VANILLA SUGAR COOKIE TREES
WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes about 24 cookies
Recipe by Becky Sue Wilberding
These easy vanilla shortbread cookies get dressed
in their holiday best with a festive fl ourish of
Cream Cheese Frosting mini stars in wintergreen
hues. They may take a while to decorate, but the
gorgeous result is worth the investment. Just turn
on a holiday movie or two while you decorate, and
enjoy the cozy craft.
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds
scraped and reserved
1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
2⅓ cups (292 grams) all-purpose fl our
1 teaspoon (3 grams) fi ne sea salt
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Green and blue natural food coloring
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fi tted with the
paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and and
reserved vanilla seeds at medium-high speed
until light and fl uff y, 5 to 7 minutes, stopping to
scrape sides of bowl. With mixer on medium-
low speed, add vanilla, beating to combine. - In a medium bowl, whisk together fl our and
sea salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add
fl our mixture to butter mixture, beating until
incorporated. Turn out dough onto a fl oured
surface, and divide in half. Shape each half into
a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for
at least 1 hour. - Let dough stand at room temperature
until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Roll
dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Using a
3- to 4-inch tree-shaped cutter, cut dough,
rerolling scraps as necessary. Line baking sheets
with parchment paper, and place cookies 1 to
2 inches apart on prepared pans. Freeze or
refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours. - Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake until cookies just start to turn golden
brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let
cool on pans or wire racks. - Divide Cream Cheese Frosting among
3 small bowls. For light green color, add 1 drop
of green food coloring to fi rst bowl, and stir
until combined. For medium green color, add
3 drops green food coloring to second bowl.
Stir until combined. For minty blue color, add
3 drops green food coloring and 1 drop blue
coloring the third bowl. Stir until combined. - Place one-third of each frosting in a piping
bag fi tted with a small open star tip (Wilton No.
16 or No. 18). Refrigerate in piping bags for at
least 20 minutes. (Cover remaining frosting
in bowls with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until
ready to use.) - To decorate cookies, hold frosting bag
straight up, with tip just slightly above surface.
Squeeze bag, and use light pressure to form
a small star; add more pressure to make a
bigger star. Stop squeezing before pulling tip
away. Using one color at a time, cover cookie
with stars; fi ll in with other colors. Repeat with
remaining cookies and remaining frosting. (If
frosting gets too warm, the stars will not hold
their shape. You may need to place the piping
bags in the refrigerator for a few minutes to
chill the frosting a few times throughout the
decorating process.)