Christmas Tree Cookies
Submitted by MsKaty
Festive slice-and-bake Christmas tree cookies kissed with almond extract, rolled in sparkly green sugar crystals. Shape, chill, slice, and bake for a show-stopping holiday cookie tray.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
4 hrsCOOK
10 minREADY
5 hrsHere’s a cookie that looks like it took all day but secretly comes together in minutes of hands-on work. You mix up a buttery almond-scented dough, shape it into triangle logs, roll them in green sugar crystals, and stash them in the fridge.
Once chilled, just slice and bake. Each cookie comes out looking like a tiny glittering evergreen, complete with a little dough trunk on the bottom.
The best part? You can make the dough up to a week ahead, so when the holiday baking frenzy hits, you’re already ahead of the game.
Pro Tips
- Use wax paper to help press the sugar crystals firmly into each log so they stick during slicing.
- Make sure the dough is thoroughly chilled (at least 4 hours) before slicing to keep those triangle edges sharp.
- Add a few candy sprinkles before baking for extra sparkle, but go light so the tree shape stays visible.
- These freeze beautifully after baking. Layer between parchment in an airtight container for up to a month.
Ingredients
Directions
Put flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, almond extract and egg into large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix together, using low speed. Dough will be crumbly. Then knead dough with hands until mixture holds together.
Remove ⅓ cup of the dough; wrap and refrigerate. Divide remaining dough in thirds. Using hands, roll each into a 6-inch log.
Put sugar crystals on a sheet of wax paper. Roll each log in the sugar crystals to coat well; use the wax paper as a guide to press in crystals. Shape each log into a triangle, pressing gently on wax paper to give three sharp corners. Make sure to make 2 sides longer than the third side. Wrap each log well and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until dough is firm enough to slice. To this point, cookies can be made up to a week in advance.
Heat oven to 350℉ (180℃). To bake, slice logs crosswise into ¼ inch slices. Put slices about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. For each cookie, shape about ½ teaspoon of the reserved ⅓ cup dough into a tree trunk. Attach to bottom underside of each tree. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with candy decorations, if desired. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
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