Lemon Blue Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies: A Zesty Twist on a Holiday Classic!
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
1 cup 227g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup 200g granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups 375g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon salt
For the Royal Icing:
4 cups 480g powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water adjust for consistency
Gel food coloring blue, white, and gold
Gold star sprinkles and edible pearls white and gold
Instructions
1. Prepare the Cookies
Preheat Oven: Set the oven to 350F 175C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream Butter & Sugar: Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy 2-3 minutes.
Add Egg & Lemon Flavor: Mix in the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet mixture.
Roll & Cut Shapes: Roll the dough to about -inch thick on a floured surface. Use a tree-shaped cookie cutter.
Bake: Transfer to baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool completely before decorating.
2. Make the Royal Icing
Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water. Beat until stiff peaks form 5-7 minutes.
Color Icing:
Tint most of the icing blue for the base.
Leave a portion white for the swirls.
Use gold for decorative details or edible pearls.
Adjust Consistency: Thin the blue icing for flooding with a few drops of water. Keep white and gold thicker for piping.
3. Decorate the Cookies
Base Layer: Outline and flood the cookies with blue icing. Allow to set for at least 1 hour.
Swirls & Decorations:
Pipe white icing in a flowing wave pattern for a garland effect.
Add gold and white edible pearls along the garland.
Attach a gold star sprinkle at the top.
Dry: Let the cookies dry for several hours or overnight.