Gingerbread Christmas Tree Recipes

GINGERBREAD TREES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, gingerbread spice, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, brown sugar and molasses in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and add the flour mixture in two batches, beating until just combined. Divide the dough between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten into disks and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350˚. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface until about 3/8 inch thick. Cut out trees using 2- to 3-inch cutters. (If the dough becomes too sticky, refrigerate 15 minutes.) Arrange the cutouts 1 inch apart on the prepared pans.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the edges are lightly set, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then remove the cookies to racks to cool completely.
• Roll out the other disk of dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out more cookies. Once the baking sheets have cooled, arrange the cutouts on the pans, bake and let cool.
• Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the water until smooth and very thick. Transfer the icing to a resealable plastic bag, snip off a corner and pipe on the cookies; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Decorate with the sunflower seeds.

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl.
• Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan then allow to cool slightly. Combine with the flour. Beat in the egg until all combined. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Remove from the fridge and allow to soften slightly. Roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin and cut out your stars. Re-roll cookie dough remains together to use all of the dough.
• Place on lined baking trays. If using to hang on your tree, use a skewer to make a hole. Bake in batches for 10-15 minutes until golden. As soon as you remove them from the oven, check the holes and remake any that have closed up in baking, while the gingerbread is still hot. Leave to cool slightly on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To decorate: Using a stand or hand mixer on a slow setting, make the royal icing by placing the egg white in a bowl and gradually adding the icing sugar to build up a paste. Add a couple of tsps water if it's too thick. Spoon into an icing bag with a fine nozzle and draw on your snowflake designs onto half the biscuits. Melt the chocolate and spoon into a piping back, decorate the rest of your snowflakes. Thread with string to hang on your tree.

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180 deg Celsius.
• sift flour, baking powder and soda, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add honey and egg. Beat until combined.
• On low speed, beat in sifted dry ingredients until mixture comes together.
• Divide the dough in half. Wrap separately in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Trace 19 cm, 15 cm, 10 cm, 7.5 cm and 4.5 cm stars on to cardboard and cut out. For the 2 smaller sizes cutters may able to used.
• Roll out dough halves until 4 mm thick. Using star templates and 7.5 cm cutter, cut out 3 stars of each size from dough. Using the 4.5 cm star, cut out as many stars as possible from the remaining dough.
• Place same sized stars together, 3 cm apart, on baking paper-lined oven trays. Bake larger stars for 8-10 minutes; smaller stars for 5-7 minutes or until deep golden. Stand biscuits for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
• Place eggwhite in a bowl. Stir in icing sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until combined.
• Stack the largest stars at offset angles, placing 2-3, 4.5 cm stars in between. Glue each layer with icing.
• Continue stacking in decreasing size until all 7.5 cm stars are used. Finish with one 4.5 cm star flat and a second one upright. Use icing as 'glue' to decorate tree with cachous.
• Tie up remaining small stars to look like gifts. Leave tree to set for one hour. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

GINGERBREAD STAR TREE

Steps:

• Put the sugar, syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then bubble for 1-2 mins, stirring. Set aside to cool for 10 mins.
• Tip the flour, bicarb and spices into a large bowl. Add the syrup mixture and the egg, stir to bring everything together, then gently knead in the bowl until smooth. The dough will feel a little soft, but will firm up once cooled. Wrap and chill for at least 30 mins.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and leave at room temperature until softened. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
• Working with half the dough at a time (keeping the remaining dough well wrapped), roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 10-12 stars in descending size, re-rolling the offcuts if you need to. Arrange over the trays and bake for 8 mins until a few shades darker and puffed up a little. Cool on the trays for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep, un-iced, in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
• Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick, pipeable icing. Transfer to a piping bag and decorate. Pipe a blob of icing in the middle of each biscuit and stack them to make a tree, sticking the smallest star on top, standing upright.

GINGERBREAD TREES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together the softened butter with the caster sugar until creamy. Stir in bicarbonate of soda, golden syrup and the egg yolks. Sift in the plain flour and ground cinnamon and ground ginger then bring together with a wooden spoon. Shape into two balls, knead until the dough comes together, then chill for 30 mins. Roll out one ball at a time, to about 2 x £1 coin thickness. Stamp out trees with a 7cm cutter, then re-roll the trimmings. Lift dough onto greased baking sheets and bake for 10-12 mins until slightly risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Will keep in an airtight container up to a week.

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREES

Steps:

• In large bowl, stir first five ingredients until soft dough forms. Divide dough in half. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap dough; on lightly floured surface, roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with floured 5-inch Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Mix vanilla frosting and green paste food color until blended. Spread on cookies. Spread chocolate frosting on base of each cookie for tree stump. With white icing, starting at the top, pipe thin swooping lines to look like light strands. Decorate with light bulb candy sprinkles. Place star candy sprinkle at top of each cookie. Let stand until set.