Description
Festive Christmas tree cookies bring holiday cheer with their delightful green-hued charm and sweet sugar sprinkle magic. Delicate pine-shaped treats promise to sparkle on dessert tables, delighting families and friends with seasonal joy.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Main Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Decorating Ingredients:
- 4 cups (454 grams) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 56 tablespoons (887 milliliters) water
- Green gel food coloring
- White icing for snow detailing
- Assorted sprinkles, edible glitter, and sugar pearls for decoration
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, ensuring complete incorporation of ingredients.
- Add eggs and vanilla, mixing thoroughly to create a smooth, homogeneous base.
- Gradually blend in flour, salt, and baking powder, forming a cohesive cookie dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour to firm up.
- Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.
- Use tree-shaped cookie cutters to carefully cut out festive shapes.
- Transfer cut-out cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them evenly.
- Bake in a preheated oven until edges are lightly golden, approximately 8-10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on wire racks before decorating.
- Prepare royal icing by whisking powdered sugar with meringue powder and water.
- Adjust icing consistency by adding small amounts of water or sugar for desired texture.
- Divide icing into separate bowls and tint with food coloring for multiple designs.
- Use piping bags with various tips to create intricate tree decorations.
- Apply base layer of white or green icing to cover entire cookie surface.
- Add detailed designs like ornament-like dots, swirls, and texture elements.
- Allow icing to dry completely between decorating layers.
- Arrange decorated cookies on a festive platter, creating a visually appealing christmas tree display.
- Optionally, dust cookies with edible glitter or sprinkle with holiday-themed decorations.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly before rolling to prevent spreading and maintain sharp tree shapes during baking.
- Use powdered sugar instead of flour when rolling to keep cookie edges crisp and prevent tough textures.
- Opt for gel food coloring when tinting royal icing for more vibrant, concentrated Christmas tree colors without watering down the consistency.
- Consider using a squeeze bottle or piping bag with different tip sizes for precise, clean decorative lines and intricate tree details.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes (excluding 1 hour chilling time)
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 48
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg