Christmas tree gingerbread cut-outs with piped garlands and tiny icing ornaments, made with molasses, ginger and cinnamon.
A simple tree silhouette leaves room for white garlands and small ornament dots. Broad branches are easier to lift than narrow tips. Roll evenly, keep unused dough cold, and practice the piping on parchment before decorating the cooled batch.
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Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 8–12 minutes · About 3 trays, one at a time; cutter shape changes yield
Allow 165 minutes: 55 hands-on, 60 chilling, 30 for all baking trays, 20 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- US measuring cups/spoons and digital kitchen scale
- Large saucepan, mixing bowl and whisk
- Rolling pin and parchment
- 3-inch Christmas tree cutter
- Two 13 × 18-inch baking sheets
- Wire cooling rack
- Small piping bags with fine round tips
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Decoration
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Melt & season
- Gently melt butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar, molasses, salt and spices until evenly combined. Let cool until lukewarm before beating in the egg.
Combine
- Whisk flour with baking powder and baking soda, then mix into the wet ingredients until no dry flour remains. Dough will be sticky; do not add more flour.
Firm the dough
- Divide into two flattened rectangles, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 60 minutes, until cold and firm enough to roll. Chilling firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate.
Shape
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional, or 320°F (160°C) fan. Roll one cold portion 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured parchment. Cut 3-inch Christmas tree shapes, lifting them with a thin spatula. Space 1 inch apart. Gather scraps gently and keep unused dough cold.
Check doneness
- Place on parchment-lined pans about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake one tray at a time for 8–12 minutes. Check at 8 minutes, especially with fan: edges should darken slightly and surfaces look set. Smaller shapes finish sooner.
Cool before icing
- Leave on the pan 5 minutes, then cool on a rack about 15 minutes until completely cold. Pipe a zigzag white garland from the top down, leaving visible cookie between lines. Add small icing dots as ornaments and a small star at the top. Let icing dry according to its packaging before stacking; drying time is additional.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Clean outlines
Roll dough to an even 1/4 inch and keep narrow details cold. Avoid stretching cut-outs during transfer.
Piping control
Keep your piping bag just above the cookie and let a thin line settle onto the surface. Add dots only after the garland lines have started to set.
A tidy finish
Decorate completely cooled cookies. Practice the line thickness on parchment before piping the batch.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 5 days | Store fully cooled cookies airtight in a cool, dry place. Let icing dry, then separate layers with parchment; follow any icing storage instructions. |
| Refrigeration | Dough: up to 48 hours | Keep dough tightly wrapped. Let it soften just enough to roll while remaining cool. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months at 0°F (−18°C) | Wrap flattened dough portions tightly, then bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and roll while cool. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months at 0°F (−18°C) | For best appearance, freeze undecorated, cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature before icing. |
| Restoring | Before decorating | For crisper edges, warm plain cookies at 300°F (150°C) conventional for 3–5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Do not reheat iced cookies. |
Notes
- Prepared icing consistency and drying time vary by brand. The amount allows simple piped details; elaborate flood icing requires more icing and decorating time. These are flat edible cookies, not structural gingerbread.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop the tree tip breaking?
Keep the dough cold and lift the entire tree with a wide spatula. Cool on the pan before moving.
Should I use green icing?
White icing looks snowy; green prepared cookie icing is an optional color choice with the same technique.
Can trees and rounds share a tray?
Bake shapes of similar size together. Thin tree tips brown sooner than broad rounds.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
