Homemade Christmas Tree Cookies with Vanilla
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
40 mins
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Total Time
55 mins
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Servings
14 pieces
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Course
Dessert
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Cuisine
Greek, International
Homemade Christmas Tree Cookies with Vanilla
Description
The cookie dough combines all-purpose flour, baking soda, sugar, butter at room temperature, egg, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mixing until just combined ensures the dough is tender yet holds shape. Dividing the dough into three logs of different thicknesses and slicing into pieces creates layered cookie shapes resembling Christmas tree branches when arranged. Baking at 190° C in a fan oven for about 12 minutes yields golden, cooked cookies with a slightly crisp outside and softer interior.
The frosting is a simple buttercream made from creamed butter, powdered sugar, and milk, whipped until fluffy and tinted green with food coloring. After cookies cool to set properly, the frosting is spread on and decorated with yellow chocolate candies for a festive accent.
This recipe provides a fun holiday baking activity with visually appealing cookies suitable for sharing or gifting. Cooling the cookies fully before frosting is important to prevent melting or dissolving the decoration.
Leaving space between cookies on a baking tray during baking prevents them from sticking together, preserving their shape for decorating.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 190 g butter at room temperature
- 1 egg medium
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 salt pinch
For the frosting:
- 120 g butter at room temperature
- 400 g powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- green food coloring
Decor:
- yellow chocolate candies (or M&Ms)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190° C/375° F in fan mode.
For the cookies:
- Place the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and mix with a spoon. Set aside.
- In a mixer bowl, place the sugar and butter and blend with the paddle attachment on medium speed until the butter is fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and blend until absorbed.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and blend until homogenized.
- Divide the cookie mixture into 3 pieces and roll each piece into a log. The first log should be 2 cm/about 1-inch thick, the second 3 cm/1 ¼-inches thick, and the third 4 cm/1 ½ inches thick.
- Cut each log into 1 cm (about 1/3 of an inch) thick pieces and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving a gap between them.
- Bake for 12 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the frosting:
- Place the butter, powdered sugar, and milk in the mixer bowl. Beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy and homogenous.
- Add as much green food coloring as desired, whisk again, and transfer to a pastry bag with a curly nozzle.
Assembly:
- Take a large cookie and cover it with green frosting. Place a smaller cookie on top and cover it with green frosting. Place one of the smallest cookies on top and cover it with green frosting, creating a beautiful tree.
- Repeat the same process for the rest of the cookies, then top each one with a yellow chocolate, and serve.
Notes
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before applying frosting to prevent melting.
- Space cookies apart on the baking tray to avoid sticking during baking.
- The cookies firm up and hold shape as they cool, which is important for decorating.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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