If you need a whimsical and special Christmas dessert, then make your own gingerbread tree. Although gingerbread cookie trees require a lot of time and patience, they will impress your guests with the effort you put into making this Christmas treat. The combination of gingerbread stars and circles stacked together and covered in icing will create a beautiful and tasty tree that will give you a sense of pride and accomplishment when you make this masterpiece.
Instructions
1. Make the star templates for the cookies. On sheets of wax paper, use a pencil and ruler to draw stars with five points. You will need stars with the following measurements: 8 ½-, 8-, 7 ½-, 7 1/4-, 6 3/4-, 6- and 4 ½-inch stars. Cut these stars out and set them aside.
2. Combine the brown sugar and molasses in a saucepan. Place the pan over medium-heat heat and bring the ingredients to a boil. Stir the ingredients continuously to prevent them from burning.
3. Remove the mixture from the heat. Add the butter, and stir until it melts. Once the butter melts, add the beaten eggs until they are well blended.
4. Add the rest of the dough ingredients. This includes the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, cloves and salt. Once you mix these ingredients into dough, divide this dough into four equal sections.
5. Roll each dough section down to ¼ of an inch thick. Place the wax paper templates over the dough. You will need to cut out two 8-, 7 1/4-, and 6-inch stars, and one star from the rest of the templates with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
6. Spray nonstick spray onto a baking sheet. Place these star cutouts onto the baking sheet, and bake them at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
7. Use a 2 ½-inch round cookie cutter to make two circles. Now use the 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles, and the 1 ½-inch round cookie cutter to make 2 circles. Cut out stars with the star-shaped cookie cutters using the left over dough. You will need to re-roll the scraps to achieve this properly.
8. Place the dough cutouts onto a baking sheet. Bake these at 25 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
9. Prepare the icing for the gingerbread tree cookies. Combine 3 ¾ cups of confectioners' sugar, 3 tbsp. meringue powder, and 5 tbsp. water in a bowl. Mix these ingredients on a low speed using a hand mixer until mixed well. Turn the hand mixer on high, and beat for 4 to 5 minutes to form stiff peaks. Cover the icing bowl with a damp cloth to keep it from hardening until ready to use.
10. Place icing on top of one large cookie. Add another large cookie on top of this to make one large cookie sandwich. Make six of these large cookies, and one small cookie sandwich with this method.
11. Sit the 8 ½-inch star on a plate. Spread icing onto the center of the star, and then add the 8-inch star. Add icing to the top of this star, and then add a large cookie sandwich. Spread icing on top of this cookie sandwich and add the 8-inch star. Let this stand and set for 15 minutes.
12. Add the rest of the stars and sandwich cookies to the tree. Continue to add icing to each cookie, and build a tree using the largest stars and cookies. Let the tree set for 15 minutes after you add each star.
13. Use the rest of the icing ingredients to make another batch. Place the icing in a plastic bag, and remove clip a corner of the bag with scissors. Insert a petal tip, and decorate the gingerbread tree with icing and various candies.
14. Place a 2-inch star cookie on top of the gingerbread tree. This is the star topper for your eatable tree.
15. Decorate the leftover small star cookies with icing. Scatter them on the serving tray.
Tags: cookie sandwich, large cookie, baking sheet, cookie cutter, onto baking
