Easy Holiday Sugar Cookies

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These easy Holiday Sugar Cookies are a classic holiday treat that not only satisfies your sweet tooth but also makes for perfect heartfelt gifts.

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 12

Servings Individual Cookies

Calories 150kcal

Author Fay Khoury

INGREDIENTS

Sugar Cookies

225 g (8 oz) butter unsalted
220 g (1 cups) sugar superfine sugar
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla or to taste
1 (1) egg large
450 g (3 ⅗ cups) all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) baking powder
⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) salt

Buttercream

225 g (8 oz) butter unsalted
2 cups (2 cups) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla or to taste
food colouring more or less

INSTRUCTIONS

Sugar Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and white sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and egg, and continue mixing until well combined.
Using a fine mesh strainer, sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt over the butter mixture.
Mix with a hand mixer on low speed just until to dough comes together. Finish off with hands in the bowl until flour is no longer visible.
Divide the dough into two equal portions.
Roll out each portion between parchment paper to about ¼-inch thickness. Using a rolling pin with spacers helps with uniform thickness.
Use star, or circle-shaped cookie cutters in various sizes to cut out shapes. Aim for 5-6 cookies of decreasing size for each Christmas tree.
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between them.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla extract and green food coloring (if using) and continue to beat for 5 minutes or until the buttercream is smooth and has a creamy consistency.

Stacking Christmas Trees

Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread or pipe a layer of buttercream on the largest star/circle.
Place the next largest star/circle on top and repeat the process until all cookies are stacked, creating a Christmas tree shape. I have used 5 cookies for the layers and one smaller cookie standing on top of the tree.
Dust with powdered sugar for a festive touch!
Feel free to add edible decorations like sprinkles, edible glitter, or small fondant ornaments to enhance the festive look of your Christmas tree cookies.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

NOTES

The suggested technique of using spacers when rolling dough helps to get a nice even thickness to all of your cookies, The technique can be seen in the video.

You can use any kind of buttercream to stack and decorate the cookies. This is just one suggestion.

Beating buttercream for the length of time suggested helps to reduce the gritty feel of the buttercream. The longer you beat, the less gritty it will be.

There is enough dough to make 6 stacked trees depending on the size of cutters you use.
if making stacked Christmas Trees, use any extra dough to make individual cookies using different-shaped cookie cutters.

NUTRITION