Gingerbread Votive Holder for the Holidays

Not many things smell better than gingerbread baking in your household over the holidays. The above gingerbread votive holder was quite simple to make. We traced a template for the 4-clover base, cut out four heart shaped cookies and one star. We used a paring knife to cut out holes large enough in the hearts to hold the votives, then baked everything up. Bake the 'clover' shape on a separate pan as it will take longer than the hearts and star. When the stars are slightly cooled, check to make sure the votives still fit into the holes as the gingerbread may have spread during baking. If they don't fit, carefully scrape away excess until the votives slip into the holes.

Royal icing is the only medium we used for constructing and decorating. Adhere the hearts with royal in a symmetrical fashion around the base, then glue the star on top. We used cornelli lace designs and some basic outline piping and swiss dots to complete our piece, but there are so many creative ideas you can come up with on your own.

As with all flamable items, don't leave your gingerbread candle holder unattended!