Gingerbread Christmas Tree

Taste: Sweet; Technique: Baking; Time: Several hours; Difficulty: Moderate.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Gingerbread Christmas Tree

Cream softened butter until smooth.

Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add eggs gradually and beat until well combined.

Add a little vanilla extract.

Sift in a mixture of cake flour and cornstarch, and mix with a spatula until well combined.

Divide the dough into three portions, roll out into sheets, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze in the refrigerator for about half an hour. (This recipe makes a large quantity, enough to make two Christmas trees)

Roll out the chilled dough between plastic wrap (to prevent sticking) into thin sheets.

Use star-shaped cookie cutters of different sizes to cut out gingerbread blanks, cutting each one into two pieces.

Place the cut gingerbread blanks on a baking sheet, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. Once baked, let them cool.

Beat egg white with powdered sugar until well combined, then add a little lemon juice and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag.

Add a few drops of green food coloring to a portion of the icing and mix well.

Use the sticky royal icing to stack the gingerbread pieces in alternating sizes from large to small.

Cover the gingerbread with green icing, sprinkle with decorative sugar, and pipe some white icing on top as snow.

Finished Product