Make a gingerbread tree

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Gingerbread tree

Makes 1 tree

31/3 cups (500g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
150g unsalted butter, softened
175g dark brown sugar
150g honey
1 egg
1 eggwhite
11/2 cups (240g) icing sugar, sifted, plus extra, for dusting
Silver cachous, to decorate

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add honey and egg. Beat until combined. On low speed, beat in sifted dry ingredients until mixture comes together. Divide dough in 1/2. Wrap separately in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Trace 19cm, 15cm and 10cm stars on to cardboard and cut out. For 7.5cm and 4.5cm stars use cutters.
4. Roll out dough halves between baking paper until 4mm thick. Using star templates and 7.5cm cutter, cut out 3 stars of each size from dough. Using 4.5cm cutter, cut out as many stars as possible from remaining dough.
5. Place same sized stars together, 3cm apart, on baking paper-lined oven trays. Bake larger stars for 8-10 minutes; smaller stars for 5-7 minutes or until deep golden. Stand biscuits for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
6. Place eggwhite in a bowl. Stir in icing sugar, 2 tbs at a time, until combined.
7. Stack the largest stars at offset angles, placing 2-3, 4.5cm stars in between. Glue each layer with icing. Continue stacking in decreasing size until all 7.5cm stars are used. Finish with one 4.5cm star flat and a second one upright. Use icing as ‘glue’ to decorate tree with cachous.
8. Tie up remaining small stars to look like presents. Leave tree to set for 1 hour. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Photography: Andrew Lehmann   Styling: Amber Keller   Food preparation: Lisa Featherby