This cookie advent calendar is the most adorable — and entirely edible — holiday baking project

‘Most wonderful time of the year’ — how we do love thee, and we love to count the ways. Not only is this advent calendar amazing for letting us mark the days til “Saaaan-taaaa!”, one sweet treat at a time, this one is even more delicious than the rest. Combining the spicy goodness and creative outlet of the make-it-your-own gingerbread house, with the daily reward of a traditional advent calendar, this one is edible from the surprise inside to its very doors, frame and all. Good to the last crumb.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup molasses
• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cloves

Icing:

• 425g package of royal icing, prepared according to package instructions
• Food colouring pastes, in the colours of your choice

Preparation

First make the dough. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated. Add molasses and mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients. To mixer, add dry ingredients a little at a time until fully incorporated.

Take ⅓ of the dough and set aside.

Flour your work surface and roll out your larger, ⅔ piece of dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out into a 9 x 12 inch rectangle and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use an approximately 1 inch cookie cutter to cut out 25 windows. Place the cutouts on a second parchment lined baking sheet.

Roll the remaining ⅓ piece of dough out into ¼ inch thickness. Use a small, finely pointed knife or 1 inch cookie cutters to create a variety of different shapes that will fit in the windows, such as  trees, stars, mittens, animals etc. Place them on a third parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake all cookies at 350F degrees for 8 minutes (in batches if needed), until the shine on the dough is gone and the pieces are quite firm. Let cool before icing.

While cooling, dye royal icing with food colouring paste by separating the icing into as many bowls as you will have colours, and adding the paste a little at a time to get the depth of colour you desire — adding the paste with a toothpick helps with this. Pick any colours you want!

Ice the frame of your calendar. Decorate with sprinkles or piping details. Let dry.

Place each of your different shapes in each window and ice any way you want, decorate with sprinkles if desired. Let dry.

Hold each door in your hand and use a spoon to spread icing on top. Then place on top of each window. Continue until all 25 are iced and in place. Let dry. Then pipe numbers 1-25 on top of each door and let dry.

Starting December 1st open each door and eat the treat inside! Merry Christmas!