Description
Create festive Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies featuring buttery sugar cookies in three sizes, layered with creamy green buttercream frosting and topped with decorative sprinkles. Perfect for holiday celebrations as charming edible decorations or delightful treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Drops green food coloring, as desired
Garnishing
- Yellow star sprinkles
- Silver and gold pearl-shaped sprinklers
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350F and line at least 2 baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper; set aside.
- Make Cookie Dough: In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or bowl with hand mixer, beat ¾ cup softened butter on high speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down sides.
- Add Sugar: Add ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar and beat until incorporated and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Incorporate Egg and Vanilla: Add 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat until well incorporated. Scrape sides.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt; beat until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Form Cookie Balls: Make dough balls in three sizes: 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons, and 3 teaspoons, approximately 20 balls each size totaling about 60 balls.
- Bake Cookies: Bake large (3 teaspoons) balls for about 10 minutes, medium (2 teaspoons) for 8 minutes, and small (1 teaspoon) for 6 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Buttercream: Beat 1 cup softened butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add Sugar to Frosting: Add half of 4 cups confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape sides. Add remaining sugar and beat again, scraping sides.
- Add Flavor and Color: Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon salt; beat to combine. Add green food coloring drops incrementally until desired shade achieved.
- Pipe Frosting: Fit star tip (1M) in piping bag, fill with frosting. Pipe frosting onto large cookies, then medium cookies. Pipe a swirl on small cookies to resemble tree tops.
- Decorate: Top small cookies with yellow star sprinkles. Stack cookies largest to smallest to form tree shapes. Decorate trees with silver and gold pearl sprinkles or preferred decorations.
Notes
- Baking times vary with size and oven differences; watch cookies closely and bake until edges are set.
- After decorating, store cookies airtight in fridge for 1 to 2 weeks or at room temperature up to 4 days.
- For freezing, freeze baked but undecorated cookies in airtight containers; frost after thawing, not before freezing.
- Rotate baking sheets midway and bake one sheet at a time on center rack for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie tree
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
