This edible Christmas tree will be the star of your festive celebrations.

What you need to know before you start

You’ll need snowflake or star-shaped cookie cutters in seven different sizes to create this staggered tree shape. We used 14.5cm, 14cm, 11cm, 7cm, 4.5cm, 3.5cm and 3cm-sized cutters. You’ll also need baking trays, a rolling pin and a flour sifter to dust with icing sugar. When decorating the gingerbread biscuits, feel free to use piping bags, cookie brushes or modelling tools.

This recipe requires you to create 3 quantities of the gingerbread, allowing the dough to chill for 30 minutes after it comes together and a further 30 minutes after it’s rolled out. As most home ovens will have limited space, take this into consideration, as it’s likely you’ll need to cook in batches, and add additional time to allow for all batches to be made. 

Why is this the best edible gingerbread Christmas tree?

This impressive edible structure is the perfect centrepiece for your dessert table this Christmas. You’ll feel (and smell!) the festive spirit throughout the home as you bake this classic recipe. After you’ve baked the gingerbread, it’s a great opportunity to gather friends, family and even the little ones to help decorate and put your own personal twist on the recipe.

While some may choose to leave the gingerbread tree untouched as a decorative piece, we also encourage you to eat it! The warming ginger spices create a deliciously festive biscuit that’s best eaten while watching your favourite Christmas movie. 

Should gingerbread be soft or crunchy?

Gingerbread should have a slightly crunchy outer texture with a soft centre. The crispiness will help to hold the biscuit’s shape, allowing you to easily build structures like gingerbread houses and Christmas trees. 

Should gingerbread dough be chilled before baking?

Absolutely. Refrigerating your gingerbread dough is an imperative step that shouldn’t be skipped. As the gingerbread ingredients come together, chilling will help to firm up the dough, so it will shrink less when baking, making it easier to work with. The dough is refrigerated once it’s rolled up and again when the stars have been cut out. If you’re finding the dough is too soft to work with, you can also pop it in the freezer to firm up before removing the cut stars from the sheet of dough. 

What ingredients you’ll need

Store-bought white icing: Ready-made icing is used to decorate the baked biscuits. Get creative and create your own patterns and designs! You’ll also use the white icing to secure the tree. 

Icing sugar: Along with the egg white and lime juice, icing sugar is used to create the royal icing. A final dusting of icing sugar is also sprinkled over the tree to complete the look of the dish. 

Plain flour: Flour is a crucial ingredient in gingerbread dough as it helps to maintain structure and give the biscuits shape when being baked. 

Bicarb soda: Bicarb soda acts as a leavening agent, helping the gingerbread dough to rise and to create a softer cookie. 

Ground ginger: This gives the biscuits the distinct warm and spicy flavour synonymous with gingerbread.  

Dark brown sugar: Dark brown sugar has a rich, deep flavour due to its higher molasses content compared to light brown sugar. This imparts a subtle caramel and toffee-like taste while giving the dough a dark colour. 

Unsalted butter: Butter provides a rich, creamy flavour while helping to create a soft and chewy consistency. 

Egg: Egg acts as a binding agent to help bring the dough ingredients together. Egg whites are also used to create the royal icing. 

Golden syrup: Golden syrup adds a distinct sweetness to the gingerbread, complementing the other flavours of spices and brown sugar. 

Lime juice: The acidity of the lime juice helps to stabilise the egg white to create a smooth and glossy royal icing. However, you can also use water.

How to assemble an edible gingerbread Christmas tree

Once you have all the components of your gingerbread tree baked and decorated, it’s time to assemble. We find it easiest to arrange the biscuits in order of size, so you can easily grab and go. Start with the largest size and place it on a plate or serving platter. You may wish to add a small dab of white icing to the base to help hold it in place.

From here, you can begin to stack the biscuits from largest to smallest, securing with some icing in between each piece. After every  3-4 layers have been stacked, allow time for the icing to set. This will help to ensure that your structure is secure. When you’ve reached the last star, sit it upright to mimic the look of a traditional Christmas tree and give it a final dusting of icing sugar. 

How long can you wait to eat a gingerbread tree?

Like any edible gingerbread tree or house, you may wish to leave it on display during the festive period. However if you intend to eat it, you may want to do so sooner rather than later. While it is perfectly safe to consume gingerbread up to a week after it has been baked, you may find it has become stale. 

Cover your gingerbread tree with plastic wrap each night to protect it from dust, or feel free to disassemble the tree and store the individual stars in an airtight container in a cool place to enjoy later. 

How to serve a gingerbread Christmas tree

Serve up your edible gingerbread tree on your dessert table alongside other classic festive treats like Christmas pudding, salted toffees and mince pies. Let your guests dismantle the tree as they choose their favourite piece of gingerbread, or bake up a separate batch just for eating. 

If you love this edible gingerbread Christmas tree recipe, try this 

Love the taste of gingerbread? Get baking this Christmas and try your hand at a selection of our favourite desserts you and your guests will love:

• Gingerbread loaf
• Gingerbread people
• Gingerbread brownies