1-Whisk together the dry ingredients: 5 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon ground cloves in a large bowl.

2-In another bowl, combine 1 cup (227 g) melted unsalted butter with 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 1/4 cups (310 ml) molasses, and 2 eggs, slightly beaten, until well mixed.

3-Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until a firm dough forms. This usually takes a few minutes of mixing by hand or with a mixer.

4-Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a set of 10 graduated star cookie cutters ranging from 8 inches to 2 inches to cut two cookies of each size, giving you 20 stars in total.

5-Chill the cut stars for 10 minutes to help them hold their shape during baking.

After baking, let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. For decorating, roll the white fondant to 1/8 inch thickness and cut matching stars, then attach them with piping gel and add a pastel dragee on each point. Let everything set for about 20 minutes before moving on.

Once cooled, prepare the royal icing by beating 3 tablespoons (113 g) meringue powder, 4 cups (454 g) confectioners’ sugar, and 5 tablespoons warm water until stiff peaks form, which takes around 5 minutes. Stack the cookies from largest to smallest on a flat surface, using royal icing to secure each layer and slightly rotating for a tree effect. Place the smallest star upright at the top and hold until stable, then let the whole tree dry for about 2 hours.