Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies Food

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREE SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Beat the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses until combined, then the egg (the mixture might look curdled). Add the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Keeping one dough disk refrigerated, roll the other on a well-floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling flour on and under the dough as needed and sliding a spatula underneath every so often to prevent sticking (if the dough looks crackly or breaks apart, press it back together from the outside edge in). Use a 3 1/2-inch-wide by 3 3/4-inch-tall Christmas tree cookie cutter to cut out trees as close together as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each shape, then use a small offset spatula to transfer the trees to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart (they will not spread much during baking). Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Repeat this process with the remaining dough disk to make about 22 total. Freeze the cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through cooking, until the cookies are slightly firm to the touch but not browned at the edges, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. The cookies will continue to firm as they cool.
• For the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and salt and mix until smooth and creamy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (size 6).
• For the add-ins: Pipe frosting in the style of a garland on half of the cookies. Lightly press the candy-coated chocolates into the frosting garlands. Cut the pretzel sticks to the same length as the cookie tree trunks. Pipe a small amount of frosting onto the trunks, then press pretzel stick pieces into the frosting. Turn the remaining cookies over (bottom-side up) and pipe frosting onto each. Top each with a decorated cookie and serve immediately.

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat shortening and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in molasses.
• Sift baking soda, ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon and flour together in a large bowl. Stir this mixture plus water into the sugar and shortening mixture, alternately adding the water and baking soda mixture to the shortening mixture.
• Stir until mixed thoroughly and refrigerate 6-8 hours.
• Cut dough into three equal pieces, knead each piece lightly and then use a rolling pin to roll out each piece to a 1/4-inch thickness.
• Use holiday cookie cutters made in the shapes of gingerbread people and houses to cut shapes out of the dough.
• Use a medium- to large-sized drinking straw or the end of a wooden chopstick to make a hole at the top of each shape. *Tip: make sure to really make a sizable hole (bigger than you think you need), as these do puff up in the cooking process, making the hole shrink.
• Put cookies on cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn oven off and allow cookies to cool in the oven. This will help harden the cookies.
• Place cookies on racks to completely harden. Place racks in a cool, dry place and let sit for two to three days.
• Coat cookies with clear acrylic or varnish and allow cookies to dry thoroughly.
• Paint cookies with acrylic paints as desired. Allow paint to dry thoroughly.
• Thread a 5- to 6-inch length of narrow ribbon or cording through the hole at the top of each ornament. You may have to use a toothpick to chip a little bit of cookie out of the hole if it has closed up a bit, before threading with ribbon. Knot ends and hang ornaments.

CHRISTMAS GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Beat in molasses and egg.
• Gradually add flour mixture to make a soft dough.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• On a lightly floured board, roll dough out to about 1/4" thickness. Do not roll too thin.
• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
• Place on lightly greased baking sheets.
• Bake for about 8 minutes, or until just firm when pressed. Do not overbake.
• Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.
• Remove and place on racks to finish cooling.
• Frost if desired. (Optional.).

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.