Joyeux Noël
Today is the twelfth day of Christmas. All the decorations will soon be tucked away until next Christmas. White Christmas Tree Cookies are a yummy treat to munch on while we take down the tree, write thank you notes, and eat turkey soup made from the leftover Christmas “beast.” It’s time to ponder the memories we’ve made and all the lives we’ve touched during the past several weeks. Let’s also lift a mug of hot cocoa to the new year. May it be filled with joy and may our hopes be realized beyond our wildest expectations.
“I don’t make New Year’s resolutions every year anymore. I’m still working on the ones I made for Y2K.” *
*If you don’t know what Y2K is/was, don’t worry. Nothing happened.Kasha
These White Christmas Tree Cookies are delicious and no one will know they’re gluten-free. They easily hold their own on a plate full of regular sugar cookies. Their texture is as light as air. Covered with a tangy lemon glaze and decorated with tiny red hearts, they dare you to eat just one. The little hearts are actually a nod to the next holiday on the horizon: Valentine’s Day. [See the “Description” section below for a link to the cookie recipe.]
Cookie specifics
Gluten Free Butter Cookie. The combination of European butter and Erika’s perfect gluten-free flour blend makes this cookie a wonderful addition to my Christmas cookie tray. It’s buttery and light but sturdy enough to hold all the frosting and sprinkles I wanted to add. For the lemon lovers in my family, I coated the cookies with a bright and tangy lemon glaze to which I added bright white food coloring to ensure that the trees would be white. See A Little Insanity for the recipe.
Shapes
Christmas trees of various shapes and sizes.
Sizes
Sizes range from mini (1-2 inches) to large (4-5 inches). 2½ to 3 inches is my favorite size for decorating and eating!
Cookie Recipes from These Talented Cookie Artists
Gluten Free Butter Cookie Recipe. Recipe from A Little Insanity. I also used Erika’s Gluten Free Flour Mix. It is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends and makes a very light and delicious cookie.
Icing & Frostings
Glaze for Piping: I used the lemon variation of this glaze/icing. It dries hard enough that you can stack or package the cookies without damaging the embellishments. I often use it exclusively or in combination with Royal Icing.
Glaze for Piping Recipe
Sprinkles
Tiny red hearts to use for the lights, swags, and other tree “ornaments.”
Cookies
Gluten Free Butter Cookie Recipe: Erika’s gluten-free flour mix, salt, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract
Icing & Decorative Embellishments
Glaze for Piping: sugar, corn syrup, food coloring (bright white), lemon juice (replaces the water listed in the recipe)
Sprinkles: sugar and red food coloring
Plate, Box or Bag?
Christmas Plate. I arranged the cookies on a pretty Christmas plate, one that has a Christmas tree on it. As the cookies disappeared, the tree was revealed.
Bags. I also wanted to gift some of the cookies so I wrapped them individually in clear, food-safe bags, secured with a twist tie. This made it easy to package the cookies without causing damage to the tiny heart decorations.
What I’ve learned...
These cookies were made with the best ingredients I could find and baked in a small batch of two dozen. I’ve experimented with less expensive ingredients, but have come to the conclusion that flavor is best when I use the best. Why spend all this time baking and decorating if taste and texture are just so-so? Decorating the cookies takes time, but it’s an enjoyable process for me and I know that those who receive them appreciate that. Life is just better when you can share something you love with someone you love. Don’t you agree?
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