3D Christmas tree cookes & easy gingerbread men

It's time to pass around the neighbor plates filled with all things tempting, tasty and totally yummy. We usually do an assortment of treats like Mexican wedding cakes, chocolate crinkles and peanut butter cookies with a few Hershey's Kisses sprinkled around the plate for good measure, but this year I think we might try these really fun, though a bit time consuming, 3D Christmas tree cookies my hubby found on Instructables, a really cool site we first blogged about back in April.

If you're looking for something just as cute (maybe not quite as cool) but a little easier, then try the gingerbread cookie recipe we found on Allrecipes.com and tried this week in the Hill test kitchen. It uses butterscotch pudding instead of molasses and was easy enough for the kids to do. We never did get around to frosting them--we ate them way too quickly for that!

3D Christmas Tree Cookies


Nifty 3D Christmas Tree Cookies, great to eat or give! - More DIY How To Projects


Easy Gingerbread Men
1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 c butter
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl cream together the butterscotch pudding mix, butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out about 1/8-inch thick and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks. Frost and decorate!

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand." ~Anonymous