Busters Recipes

Brown Sugar Christmas Trees

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup slivered almonds
White Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons cream or milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Green Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons green Creme de Menthe or water
Few drops green food coloring if using water
Colored sugar or nonpareils

In large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugars
until smooth. Add the vanilla, eggs, baking soda and
salt and beat until light and fluffy.

Mix in the flour thoroughly until the dough is stiff
and shape into a ball. Divide the ball into 4 parts
and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the dough
from the refrigerator and divide each part in half.

Knead each piece slightly and shape it into a roll 2
inches in diameter.

Working with two rolls at a time, place rolls
lengthwise on an 11 by 16-inch rimless baking sheet
and flatten with palms of hands. Roll two strips of
dough out right on the baking sheet to make two strips
3-inches wide and 16 inches long about 2 inches apart.
With a straight-edged knife, score into elongate
triangles. Leave the dough in place and press a piece
of almond onto the edge of the short side of each
triangle where the trunk of the tree should be.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and with a straight- edged knife
cut in triangles while still warm to separate them
along the scored lines but leave them in place. Trim
the uneven edges to straighten while cookies are still
warm.

Mix the ingredients for the white icing and the green
icing in separate small bowls. Drizzle the icings
decoratively over the Christmas trees and while the
icing is still wet, sprinkle with the colored sugar or
nonpareils.

Yield: 64 cookies