How to Craft Reindeer Out of Gingerbread Men

The holidays offer an opportunity for the crafty and creative to let their imaginations run wild, turning all manner of common household items into seasonal crafts and decorations. Food items play a large role in this, from the traditional bowl of nuts to less common crafts such as suncatchers made from dried citrus fruit. Christmas cookies are another holiday essential, whether you turn out sophisticated European-style offerings or basic sugar cookies and gingerbread men. If your selection of seasonal cookie cutters is limited, you can alter one cookie into another.

Things You'll Need

Rolling pin
Gingerbread man cookie cutter
Paring knife

Baking sheet
Icing

Instructions

Roll the gingerbread cookie dough to a 1/4-inch thickness with a rolling pin.
Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to make as many cookies as you can, then gather up the dough scraps, press them into a ball and roll out the dough again. Repeat this process until you use all of the dough.
Turn a gingerbread man on its side, with the head facing to your left. Reshape the head, making it higher at the shoulder and tapering gently to a blunt or rounded nose. The effect should be a roughly egg-shaped oblong.
Trim away the upper arm and leg with the tip of a paring knife and reserve them. Press a small portion of the upper leg into the backside to serve as the reindeer's tail.
Bend and shape the new foreleg and hind leg to narrow and taper them. Do not make them too thin. Trim the dough with the tip of your paring knife, if necessary.
Shape a cut-off arm or leg into a Y-shaped antler, with the rear tine longer than the front. Press the antler to the top rear of the head.
Transfer carefully to a baking sheet and bake. Cool the cookies completely, then decorate the reindeer with icing eyes, harnesses and other details.

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