FROSTING CHRISTMAS TREE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minute, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing. Stir in food coloring to reach desired shade. Drop icing onto cookies using a small teaspoon and smooth with the back of the spoon. Make additional bowls for additional colors.
• Additional multi-colored sprinkles can be added on top of icing before it dries for more decorative cookies, if desired.

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add in 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons milk, and a pinch of salt. Beat to combine.
• Add in another cup of powdered sugar, the almond extract, and vanilla extract. Beat to combine.
• Add in an additional cup of powdered sugar. Mix until well combined and smooth. Add additional powdered sugar or milk to get the right consistency.
• Stir in gel food coloring.
• Spread or pipe frosting onto your sugar cookies. Top with sprinkles immediately. Allow it to harden before stacking.
• If you are using multiple colors of food coloring for your cookies, tightly cover your additional frosting with plastic wrap so that it doesn’t dry out.
• If your bowl of frosting starts to get hard, add a small amount of milk and mix to get the consistency back to the way you like it.
• I recommend sifting your powdered sugar to keep your frosting smooth.
• The round cookies were made using a Wilton 2D piping tip and a 12 inch piping bag.
• The Christmas tree cookies were made using a Wilton 21 piping tip with a coupler in a 12 inch piping bag.
• The fastest way to ice the cookies is probably making a round or square shaped cookie, and using an offset spatula to spread the frosting on.
• Why won’t my sprinkles stay on? The frosting may have hardened a little bit before you put the sprinkles on. Tap the sprinkles into your cookie frosting, using a flat hand. This should press the sprinkles softly into the frosting.
• Store in an airtight container for about 3 weeks.