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Delicious and soft gingerbread cookies baked with warm spices for the holidays.

Christmas Tree Gingerbread Cookies

These festive Christmas tree gingerbread cookies are soft with a slight crisp edge, perfect for decorating and holiday gatherings.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Holiday
Calories: 120
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 3 cups All-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons Ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground cloves or allspice Optional for extra spice
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Wet Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup Brown sugar For a cozy caramel taste
  • 1 large Egg
  • 1/2 cup Molasses Key for deep gingerbread flavor
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Method
 

Preparation
  1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a larger bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy and lighter in color.
  3. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla until the mixture is glossy.
  4. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix.
  5. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Rolling and Cutting
  1. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thick.
  2. Use a Christmas tree cookie cutter to cut out shapes and lift with a thin spatula.
  3. Space the shapes about 1 inch apart on a lined baking sheet.
  4. Chill the cutouts on the tray for 10 minutes before baking.
Baking
  1. Bake at 350°F for about 8-10 minutes until edges are set.
  2. Let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Decorating
  1. Make royal icing by mixing powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until stiff peaks form.
  2. Thin the icing slightly for piping smooth lines.
  3. Let the icing dry fully before stacking cookies, at least 4 hours or overnight for gifting.

Notes

Fresh spices improve the flavor of your gingerbread. If you want a different design, this recipe can also be used for making gingerbread men.