Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

A Children's Recipe & Tale for My Two Favourite Mice

Mice Tales Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,

A creature was stirring. It was a mouse.
Actually two. 

Two mice were there.

Twitching their whiskers and looking with care.

For a white Christmas tree, with baubles and all,
To bring to their home, to decorate their mouse hole.

"Follow me," squeaked Dory, the little dormouse,

As he led little Aurie, through the big house.

The children were asleep, all bathed and bedded,

As Dory and Aurie, to the fireplace headed.

They scurried along, on little mouse feet

Sniffing and searching... for the alpine treat.

And there by the grate, they discovered the cookies,

All in the shape of small Christmas trees.

With snowy white icing and stars of sugar,

Aurie licked them with delight, and enjoyed the flavour.

"Stop eating the trees," said Dory the mouse,

"Let's take one instead, to decorate our house."

So the two little mice, picked out a tree 

And to their mouse hole were about to flee.

When all of a sudden, there was a sound on the roof

And out of the chimney, poured black soot with a poof!

"It's the Big Bad Wolf," shrieked Aurie, trembling with fear.

"No," whispered Dory. "Santa Claus is here."

And the two mice watched, as two large boots appeared,

And out of the fireplace, a plumpy ol' man with a mighty white beard.

His eyes were twinkling, as he rubbed his big belly,

And pulled from his sack, for the children, gifts so many.

Then he bent down, and took a Christmas tree cookie,

Savouring each bite and smacking his lips just like Aurie.

And as he turned to leave, he spied the two mice,

Who were hiding and watching with curious eyes.

With a wink and a nod, and a smile that was wise,

He whispered a word of advice to the wee mice.

"Be kind to others, and spread good cheer. 

And I'll be back to see you again, next year."

How to Make Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

This recipe is so easy and fun to make with children. 

The recipe follows at the end of the post. 

Steps:

1. Make the dough, roll out and refrigerate. Have little hands help cut press out cookie shapes using a cookie cutter.

2. Lay cookies out on parchment paper and bake in a 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes.

3. Cool cookie completely on a wire rack before icing and decorating.

4. Decorate with icing and sprinkles. Allow 24 hours to dry. Store in air tight container.

A Children's Recipe: 

Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

☐2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
☐1/2 teaspoon baking powder
☐1/4 teaspoon salt
☐3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
☐3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
☐1 large egg, at room temperature
☐2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
☐1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Icing Ingredients
☐3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
☐1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (omit and replace with water for stark white icing)
☐2 teaspoons light corn syrup*
☐4.5–5 Tablespoons (67–75ml) room temperature water
pinch salt*
☐Sprinkles for decorating

Step by Step Instructions:

Step 1: Make Cookie Dough

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using), and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be a bit soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more tablespoon of flour.

Step 2: Roll out Dough

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.

Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the second rolled-out dough on top.

Step 3: Refrigerate Dough

Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours and up to 2 days.

Step 4: Cut out Christmas Tree Cookie Shapes

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Using a Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with second piece of dough. 

Arrange cookies on parchment lined baking sheets about 3 inches apart. 

Bake for 11–12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.  Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. 

Step 5: Ice and Decorate

Make the icing: Using a fork, stir the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, and 4.5 Tablespoons of water together in a medium bowl. It will be very thick and almost impossible to stir. Add another 1/2-1 tablespoon of water to reach right consistency. 

Decorate the cookies using icing and sprinkles.

Allow icing to set.

 Click on the "Christmas" label below for more of my Christmas recipes.