How to make butter Christmas tree cookies step by step

Step 1 – Preparation

• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and draw Christmas tree shapes on them, keeping space between them (the cookies will spread slightly during baking) - I used a cookie cutter for this.
  
• Sift both flours together through a fine-mesh sieve.
  225 g all-purpose flour, 25 g potato starch/flour
  

Step 2 – Shaping the Cookie Dough

• Add the butter and powdered sugar (and vanilla extract, if using) to a mixing bowl.
  250 g butter, 100 g powdered sugar, flavoring
  
• Beat together on high speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture turns pale and noticeably increases in volume.
  
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the sifted flours in batches, mixing briefly after each addition.
  
• Set aside about 1–1½ tablespoons of the dough in a bowl and stir in the cocoa powder using a spoon.
  approx. 0.5 teaspoon cocoa powder
  
• Add a few drops of green food coloring to the larger portion of the dough.
  green food coloring
  
• Mix the dough thoroughly, and add a bit more coloring if needed – keep in mind the color will deepen slightly during baking.
  
• Transfer both doughs into separate piping bags – I fitted my green dough bag with a Wilton 6B tip.
  

Step 3 – Piping the Christmas Tree Cookies

• Snip a small corner off the bag with the brown dough and pipe a little at the base of the tree to form the trunk.
• Starting from the bottom, pipe small portions of the green dough – I used 4–5 blobs. For the next row, slightly overlapping the bottom edge, pipe about 3 blobs, then 2, and finally 1 at the top.
  
• Make sure to leave some space between the cookies, as they will spread slightly while baking!
  
• If you like, you can now sprinkle the tops of the trees with colorful sugar sprinkles.
  sugar sprinkles
  
• Chill the cookie sheets in the fridge for about an hour.

Step 4 – Baking the Christmas Tree Cookies

• While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 340°F (convection).
• Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes (it’s a good idea to swap the sheets halfway through, after 10 minutes).
• Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool – they’re very soft right out of the oven, so don’t try to lift them off immediately!