These 3D ginger cookies are perfect to enjoy all holiday season long and make a fun display for our Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake.
- Prep time 45 minutes
- Total time 2 hours
Ingredients
Royal Icing:
Method
In bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute; beat in molasses. In bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture in 2 additions to make soft dough, mixing with hands or kneading to bring together. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Between parchment paper, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 4-inch 3D Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut 12 shapes. (If using templates below, cut 6 shapes with each template.) Reroll scraps as needed. Arrange, 1 inch apart, on prepared pans; refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until fragrant and firm, 9 to 11 minutes. Recut slots on warm cookies to ensure openings for trees to fit together. Let cool on pan on rack for 5 minutes; transfer to rack to cool completely.
Royal Icing: In bowl, using electric mixer, beat meringue powder with water on medium speed until foamy, about 2 minutes; beat in icing sugar until stiff and glossy, about 4 minutes. Beat in additional water, 1/2 tsp at a time, until desired consistency is reached; cover with plastic wrap until cookies are completely cool.
Spoon Royal Icing into piping bag fitted with small plain tip; pipe dots along straight edges or tips of each cookie. Let stand until dry, about 30 minutes.
Assembly: Holding cookies at right angles to each other, interlock slot of A cookies with slot of B cookies.
Makes six 3D trees.
CHANGE IT UP:
3D GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREES
Omit cocoa powder and increase ground ginger to 2 tsp.
COOKIE TEMPLATE
These templates make a 4-inch tree. For smaller trees, photocopy the templates, reducing to 70 or 80 percent.
Click on image to download and print the template.
Nutritional facts PER HALF-TREE: about
- Fibre 1 g
- Sodium 35
- Sugars 8 g
- Protein 1 g
- Calories 118
- Total fat 5 g
- Potassium 70
- Cholesterol 13 mg
- Saturated fat 3 g
- Total carbohydrate 16 g
%RDI
- Iron 5
- Folate 8
- Calcium 1
- Vitamin A 4
