...otherwise known as the "Trees of Indecision."
As soon as I saw these
two-tone trees from A Dozen Eggs, I knew that tree cookies were in my future.
But, since I seem to have an obsession with dots....whether it be on
cakes or
apples or
presents....I added some dots.
The indecision came in with the sanding sugar and the wood grain trunk.
To sugar or not to sugar. To wood grain or not to wood grain. Those were the questions.
{
You know you are having serious cookie issues when you wake your husband up at the crack of dawn to say, "Sweetie, which do you like better, this plain tree trunk or the wood grain one?"}
Wood grain it was.
Now, *someone* in my house does not care for sanding sugar. (Not the way it looks, but the way it tastes.) Had I known this before marrying him, we would have been in for some MAJOR pre-marital counseling.
I, on the other hand,
love that bit of crunch on a soft sugar cookie. So, I went for half and half.
To make these trees, you'll need:
Dotty Winter Tree Cookie Tutorial:
With a #3 tip, outline the tree on green, piping 3 sections of the tree.
With a #2 tip, outline the trunk in brown.
Thin the green, light green and brown icings with water, a bit at a time, until it is the consistency of thick syrup. Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit several minutes.
Stir gently with a rubber spatula and transfer icings to squeeze bottles.
Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the trees in the 3 colors of green. Use a toothpick to spread to edges and pop large air bubbles.
Come back over the filled trees while the icing is still wet and drop on dots of thinned icing.
Fill in the trunks in brown. Use a toothpick to spread to edges and pop large air bubbles.
Let dry overnight.
The next day, set up a sanding sugar station. Mix equal parts meringue powder with water. With a small paintbrush, brush the mixture on the area to be sanded. Sprinkle on the sanding sugar and shake excess over a coffee filter. The filter can be used as a funnel to go back into the bottle.
For the wood grain, I used a cookie painted technique from Renee of
Kudos Kitchen. She is a fabulous artist, check out her
painted tiles, and she shared a video of
how to add wood grain on cookies at
University of Cookie.
Basically, mix water with food coloring....a 1 to 1 ratio or so. Trim your fan brush, so that it is uneven. Dip the brush into the food coloring mixture, dab on a paper towel and brush onto your cookies. (I used the same technique on the
Harry Potter broom cookies.)
Tell me....are you a sanding sugar lover like me, or do you side with Mr. E on this one?
Cutest Christmas tree cookies EVER♥ I think the sanding sugar makes it look adorable!!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Ai
your cookies are always so pretty! i really wish i had the patience to try that.
ReplyDeleteLOVELY! I'll be making a funky forest next week when I get home for CHristmas. I have followed your tutorials and made a giant snowman cookie and about 40 snowballs to go around him. Would love to share pics, but ???
ReplyDeleteLOVELY! I'll be making a funky forest next week when I get home for CHristmas. I have followed your tutorials and made a giant snowman cookie and about 40 snowballs to go around him. Would love to share pics, but ???
ReplyDeletePreciosas! Tan sencillas y tan bonitas. Love.
ReplyDeleteOh how I admire your work. I would have to side with sanding sugar, sorry Mr. E...
ReplyDeleteBridget! I need help! I have tried to do the luster dust or sanding sugar trick like you and all I get is my royal icing looking like doodoo because getting it wet causes it to sorta disintegrate? Any recommendations????
ReplyDeleteTry letting the icing dry more and don't put too much liquid on.
DeleteLovely. I am so inspired!
ReplyDeleteI like both but I think I'd LOVE disco dust or luster dust!! Great job and again - thanks so much for all the detailed explanations! You make it MUCH less intimidating to try!
ReplyDeleteI love these! I think I like the looks of the non-sugared ones, but I really like shiny cookies :)
ReplyDeleteI can't pick a side; they're both super cute! Loving the wood grain b.t.w.!
ReplyDeleteLove these!! so simple, but totally delightfully gorgeous!! You are so smart girl!
ReplyDeleteBlessings-
Amanda
The 3 grandkids & I made your sugar cookies last night. Had a blast & they turned out very well. The sanding sugar looks great but not sure if I prefer it on when eating. The tree cookies look great as always. You are so talented!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Thanks for the tutorial. The wood grain is absolutely amazing! Tis the season...
ReplyDeleteThose are way too perfect. I love the look of it without the sanding sugar myself! I can see the bright green so much better!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Lila Ferraro
They are the cutest little trees! I love the polka dots! I wouldn't be able to decide on sanding sugar or without they are both so pretty. A mix of the two would look nice.
ReplyDeleteThe trees are so CUTE!! Looking at the photos, I would prefer without the sanding sugar, only because the colors are brighter. Thanks for the detailed tutorial!
ReplyDeleteOh, these are cute! I like a little crunch too.
ReplyDeleteI love the tree bark at the bottom that's so adorable. Your step by step instructions make me want to attempt cookie decorating!
ReplyDeleteLove how the sanding sugar give it a frosty look ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's coincidence that I have 2 dozen naked Christmas tree cookies on my dining room table. I was trying to figure out how to make them special, and two tone may be the way to go! Thanks for a great idea!
ReplyDeleteThese are darling! I'm gonna have to try them! I love the tree stumps! Also I will have to say I do not like sprinkles because of the crunch, so I have issues too.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say trunk with the woodgrain and tree without the sugar, just for the look I'm gonna side with Mr E. The dots are sooo cute.
ReplyDeleteI share you love of dots!
ReplyDeleteLove the sanding sugar effect! Of course I love all of your cookies. I made your recipe this week and they are FAB! Loved them!
ReplyDeleteI too have a hubby that does not like sanding sugar. I feel your pain. =0)
ReplyDeleteLike the idea of the two tone decorating and the tree trunks with the wood-grain look are great. As for the dots...now that's a tree with a lot of pizazz!
ReplyDeletei just spent a ton of money at Sweet! after looking at these and your cookies with PW!!loveeee
ReplyDeleteI can go either way so I base it on the design of the cookie. In this case, I love the way the sanding sugar looks like snow on the trees...so gotta go with the sanding sugar:D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tutorials! I made my VERY FIRST decorated cookies this weekend! Super yummy and super cute! i can't wait to try more next weekend. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I think I'm siding with Mr. E on this one. =) But I'm sure they're both delicious!
ReplyDeleteVery cute! I love your polka dots too:) Good to see that you reached a good compromise with the trees!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the brush strokes on the tree trunk. It makes it look even more believeable!!
ReplyDeleteYou're probably not surprised that I love these cookies, Bridget! I posted about them on my polka dotted blog today.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.onthedotcreations.com/2010/12/polka-dotted-christmas-cookies.html
Merry Christmas!
I love these! That green is my favorite color!
ReplyDeleteThese are so cute! I love sanding sugar, never used it before though. I like the crunch, like you :)
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful cookies! Love the trunk details : )
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your awesome cookie blog! I think I am in trouble. I see cookie decorating supplies on my Christmas wish list. Lovely photos and just gorgeous cookies! :)
ReplyDeleteI love them all!
ReplyDeleteSo pretty, as always!
ReplyDeleteyour Christmas Tree Cookies are just adorable! Will try to copy your idea when I will do more baking later this week.
ReplyDeleteI like the look of the sandy sugar, but am not the biggest fan of the texture. I will eat both if it means I can get my sugar cookie on, but would take unsugared before the sugared. Sorry, but I wanted to say I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteThese are so cool. I came on to your blog tonight to see what cool ideas you had for Christmas cookies and yay the trees are awesome! I might have to try tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWow, your cookies are seriously beautiful! So impressed with all you do with them. A work of art. Came over to get your sugar cookie recipe to try.
ReplyDeleteThe cookies look amazing! I haven't ever had sanding sugar cookies but I think I would have to go with Mr. E and say leave it off!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the tree. It looks great.
ReplyDeleteSuper lovely cookies. Look so great!
ReplyDeleteI have to side with Mr. E!
ReplyDeleteOH I LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMust make today :)
sorry but I have to side with Mr. E. but I do like the look of the sugar. I would have to do what you did and make some of each.
ReplyDeleteI *love* these! I never know what to do with my Christmas tree cookies because plain green just seems boring, but when I try ornaments they look silly. This is perfect!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful as usual, Bridget!! We will be doing iced sugar cookies soon (was a tradition in my family when I was growing up), but I will NOT be posting pics of them. LOL
ReplyDeleteThose trees are so adorable! I love the dots, and I have to say that I am a fan of the sanding sugar, too. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the trees. Don't like cookies with crunchie toppings. No sanding sugar or sprinkles for me, thanks.
ReplyDeleteYour trees turned out wonderful. You are so talented. I wish I had this kind of talent so I could make gorgeous cookies.
ReplyDeletexo
Love your photos! You should share them at http://www.dishfolio.com/
ReplyDeleteDarling! Oh, I love the painted trunk touch.
ReplyDeleteI love your Christmas trees!! Where did you get the cutter from?
ReplyDeletethese are adorable! You are quite talented, Bridget!!
ReplyDeleteYour cookies!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/inspiration/simply-spectacular-sugar-cookies--135109?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fthekitchn+%28The+Kitchn%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
:D
I linked your post up to Christmas I'm Lovin' It Round Up!! thanks again Bridget!!! http://tidymom.net/2010/im-lovin-it-christmas-round-up/
ReplyDeleteI love your site so much! I tried acouple of things and they all turned out delicious, I recently tried my hand at Royale icing cookies, and they were snails and black and purple but the royale icing taste was kinda nasty... :( I was wondering if you add flavoring? And if so how much and what kind? I made more only this time I added maple flavoring and dumb me didnt realize it would turn the icing brown.. they came out pretty but once again my cookies came out in an unexpected way. Please help me :P
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I made our own Christmas tree forest cookies this year, but I can't believe we didn't think to make any of them sparkly! These are adorable!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great recipe
ReplyDeleteChristmas Cake Ideas
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ReplyDeleteJust as great as all your others! I love your tree cookie cutter with the "curved up branches" Where can we find one?
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Thanks for a great recipe! love it!
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