Luckily for me (and Sam), my mother-in-law Josy brought us a huge tin of amazing Christmas baking this year.

Everything was there—Mailänderli, Brunsli, Zimtsterne, her famous raisin cookies, Vanillegipfeli, thumbprints, Spitzbuben etc. etc. etc.

She put me to shame and let me off the hook at the same time (I've baked hardly anything except for these Boozy Balls—I do have a newborn after all).

But even though I was released from my Christmas baking duties, there was one thing I missed—decorating gingerbread. Hence, these gingerbread pines.

This recipe is basically Martha Stewart's Gingerbread Snowflakes recipe, but some flour is replaced with cocoa powder to get that nice dark colour.

625 g flour

125 g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

4 tsp each cinnamon and ginger

1 tsp each cloves, nutmeg, salt and pepper

225 g butter, room temperature

200 g brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

340 g molasses

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. 

In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating them in completely. Beat in the molasses. 

Add the dry to wet and gently stir together. 

Separate into four discs and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

When ready to roll and bake

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4

Roll out dough to desired thickness (the thinner you roll them, the harder the cookies) and cut out the cookies.

Bake for about 11 minutes, or until you can smell them and the tops are just barely firm.

Roll a piping cone and decorate with royal icing.

• If you want a cookie that is lighter in colour, leave out the cocoa powder and use 750 g of flour.

• If you want a softer cookie, roll it thicker, and bake it just until the top sets.

• This makes a lot of cookies, especially if you are using small cookie cutters. You can always freeze some of the dough, or halve the recipe.

• If you're gong for fancy, uniformly iced cookies, trace the cookie cutter onto a sheet of paper and draw out your design template before you begin with the icing.