Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies

Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line at least 2 baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper; set aside.
2. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or large bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the butter, and beat on high speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the confectioners' sugar and cream them together (beat until incorporated and creamy), about 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg, vanilla, and beat until well incorporated. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and beat until just incorporated; don't overmix.
6. Make balls of 3 sizes - 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons, and 3 teaspoons, respectively. You should make approximately 20 balls of each size, so 60 balls total. This will vary slightly based on the exact size you make the balls.
7. For the large size (3 teaspoons of dough), bake for about 10 minutes. For the medium size (2 teaspoons of dough), bake for about 7 to 8 minutes. For the small size (1 teaspoon of dough), bake for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until done.* (See Notes) Cookies are done when they are set around the edges, even if they look a bit underdone in the centers because they firm up as they cool. Allow them to cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. Tip - If possible, I recommend baking one sheet of cookies at a time, on the center rack, and rotating your baking sheet midway through for the most optimal results.

Buttercream Frosting

1. To the same large mixing bowl, add the butter, and beat on high speed until it's smooth and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add half the confectioners' sugar and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the remaining half the confectioners' sugar and beat until incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the vanilla, salt, and beat to incorporate.
5. Add the green food coloring, a few drops at a time, and beat on medium speed to incorporate. Keep adding food coloring until you reach your desired shade and intensity of green.

Decorating and Garnishing

1. Fit a star tip in a piping bag (I like the 1M tip), fill it with frosting, and pipe frosting onto the largest cookies, followed by piping it onto the medium cookies.
2. On the smallest cookies, pipe a swirl on top so it looks like the top of a tree.
3. Decorate it with a yellow star to make it look like a Christmas tree.
4. Stack together a large base, topped with a medium cookie, topped with the small ones; repeat until you've made and stacked together all the cookies.
5. Decorate your cookie trees with gold and silver pearl sprinkles or any other sprinkles of your choice such as red and green jimmies or similar.