing  (royal icing will last FOREVER but you can use just a basic thick powdered sugar icing too)
3. Gel-based food coloring
4. A few piping bags (I like to use the disposable ones)
5. Dog (or cat) shaped cookie cutters
6. An edible ink pen/sharpie to make noses and eyes
7. Toothpick for spreading out the icing
8. A straw for making a hole to hang the ornament
9. Yarn, ribbon or string for hanging
10. A straw (for making a hole to hang the ornament)

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You can get sooo many cute dog-shaped cookie cutters on ETSY. If you have a specific breed of dog, search by the breed. I got a variety pack to test out which ones turned out the best. One looks like a gopher, more than a dog. 🙄

Steps-by-Step Tutorial

Roll and Cut

• Preheat your oven to the temperature specified on the cookie dough package.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it’s about 1/4-inch thick.
• Using your dog-themed cookie cutters, cut out your desired shapes.

• Place the cutouts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Use the straw to create a small hole near the top of each ornament. This is where you’ll thread the ribbon or string for hanging.

Baking

• Place the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking so they hold their shape.
• Bake in the preheated oven according to the package instructions or until the ornaments are completely dry and hard.
• Allow the ornaments to cool completely before decorating.

Make the royal icing

• If you buy the package of royal icing it’s very easy to make, just follow the package instructions.
• It can be easily thinned out by adding small amounts of water. Tip: use a spray bottle to control the amount of water.
• Separate the icing into as many bowls as you want to make colors. Wisk in the color and then fill your bags.
• You can easily decorate a dozen cookies with 1 cup of royal icing.

Decorating the Cookies

• Divide the royal icing into small batches & color with gel-based food coloring. Use as many colors as you like. I made red and green and left the last bit white.
• Snip off a tiny bit of the tip of each piping bag.
• There are lots of ways to decorate your pooch. With Royal icing, one of the keys is to make an outline of the shape you want to fill. Then you can use a thinner “flood” to complete the base. For the sweaters, outline the sweater first.
• You can get a feathered effect by dragging the toothpick through the icing. Place a piping bag in a drinking glass to hold it upright then fill it with royal icing using a spoon or spatula. Repeat this process for each color of royal icing.

You can get a feathered effect by dragging the toothpick through the icing. Place a piping bag in a drinking glass to hold it upright then fill it with royal icing using a spoon or spatula. Repeat this process for each color of royal icing.

Adding the Finishing Touches

Once everything is dry, thread the ribbon or string through the hole and tie it off, creating a loop for hanging.

Hang your Dog Christmas Cookie Dough Ornaments on your tree or gift them to fellow dog lovers!

If you liked this post you might like this one on how to make felt dog ornaments and see the final tree with all the dog ornaments.