Gingerbread Tree Recipe
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups light molasses
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 10 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 container (3 ounces) cinnamon Red Hot candies (about 1/3 cup)
- Confectioners' sugar, optional
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, molasses and vinegar; mix well. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and chill overnight.
- Trace each star size onto waxed paper and cut out. If you would like to preserve the patterns, copy them, cover both sides with Contact paper and cut out. On a lightly floured surface, roll a portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness; keep rest refrigerated.
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut around star patterns. You will need a total of 33 cookies--two treetop stars; three each of stars 1-4 and 9; and four each of stars 5-8. Place 12 in. apart on greased
- . Press a red-hot candy into the center of each treetop star; press red hot candies into points of the rest of the stars. In one number 9 star, make two indentations as shown on the pattern (to hold the treetop stars in place).
- Place all cookies in a 350u0b0 oven and bake until lightly browned on the edges; 5 minutes for treetop stars; 8-10 minutes for numbers 6-9; 11-12 minutes for numbers 1-5. Cool on
- for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks and cool completely.
- Starting with star number 1, stack stars on the serving plate, staggering star points. For a natural-looking tree as shown in the photo at left, the sizes are alternated in the following order: 1-1-2-1-2-3-2-3-4-5-4-5-5-6-5-6-6-7-6-7-7-8-7-8-8-9-8-9-9 ( with indentations). Place the two tree top stars in the indentations, leaning back to back. Dust tree with confectioners' sugar if desired. To serve, pass the entire tree.
butter, sugar, eggs, light molasses, white vinegar, flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, cinnamon red, confectioners
Taken from www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/gingerbread-tree-recipe/ (may not work)