Easy Gingerbread Christmas Trees Recipe (Stacked Stars)

What’s the one thing that truly makes it feel like the holidays? For me, it’s the smell of warm, spiced gingerbread wafting through the kitchen. While classic gingerbread men are a joy, what if you could take your holiday baking to the next level? This year, let’s turn that delicious cookie into an edible, 3D centerpiece.

This Gingerbread Christmas Trees recipe is the perfect holiday project. It’s a show-stopping, festive dessert built by stacking star-shaped gingerbread cookies. It’s far easier than it looks and is a fantastic way to create a beautiful, edible decoration for your holiday table. Get ready to “wow” your family and friends!

Ingredients for Gingerbread Christmas Trees

Before you start, you’ll need a “nest” of star cookie cutters (a set of 5 or 6 in decreasing sizes). This is the key to the 3D tree shape!

Special Equipment Needed

• Nest of star cookie cutters (5 or 6 sizes)
• Stand mixer or handheld electric beaters
• Small sieve
• Silver or gold paper patty pans

For the Gingerbread

Ingredient	Amount/Quantity
Butter	125 grams, softened
Firmly packed brown sugar	½ cup (100 grams)
Large egg	1 (60 grams)
Vanilla extract	¼ teaspoon
Rich golden syrup (or treacle)	¼ cup (65 grams)
Plain all-purpose flour	2 ½ cups (360 grams)
Ground ginger	3 teaspoons
Mixed spice	1 teaspoon
Bicarb soda (baking soda)	1 teaspoon

For the Buttercream Icing

Ingredient	Amount/Quantity
Creamy unsalted butter	125 grams, softened
Icing sugar (powdered sugar)	1 ½ cups (225 grams)
Milk	1 tablespoon
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon

For Decorating

Ingredient	Amount/Quantity
Gold food glitter	For the star topper
Christmas-themed sprinkles	As desired
Gold or silver cachous (dragees)	As desired
Icing sugar (powdered sugar)	1 tablespoon, for dusting

Timing

This is a perfect weekend baking project. The dough needs to chill, and the finished trees need time to set, so it’s a wonderful, relaxing recipe to spread over a day or two.

• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Chill time: 1 hour (for the dough)
• Bake time: 10-15 minutes
• Assembly & Setting time: 30 minutes (assembly) + 12-24 hours (setting)
• Total active time: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes
• Total project time: 14-26 hours (mostly inactive time)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cream Butter and Sugar

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 125 grams of softened butter and 100 grams of brown sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients

Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well until everything is thoroughly combined. Gently warm the golden syrup in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (this makes it easier to pour), then add it to the mixture and beat again.

Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, ground ginger, mixed spice, and bicarb soda. Add these dry ingredients to your wet mixture in three batches, mixing on low speed until a firm dough forms.

Step 4: Chill the Dough

This step is essential! The dough will be soft. Divide it into two balls, wrap them tightly in plastic food wrap, and place them in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. A cold dough is much easier to roll and cut.

Step 5: Preheat and Prep Pans

About 10 minutes before you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 170°C / 340°F (fan-forced). Grease and line three baking trays with parchment paper.

Step 6: Roll and Cut the Stars

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of dough to a thickness of about ½ cm (or ¼ inch). Using your nesting star cookie cutters, cut out your shapes. To make one tree, you will need two stars of each size, except for the very smallest one—you will only need one of those for the topper.

Step 7: Bake the Gingerbread Stars

Use a metal spatula to carefully transfer the star shapes to your prepared baking trays. This is a key tip: Arrange the stars by size, placing similar-sized stars on the same tray. This is because the smaller stars will bake much faster than the larger ones.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on the tray with the smallest stars—they may only need 8-10 minutes, while the largest stars may need the full 15. They are done when they are a rich, golden-brown color and firm to the touch.

Step 8: Cool Completely

Allow the gingerbread stars to cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They must be 100% cool before you try to assemble them.

Step 9: Make the Buttercream Icing

While the cookies cool, make your “glue.” In a clean bowl, beat the 125 grams of softened butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar, a little at a time, beating on low speed until it’s combined. Once all the sugar is in, beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes until the buttercream is smooth.

Step 10: Assemble the Trees

This is the fun part! Start with one of your two largest stars and lay it flat. Pipe a small dot of buttercream in the center. Place the second largest star on top, but offset the points so they sit in between the points of the bottom star.

Continue this pattern: pipe a dot of buttercream, add the next-smallest star, and offset the points. Repeat for all the pairs of stars, stacking them from largest to smallest.

Step 11: Add the Tree Topper

Take your single, smallest star. Coat it in the gold food glitter. Pipe a small dot of buttercream in the center of the top star on your tree, and gently press the glittery star in place, standing it up.

Step 12: Decorate and Set

Pipe tiny, small dots of buttercream on the points of the stars (these are now the “branches”). Add your Christmas-themed sprinkles or cachous to the buttercream dots, like little ornaments.

Gently dust each tree with a little icing sugar (using a small sieve) for a beautiful “snowy” effect. Finally, let the trees sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. This allows the buttercream to firm up and makes the trees stable.

Nutritional Information

The following is an estimate per tree, based on a 5-star stack. This is a festive treat, and the nutritional value can vary based on your cutter sizes and the amount of decoration!

• Calories: 350-450 kcal
• Protein: 4 g
• Carbohydrates: 55 g
• Fat: 14 g
• Sugar: 35 g

(Please note: This is an estimate and not a certified nutritional analysis.)

Healthier Alternatives

While this is a classic holiday indulgence, you can make a few swaps.

• Gluten-Free: You can substitute the plain flour with a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.
• Vegan: Use a plant-based block butter substitute in both the dough and the buttercream, and replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, let sit for 10 minutes).

Serving Suggestions

These Gingerbread Christmas Trees are a decoration and dessert all in one!

• Place Settings: Place a finished tree in a gold or silver paper patty pan at each person’s spot on the Christmas dinner table.
• Centerpiece: Arrange 3-5 trees on a platter to create a stunning, edible “gingerbread forest.”
• Homemade Gift: These are perfect for a cookie exchange! Once fully set, they are surprisingly sturdy and make for a very impressive gift.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Dough is too sticky to roll: You didn’t chill it long enough. Solution: The 1-hour chill time is not a suggestion, it’s essential! If your kitchen is warm, you may even want to chill the scraps between roll-outs.
• Small stars are burnt, large stars are raw: You baked all sizes on one tray. Solution: Always bake on separate trays by size. The small stars will be done in a flash, while the large ones need more time.
• My tree is wobbly and won’t set: You used too much buttercream. Solution: You only need a tiny dot, about the size of a pea, between each layer. The buttercream is “glue,” not filling. Also, be patient and let it set for the full 12 hours.
• Cookies spread too much: The dough was too warm, or you added too much bicarb soda. Solution: Ensure your dough is cold, and double-check your measurements.

Storing Tips

• To Store: Once the trees are fully set (12-24 hours), they are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate, as this can make the cookies go soft.
• To Make Ahead: You can bake the star cookies up to a week in advance and store them in an airtight container. Make the buttercream and assemble the trees a day or two before you need them.

Conclusion

This recipe is so much more than a simple holiday cookie. It’s a fun, festive project that brings a little bit of magic to your kitchen. These Gingerbread Christmas Trees are a delight to build, a joy to look at, and absolutely delicious to eat. They are the perfect, show-stopping centerpiece for your holiday celebration.

We hope you enjoy making these stacked star cookies! Try it out and let us know in the comments how your trees turned out. We’d love to see your creations!

FAQs

Q1. Can I use royal icing instead of buttercream?

Absolutely! Royal icing will set much harder and make the trees incredibly sturdy, almost like a gingerbread house. Buttercream, however, has a richer, buttery flavor and a softer bite. It’s a trade-off between sturdiness and taste.

Q2. I can’t find golden syrup. What can I use?

The recipe data also suggests treacle, which is a great substitute. If you can’t find that, you can use light molasses. Do not use honey or maple syrup, as they will change the flavor and texture of the gingerbread.

Q3. How many trees does this recipe make?

This depends entirely on the size of your star cookie cutters! With a standard 5-cutter set, this recipe should make approximately 4 to 6 complete trees.

Q4. Do I really have to let them set for 12-24 hours?

If you plan on moving them, transporting them, or giving them as gifts, yes. This time allows the buttercream to crust over and harden, “gluing” the tree together. If you are just making them to eat at home right away, you can be less patient!

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