Description
These Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies are a festive and fun holiday treat made from buttery sugar cookies layered with smooth green buttercream frosting and decorated with festive sprinkles. Perfect for celebrating the season, these cookies are shaped into a charming stacked tree design that adds a whimsical touch to any holiday dessert table.
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 sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line at least two 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 electric mixer, beat the softened butter on high speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add sugar and cream: Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until incorporated and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Incorporate egg and vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.
- Add dry ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until just incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
- Form dough balls: Divide the dough to make balls in three sizes: small (1 teaspoon), medium (2 teaspoons), and large (3 teaspoons). Aim for about 20 balls of each size, approximately 60 total.
- Bake cookies: Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the large size for 10 minutes, the medium size for 8 minutes, and the small size for 6 minutes, or until set around the edges. Cookies may look slightly underdone in the center but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- Make buttercream frosting: Using the same mixing bowl, beat softened butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add half the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium until incorporated. Add the rest of the sugar and beat again until smooth. Incorporate vanilla extract and salt, then add green food coloring gradually until you reach your desired shade.
- Decorate and assemble: Fit a piping bag with a star tip (such as 1M) and fill it with green buttercream. Pipe frosting onto the largest cookies first, followed by the medium cookies. Pipe a small swirl on top of the smallest cookies to resemble the tree tops. Add yellow star sprinkles on top of the smallest cookies.
- Stack cookies: Create cookie trees by stacking a large cookie as the base, then a medium cookie, and topping with the small decorated cookie. Repeat with all cookies.
- Add final decorations: Garnish your stacked cookie trees with silver and gold pearl-shaped sprinkles or any festive sprinkles you prefer.
Notes
- Baking time may vary based on cookie size, your oven, climate, and ingredient brands. Watch your cookies closely and adjust time as needed based on doneness.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks for best freshness; alternatively, keep them at room temperature airtight for up to 4 days.
- For freezing, freeze baked but undecorated cookies in airtight containers or zip-top bags. Frost after thawing rather than before freezing.
- Use a star piping tip like 1M to create realistic tree frosting designs.
- Rotate your baking sheet midway through baking when baking one sheet at a time to ensure even baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
