Gingerbread Christmas Trees
Ingredients
- For the cookie dough
- 250 grams honey
- 250 grams brown sugar
- 150 grams butter
- 100 grams ground almonds
- 400 grams Pastry flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch Cardamom
- 1 pinch Mace
- 1 pinch allspice
- 2 tsps Gingerbread spice (instead of the other spices)
- ½ lemon (zested)
- 1 Tbsp Cocoa
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp potatoes
- 2 Tbsps water (or rum)
- For the decoration
- 100 grams powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Preparation steps
For the cookie dough: Stir the honey, sugar and butter in a pot until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool. Once cool, add the ground almonds, flour, spices and egg and mix until combined. In a small cup, dissolve the potash in the water. Add to the dough and knead until the dough is shiny and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. It should be firm and pliable. Cover and chill overnight (or at least 4 hours).
Preheat the oven to 180°C (approximately 350°F). Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Roll the dough out until 5-6 mm (approximately 1/4 inch) thick. Cut out Christmas tree shapes with a cookie cutter and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake for about 18 minutes. While still warm, transfer to a wire rack and let cool. For the decoration: Whisk the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make a smooth but thick mixture. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe over the cookies. Let dry before serving.
