Description
Celebrate the holiday season with these delightful Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies topped with a smooth, easy-to-make frosting. These buttery, soft sugar cookies are flavored with vanilla and a hint of almond extract for an extraordinary taste. Decorate them with colorful icing and festive sprinkles to bring joy to your holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Easy Icing
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (omit and replace with water for stark white icing)
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 4.5–5 Tablespoons (67–75ml) room temperature water
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: gel food coloring and sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) until fully combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Roll Out Dough: Sprinkle your work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut Shapes: Use Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutters to cut cookies and transfer them to prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Be careful not to overbake to keep the cookies soft.
- Cool Cookies: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before decorating.
- Prepare Icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, light corn syrup, water, and a pinch of salt until smooth and spreadable. Adjust water amount for desired consistency.
- Color and Decorate: Divide the icing into separate bowls and add gel food coloring as desired. Use a spatula or piping bags to decorate the cooled cookies and add sprinkles while the icing is wet.
- Set Icing: Let decorated cookies sit at room temperature until the icing is fully set, about 1-2 hours.
Notes
- For almond extract, start with 1/4 teaspoon and increase to 1/2 teaspoon to suit your preference—it adds a wonderful nutty flavor.
- If you want stark white icing, omit vanilla extract in the icing and replace with an equal amount of water.
- Sprinkles and gel food coloring add festive colors but are optional.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Make sure cookies are completely cooled before applying icing to prevent melting.
Keywords: Christmas cookies, sugar cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas tree cookies, decorated cookies, vanilla cookies, easy frosting