1-Let’s dive into the fun part getting your hands doughy and creating something special. Start by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C) to ensure everything bakes evenly. This gingerbread star cookie tree recipe is straightforward, whisking together the dry ingredients like flour, baking soda, salt, and spices to form a solid base.

2-Next, in an electric mixer, blend the melted butter, sugar, molasses, and eggs until smooth, then gradually add four cups of the flour mixture. Keep mixing in more flour until you get a firm, non-sticky dough that’s easy to handle. Roll it out to 1/4 inch (6 mm) thickness on a floured surface, and use a set of 10 graduated star cookie cutters to cut two stars of each size, giving you a total of 20 cookies.

3-Place the cutouts on parchment-lined sheets and chill them for 10 minutes to keep their shape. Bake the smaller and medium cookies for 6-10 minutes, and the larger ones for 10-15 minutes, until they’re just right. Let them cool completely before moving on to decorating, which is where the magic happens.

4-For decorating, knead and roll the fondant to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thickness, then cut stars with the same cutters. Brush the cooled cookies lightly with piping gel and attach the fondant stars, pressing a dragee into each star point. Let them stand for 20 minutes to set.

5-Prepare royal icing by beating meringue powder, confectioners’ sugar, and warm water until stiff peaks form. Assemble the tree by stacking pairs of star cookies from largest to smallest on a flat surface, using royal icing as glue and staggering the points for a full look. Top it with the smallest star upright, supported by icing dots, and let the whole thing set for about 2 hours.