Description
Delight in the festive spirit with these Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies featuring buttery, soft sugar cookies layered with vibrant green buttercream frosting and festive sprinkles. Perfect for holiday parties and gifting, these charming cookie trees are as fun to make as they are to eat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Drops green food coloring, as desired
Garnishing
- Yellow star sprinkles
- Silver and gold pearl-shaped sprinklers
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper for easy cookie removal and cleanup.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat the softened butter on high speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl sides and add the confectioners’ sugar, beating for about 3 minutes until creamy and fully incorporated.
- Add egg and vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined, scraping the bowl sides as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Mix dry ingredients: Add all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined, avoiding overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Form cookie dough balls: Shape the dough into three different sizes of balls—large (3 teaspoons), medium (2 teaspoons), and small (1 teaspoon)—making approximately 20 of each size for a total of 60 balls.
- Bake cookies: Bake the large cookies for about 10 minutes, medium cookies for 8 minutes, and small cookies for 6 minutes or until edges are set. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Bake sheets individually on the center rack, rotating halfway for even baking.
- Prepare buttercream frosting: Beat softened butter on high speed until smooth and creamy (3 to 4 minutes). Gradually add confectioners’ sugar in two parts, beating to incorporate each time and scraping down sides. Beat in vanilla extract and salt, then add green food coloring drop by drop until reaching desired shade.
- Decorate cookies and assemble trees: Fit a piping bag with a star tip (1M recommended) and pipe frosting onto large cookies first, then medium, and a swirl on small cookies to mimic a tree top. Place a yellow star sprinkle atop each small cookie.
- Stack and garnish: Assemble cookie trees by stacking one large cookie as base, topped by a medium cookie, and finished with a small frosted cookie on top. Decorate with silver and gold pearl sprinkles or your preferred holiday-themed sprinkles for festive flair.
Notes
- Baking times vary with cookie ball size, oven variation, and ingredient brands—watch cookies carefully and judge doneness by edges setting.
- Store finished cookies airtight in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks, but they are best fresh. Alternatively, store airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- For freezing, freeze baked but undecorated cookies in airtight containers or freezer bags; frost after thawing for best texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
