Beautiful decorating starts with a well-baked cookie. Last year my honey gingerbread recipe went down so well that I got loads of messages from you about how fragrant and soft the cookies were straight out of the oven. So give it a try this year too! 🎄

Every oven bakes a little differently. The Patisse oven thermometer shows you the real temperature inside, so you won't overbake your gingerbread and it will stay tender.

For decorating gingerbread cookies, I use royal icing. You can pipe thin outlines, tiny ornaments and smooth flooded areas with it, and it sets nice and hard once dry. The FunCakes ready-made mix saves you time – just add water and stir. Then simply adjust the consistency to suit whatever you're decorating.

ProGel gel colors are highly concentrated, so you only need a tiny amount to tint your icing. Add them gradually until you reach the shade you want. For a classic Christmas look, reach for ruby red and mint green – together with white icing, they make the traditional combination for trees, hearts and ornaments.

Good decorating depends not only on the icing but also on a piping bag that feels right in your hand. One Way Masterline bags have a Soft Touch finish, so they're easy to hold even with slightly greasy hands. The inside is smooth, so the icing flows easily and you can squeeze it out without any extra effort.

The pack contains 100 pieces, so you won't need to keep restocking, and it will see you through all your Christmas baking and beyond. For really fine lines and lettering, use the PME Supatube Writing Tip No. 1.5 – the line comes out more even than when you simply snip the tip off the bag.

You don't have to pipe every detail. Sugarflair edible glitter dust in gold or Christmas red gives your gingerbread cookies a festive shimmer. The Pastel Party sprinkles with stars and the Love Sticks sprinkles in red and pink add a playful touch. And once Christmas is over, the sticks will come in handy for Valentine's Day, too.

If you only want the essentials, the basics below are all you need: royal icing, ruby red color, piping bags and a tip for fine lines. For 968 CZK, you get everything you need for your first round of decorating.

If you add mint green, both glitter dusts, both sprinkles and the oven thermometer to the basics, you'll reach 1,908 CZK – and shipping is free from 1,800 CZK.