Description
Festive Christmas tree cookies bring holiday cheer with delightful pine-shaped treats. Crisp sugar cookie bases decorated with green frosting and sprinkle ornaments create a merry dessert perfect for seasonal celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ¾ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 ½ tsps vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites or 3 tbsps meringue powder + 6 tbsps water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp almond extract (optional)
- ¼ tsp salt
- Green gel food coloring
- Assorted sprinkles
- Edible glitter
- Nonpareils
- Star-shaped candies or sprinkles for tree toppers
Instructions
- Preparation: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl to distribute dry ingredients evenly.
- Creaming: Use an electric mixer to blend butter and sugar until light, fluffy, and significantly increased in volume.
- Wet Ingredients: Incorporate egg and flavor extracts (vanilla and almond) into the butter mixture, mixing until completely smooth.
- Dough Formation: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients, creating a cohesive dough without overmixing.
- Chilling and Setup: Encase dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour to solidify and enhance flavor melding. Meanwhile, preheat oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Shaping: Roll chilled dough on a floured surface to uniform thickness, using festive tree-shaped cookie cutters to create holiday-inspired shapes.
- Baking: Arrange cookie cutouts on prepared baking sheets with adequate spacing, then bake until edges turn golden brown and achieve a crisp texture.
- Finishing: Transfer cookies to wire racks, allowing complete cooling before decorating or serving to preserve their delicate structure and maximize flavor development.
Notes
- Chill Dough Strategically: Refrigerate for at least one hour to prevent cookies from spreading during baking and enhance flavor development.
- Flour Surface Wisely: Use minimal flour when rolling to prevent tough, dry cookies and maintain delicate texture.
- Watch Baking Closely: Monitor cookie edges for golden-brown color, as ovens vary; remove immediately to prevent burning and maintain crisp texture.
- Decorate Creatively: Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating with royal icing or festive sprinkles to ensure smooth, precise designs.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg