Gingerbread Tree

There are probably many different methods in which to build a Gingerbread Tree, but below is the method that I use.

• Measure your oven and make sure to build your gingerbread tree small enough to fit inside your oven.
• Cut a 6" square piece of 1/4" plywood.
• Drill small holes in the plywood, where you will secure your wire-frame tree.
• Using a couple of wire coat-hangers, bend them into the shape of a tree trunk and a few main-large branches, leaving wire coat-hanger ends to be set into the plywood-drilled holes.
• Set the wire-coat hanger tree form into the plywood-wood drilled holes and secure.
• Cover the wire coat-hanger trunk and main-large branches with very crinkled aluminum foil (so the dough will fill into the crinkles).
• With aluminum foil make smaller branches and attach to the tree trunk/larger branches.
• Roll out your gingerbread dough and cut into strips and triangles to cover the roots of the tree.
• Using pieces of gingerbread dough, wrap tree trunk and branches, pressing the dough into the crevices and crinkles of the aluminum foil.
• Be careful to not make the dough too thick as the dough may droop during baking.
• Wrap tree trunk and branches with brown thread. The dough expands when baked and takes on a gnarled look. This also helps to keep the dough secure to the wire tree form while baking.
• Bake gingerbread tree in preheated 300 degree oven until it starts to brown on branch tips.
• Let cool before handling.
• Secure wood base (with gingerbread tree) to your main gingerbread house base.
• To make a tree-fort, cut gingerbread pieces for floor, walls and ceiling, or use crackers to build your tree-fort. Tree-forts usually only need a floor and roof pieces.
• Assemble your tree-fort on top of your tree, let set, and decorate.