Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 3½ cups All-purpose flour 
  • 10 tbsp Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
  • ¾ cup Dark brown sugar (packed)
  • ⅔ cup Molasses (light or dark)
  • 1 large Egg
  • ½ tsp Baking soda
  • ½ tsp Baking powder
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 tbsp Cinnamon Powder
  • ½ tsp Ground Cloves
  • ¼ tsp Nutmeg (freshly grated)
  • ¼ tsp Orange extract ((or 1 tsp orange zest) )
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 4 cups Powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp Milk
  • ¼ tsp Vanilla extract

Instruction

  • Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices - cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.
  • Dough - In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and egg. Followed by flour mixture, orange, and vanilla extract. Combine well. Pro tip - Make sure to cream the butter and sugar until the sugar is almost dissolved in the butter and it all becomes very lighter in color.
  • Chill dough - Divide the dough into two, wrap in plastic, and let chill until firm enough to roll - about 2 hours or overnight. Pro tip - Do not skip on the chilling time. Otherwise, it will be too soft to roll and the cookies will spread.
  • Roll - Roll the dough on a lightly flowered work surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Roll into a long rectangle about 3 inches in height. Then, using a sharp knife cut at an angle to create the long triangle shapes similar to a Christmas tree (as shown in the video). Or, you can use a Christmas tree cookie cutter too!Pro tip - I use a rolling pin with spacers so the dough is the same thickness all over. If necessary, chill the excess dough before you gather the scraps together and re-roll the cookie dough again.
  • Chill cookies - Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Leaving a little gap between them for air circulation. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. Pro tip - Chilling the cookies is a sure way to ensure the cookies do not spread. You can leave the rolled cookies well wrapped in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking.
  • Preheat the oven at 177°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4
  • Bake the Christmas tree cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.Pro tip - If you do not want to frost the baked cookies you can add sprinkles, colorful dragees, or M&M to the cookies before baking too.
  • Cool - Once baked, cool them on the cookie sheet for 10 mins. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Icing for cookies - Combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until you have a smooth thick piping consistency. Pro tip - This is a simple eggless frosting. But you can also use royal icing or other flavored frostings to ice these cookies.
  • Frost the cookies - Color half the icing with garden green gel food colors. Add the white and green icing to two separate piping bags with a small star piping tip. Pipe diagonal lines on the triangle cookies as shown in the video and top with colorful sprinkles.Pro tip - Alternatively, you can also put the icing in a ziplock bag and cut a small snip at the end.
  • Storage - Let the icing dry properly before you stack the cookies and store them in an airtight container or cookie jar.