Description
These buttercream decorated Christmas tree cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth, shortbread cookies frosted with a layer of buttercream and dipped in some chocolate. They will truly dazzle at your next holiday celebration! These cookies are delicate, buttery, crisp, and perfect for Christmas celebrations!
Ingredients
Scale
SHORTBREAD COOKIES
- 218g (1¾ cups) all purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 100g (½ cup) granulated or caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure almond or vanilla extract
TO DECORATE COOKIES
- 2 tablespoons couverture chocolate, melted
- 3 drops green gel coloring
- 113g (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 240g (2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
- Green sprinkles for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow. Add the almond extract. Then, add the flour a cup at a time, until you have a crumbly dough that’s starting to come together.
- Turn the dough onto a pastry or cutting board. Press the dough together with clean hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. Cut the dough into two, and flatten each portion into a 1/2” disc. Wrap with plastic wrap, and freeze for about 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each disc of dough until it’s 1/4” thick. Cut out an even number of 3” Christmas trees with a cookie cutter.
- Place the cookies 1” apart on the prepared sheets, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, and then move the cookies to a wire rack to completely cool.
- Place the chopped dark chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Heat the chocolate in the microwave in 10-15 seconds intervals until completely melted. Allow to stand for 2 – 3 minutes, then stir well until you get a smooth chocolate. Allow to cool slightly until it reaches the consistency at which it can be piped.
- Dip the trunks of tree cookies into the melted dark chocolate to get the pattern you can see in the pictures above.
- In a small bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add a drop of orange gel coloring. Set aside.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the cookies as desired and place some sprinkles on top. Dust with some powdered sugar for a snowy effect.
- Allow the chocolate to firm up. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Christmas, Cookies, Tree, Sugar Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: christmas tree sugar cookies, christmas tree shortbread cookies, buttercream frosted cookies, buttercream decorated cookies