Louise’s Gingerbread Christmas Tree

Instructions

• 1Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside.
• 2Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until well combined and just creamed. Add the molasses and egg and beat to combine. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the flour mixture, beating to form a firm dough.
• 3Turn the dough onto the countertop and shape into a ball. Divide into two portions and roll each portion between sheets of parchment paper until 1/8-inch thick. Lightly dust the dough with flour if it starts sticking to the parchment. Place on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm.
• 4Insert the wire rack into position 5. Set the oven to Cookies, No fan, 355°F, for 8 minutes and press Start to preheat. Meanwhile, continue to the next step.
• 5Lightly spray 3 sheet pans with oil and line with parchment paper.
• 6Using a 10 piece 1¼-inch to 4¾-inch 6-pointed star cookie cutter set, cut 3 stars of each size. Place the stars on the prepared pans, from largest to smallest stars.
  Tip: Cut out any leftover dough into gingerbread men shapes.
• 7Once preheated, place the pan with the largest stars in the oven and cook for 8 minutes. Place the remaining 2 pans in the refrigerator.
• 8Cookies should just start to color around the edges. If not, cook them a little longer.
• 9Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the medium-sized stars then the smaller-sized stars.
• 10Just before assembling, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Add enough of the boiling water to form a smooth paste. Spoon the icing into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag and snip the tip.
• 11Stack the stars, starting with the largest to the smallest, alternating the points of the stars, securing each layer with a little icing and finishing by standing the smallest star upright. Stand for 15 minutes, or until the icing has set.
• 12Dust with powdered sugar and serve.