Description
Delight in festive Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies featuring buttery sugar cookies layered with creamy green buttercream frosting and decorated with star sprinkles and pearl accents, perfect for holiday celebrations.
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 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line at least 2 baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper; set aside.
- Cream Butter: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add Sugar: Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until incorporated and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Incorporate Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until well combined, scraping down the bowl sides again.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until just incorporated, taking care not to overmix.
- Form Cookie Dough Balls: Make cookie dough balls of three sizes—1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons, and 3 teaspoons respectively—approximately 20 balls of each size (60 total).
- Bake Cookies: Bake large (3 teaspoons) balls for about 10 minutes, medium (2 teaspoons) balls for 8 minutes, and small (1 teaspoon) balls for 6 minutes or until edges are set. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Prepare Buttercream Frosting: Beat softened butter until smooth and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar in two parts, beating on medium speed and scraping bowl sides. Add vanilla and salt, mixing to combine.
- Add Food Coloring: Add green food coloring a few drops at a time, beating to incorporate until desired green shade is reached.
- Decorate Cookies: Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe frosting onto the largest cookies, then the medium ones. On smallest cookies, pipe a swirl to resemble the tree top and add a yellow star sprinkle.
- Assemble Cookie Trees: Stack one large cookie as the base, topped with a medium cookie, then the small one on top. Repeat stacking for all cookies made.
- Garnish Trees: Decorate assembled cookie trees with silver and gold pearl sprinkles or additional festive sprinkles of choice.
Notes
- Baking time depends on cookie ball size, oven calibration, and ingredients—watch cookies carefully and judge doneness by edges being set.
- Store decorated cookies airtight in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks for best freshness, or at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- For freezing, freeze baked undecorated cookies in airtight containers and frost after thawing.
- Rotate baking sheets midway when baking one sheet at a time on the center rack for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
