There’s 3 weeks until Christmas all, three! That means no time like the present to start your holiday baking! Since today is National Cookie Day, I’ve got you covered with the ultimate oversized peppermint Christmas tree sugar cookie, with peppermint candy baked right into the dough! Yes, this fun and festive cookie is sporting all the Christmasy vibes and tastes like the holidays with every bite!
Peppermint Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie
Peppermint infused 10″ sugar cookie baked with peppermint candies, then decorated with sweet vanilla peppermint royal icing. A festive and fun treat to bake and serve this holiday season!
How to make Peppermint Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
If you’re wondering how to make one of these holiday cookies of your own, and how the peppermints bakes into the dough, read on! It’s actually easier than expected! All you need is a tree cutter (or one in the shape of your choice,) 1 small circle cutter (1 inch in diameter) peppermint pieces and royal icing! I used the stained glass cookie technique to make this peppermint tree, replacing jolly ranchers/hard candies with peppermint pieces.
Cut the dough into tree shapes, then cut out small circles in the tree. Gently break peppermint candies so they’re roughly 1/4 inch in size. Fill the circle cutouts with the pieces of peppermint, making sure that the red candy stripes are visible. Bake the cookie according to instructions. At roughly 3 minutes you’ll notice the candies melting and by 4 minutes the peppermint will completely smooth out into the cooked dough, resulting in a shiny and festive finish. It’s that simple! Just be sure not to over-bake the cookie so that it maintains its color, since it’s not fully covered in royal icing.
I pulled the 10″ cookie from the oven right at 5 minutes, but do keep in mind that smaller cookies will take about 1 minute less to bake. *Avoid using cinnamon candy as it will bubble and expand when melted.
Peppermint Sugar Cookie Flavor
In addition to the peppermint candies, the dough and icing is infused with a dash peppermint oil, so the flavor really comes through. It balances nicely with the subtle notes of vanilla throughout! The peppermint candies add a surprising crunchy texture to the soft cookies and plenty of gorgeous detail, with only minimal decorating necessary!
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Peppermint Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: baking
- Method: stained glass
- Cuisine: sugar cookies
Description
Peppermint infused 10″ sugar cookie baked with peppermint candies, then decorated with sweet vanilla peppermint royal icing. A festive and fun treat to bake and serve this holiday season!
Ingredients
FOR THE PEPPERMINT CHRISTMAS TREE SUGAR COOKIE
3/4 cups vegan butter (or real butter softened)
1 cups organic white sugar
2 eggs
1 dash peppermint extract
2 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup peppermint (starbright candies) broken into small pieces
2 1/2 – 2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
FOR THE PEPPERMINT ROYAL ICING:
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 TBSP Meringue Powder
1/4 warm water (+ extra to thin icing)
1 tsp Clear vanilla extract or regular vanilla extract
Dash of peppermint extract
EXTRA SUPPLIES:
10” tree or cutters of choice.
1 inch circle cutter or use the bottom of any piping tip for cutting shapes in dough.
Tipless piping bags
Wilton star tip 4B
Wilton star tip 16
Pink food coloring (Americolor)
Instructions
FOR THE PEPPERMINT CHRISTMAS TREE SUGAR COOKIE
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, until combined.
Mix in eggs and vanilla and peppermint until combined.
Stir in flour, baking powder and salt, 1/3rd at a time.
Mix on med until combined.
You’ll know your cookie mix is ready when it pulls away from the mixing bowl.
Roll dough out onto a piece of parchment paper (about 1/2 inch thick)
Cut into 10″ tree shape, or festive shapes of choice.
Use the bottom of a piping tip, to cut 10 1″ circles of dough out of the large tree shaped cookie.
Fill the empty circles on the tree with the peppermint candy pieces, keeping the peppermint stripes on top.
Bake the 10″ cookie or cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 5 minutes. At 3 minutes you’ll notice the peppermints beginning to melt into the dough. At 4-5 minutes the candy should be completely melted and smooth, creating a shiny and decorative finish.. (Pull from oven before brown)
Remove from heat and cool.
FOR THE PEPPERMINT ROYAL ICING:
Prep the piping bags with Wilton tips 4B and 16
Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Add extract and water and beat on high for about 5 minutes.
For piping:
The icing will be very thick. Add warm water a few splashes at a time until the frosting is the consistency of toothpaste. This is for piping. Spoon out 1/2 of the toothpaste-like icing to a tipless piping bag fitted with Wilton tip 4B. Seal closed.
Color the second half of the stiff royal icing with a few drops of pink food coloring, mix until combined. Transfer stiff pink icing to a tipless piping bag fitted with a star tip (16) and seal closed.
DECORATING:
Pipe 9 stars of stiff royal icing onto the cooled cookie.
Use the pink royal icing with tip 16 to decorate the cookie with small rosettes.
Pipe small pink stars onto the cookie with tip 16.
Allow royal icing one hour to dry.
Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
This cookie can be done in any shape of choice. The recipe is also made with dairy free butter but regular butter can be used if preferred.
Keywords: Christmas cookies, peppermint cookies, holiday baking, winter baking, sugar cookies, stained glass
Check out the simple video before for a quick how-to.
The cookie is baked until soft, for easy slicing. It’s also a great size for sharing at holiday celebrations. Simply cut into pieces and serve on festive dessert plates!
Other Holiday Cookie Ideas
You can choose any themed cookie cutter and hard candy of choice to create this stained glass cookie effect. Green spearmints, candy canes and old fashioned Christmas candies would be such a fun addition to the treat!
You can also check out the 10″ tree here in my baking shop!
Here’s closer look at how the peppermints bake evenly into the dough! I wish I could share with you though the screen!
Happy baking and cookie day! Enjoy making this memorable cookie with kids during Christmas break! It’s also a sweet gift idea for all the cookie lovers on your list!
This post titled Peppermint Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie was seen first on Posh Little Designs. All Rights Reserved. 2019
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