Shortbread Christmas Trees

These delicious, crumbly, buttery biscuits are so easy to make. The perfect treat for a lazy Sunday afternoon of baking. Because let’s face it, we’re in lockdown (for one more day) and we’re all being lazy, but we still want snacks. 

When I say easy, I mean super easy. You’ve probably already got these ingredients in your kitchen, so it’s just a case of grabbing a bowl and a wooden spoon, mixing, chilling, cutting and baking. 

If you want to, you can cut them into any shape you want, and eat them after a few minutes of cooling. But, because I’m in Christmas countdown mode, I’ve gone that extra step and have added a little festive touch. 

I genuinely can’t remember where I bought my Christmas tree cookie cutter, but you can get them at any baking supply shop. The final touch is a little drizzle of chocolate (or a lot, because why not?) and a few of your favourite sprinkles!

*TOP TIP*

One of the reasons I love shortbread is because you can jazz it up in so many ways. You can add a variety of spices or extracts to give it a different flavour, or extras like dried fruit, chocolate chips or chopped nuts for a little crunch. I’m giving you the basic recipe here; it’s up to you to make it unique. 

INGREDIENTS

Biscuits:

200g plain flour
150g butter, room temperature
100g caster sugar (plus 2tbsp for dusting)
½ tsp vanilla extract
2tsp cinnamon

Decoration:

75g green candy melts
Sprinkles

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the salt and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the flour and fold in using a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together as a dough.
   
   
2. Shape the dough into a rough rectangle and wrap with cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Around 5-10 minutes before taking the dough out of the fridge, preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F, gas mark 5), and line a couple of large baking trays with baking parchment.
   
   
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently roll out to 1cm / ½ inch thick. Use a Christmas tree cookie cutter to cut out your biscuit shapes, and gently place onto the baking trays, roughly an inch apart.
   
   
4. Dust with a little extra caster sugar and bake your biscuits in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. Let them cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before carefully moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
   
   
5. While your biscuits are cooling, melt your chocolate in the microwave, around 15 seconds at a time, then set aside to let it cool to room temperature.
   
   
6. Once your biscuits are cool, pour the melted candy melts into a piping bag, snip off the end and drizzle a few zig-zag lines across each biscuit. Top with your favourite sprinkles and enjoy!
   

How have you decorated your Christmas tree cookies? Let me know in the comments!