SUGAR COOKIES CHRISTMAS TREES RECIPE

Here's what you'll need for these cookie trees A set of round cookie cutters in different sizes. It's important to have 3-4 circle cutters that decrease slightly in size from large to small. When stacked, they will create a conical, Christmas tree shape. A mini star cookie cutter for topping off your tree. Gel food coloring. We love using gel food coloring instead of liquid because it creates a vibrant, intense color. Plus, a little goes a long way. If liquid food coloring is all you have on hand, use a few extra drops to create the desired evergreen hue. Place dough in between pieces of parchment before rolling to prevent sticking. You could use a floured surface, but that increases the chance of too much flour being incorporated into the dough, leading to less tender cookies. Parchment is also great if you need to make a lot of dough—you can stack several layers when chilling. Dip cookie cutters in flour before stamping out shapes; this will help prevent the cutters from sticking to the dough. Be sure to press firmly on all edges of the cookie cutter as you cut into the dough for the sharpest shapes. Chilling the dough not only makes it easier to cut, but it also solidifies the fat in the cookies. If the fat in the cookies is too warm, the cookies will spread as they bake. Don't skip this step! Smaller cookies will not take as long to bake as bigger cookies. Be sure to keep an eye on the oven and remove smaller cookies when they are light golden brown around the edges. Ingredients 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp 3/4 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract Green gel food coloring Graduated round cookie cutters Small star cookie cutter Royal icing Chocolate covered caramels (such as Rolo) Confectioners' sugar, for dusting Step 1 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Step 2 In another large bowl, using electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Step 3 Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Divide dough into 4 portions. Keep portions wrapped in plastic while coloring. Step 4 Working with 1 portion at a time, add a couple of drops green food coloring to dough and mix until fully incorporated. (Tip: Tint slightly darker than you desire; cookies will bake up lighter.) Roll between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick. Chill until firm, 30 minutes in refrigerator or 15 minutes in freezer. Repeat with remaining dough. Step 5 Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using floured cookie cutters, cut out cookies. Place on prepared sheets. Reroll, chill and cut scraps. Step 6 Bake, rotating positions of baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are light golden brown around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Step 7 Use royal icing to “glue” cookies together in tree shapes with stars at top and chocolate caramels as trunks. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.