3D Chocolate Ginger Christmas Trees
MAKES SIX 3D TREES HANDS-ON TIME 45 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 2 HOURS
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 tbsp fancy molasses 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp baking soda pinch salt
Royal Icing 1 tbsp meringue powder 2 tbsp water (approx) 1 cup icing sugar 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 ⅛-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, ½ 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.
PER HALF-TREE about 118 cal, 1 g pro, 5 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 16 g carb (1 g dietary fibre, 8 g sugar), 13 mg chol, 35 mg sodium, 70 mg potassium. % RDI: 1% calcium, 5% iron, 4% vit A, 8% folate.
These templates make a 4-inch tree. For smaller trees, photocopy the templates, reducing to 70 or 80 percent.