Christmas Tree Recipes

Steps:

• Mix confectioners' sugar, butter or margarine, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide dough into halves. On lightly floured cloth-covered board, roll each half out to 3/16 inch thick. on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into Christmas shapes.
• Bake on parchment lined baking sheets for 7 to 8 minutes. Let cool on wire racks and decorate as desired.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Divide dough in half. Tint half of the dough green; knead well to distribute color evenly. Leave remaining dough white. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Use tree-shaped cookie cutters with identical shapes, measuring 21/2 in., 3 in., 4 in. and 41/2 in. Cut out an even number of cookies with each size cookie cutter., Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately cut half of each size tree cookies in half from top to bottom. If tree cookie cutters have trunks, trim trunks off trees, creating a flat base. Remove to wire racks to cool., For frosting, in a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder, vanilla and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed for 8-10 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Divide frosting in half. Tint half of the frosting green; leave remaining frosting white. Cover frosting with damp paper towels or plastic wrap between uses., To glaze trees: In a small bowl, thin 1 cup green frosting with 2-3 Tbsp. water until frosting reaches pourable consistency. Place matching pairs of whole and halved cookies on a wire rack over waxed paper. Pour icing over cookies; spread with a metal spatula to completely cover top and sides of cookies. Let dry completely. Assemble and decorate as desired. , To make a four-sided tree: Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or resealable plastic bag; insert round pastry tip #5. Fill with green or white frosting to match the tree you are decorating. Pipe a line of frosting along the cut edge of one of the halved cookies; press frosted edge along center of a matching whole cookie. Let dry until firm.Stand up partially assembled tree. Attach one matching cookie half to the opposite side of the tree by piping frosting along the center of the whole cookie. Let dry completely. Decorate as desired., To make an eight-sided tree: Assemble as described for four-sided tree, using white or green cookies. Using matching colored frosting, attach four more cookie halves; halves should be one half-size smaller than whole center cookie. Let dry completely. Decorate as desired., To make Christmas lights decoration: Using a pastry or resealable plastic bag, round pastry tip #2 and green frosting, pipe cords. Attach sprinkles for lights. Let dry completely. , To make snow-tipped decoration: Using a pastry or resealable plastic bag, large round pastry tip #8 and white frosting, pipe snow on tips of branches. Sprinkle with edible glitter. Let dry completely., To make garland decoration: Using a pastry or resealable plastic bag, medium star pastry tip #21 and either white or green frosting, pipe garlands around trees. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Let dry completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine sun-dried tomato pesto and goat cheese in a small bowl and stir well.
• Unroll 1 puff pastry sheet onto the prepared baking sheet. Cut away 2 strips at the bottom of the sheet to form a tree trunk, about 1 inch wide and tall. Cut diagonally to the top of the puff pastry sheet to create a long triangular shape, removing excess pastry on either side.
• Spread a thin layer of the pesto mixture over the pastry, all the way to the sides. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Pecorino-Romano cheese on top.
• Roll up the second puff pastry sheet and place at the tip of the triangle. Unroll carefully towards the bottom. Press down lightly and carefully cut away the sides to match the first triangle. Remove excess pastry.
• Cut 2/3-inch thick branches into the sides of the triangle from both sides, leaving a space lengthwise in the center all the way from the trunk to the tip. Twist the branches away from you, trying to get in 2 turns on the lower branches. Continue moving up the tree, twisting away from you as you go.
• Brush the entire tree with beaten egg. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of Pecorino-Romano cheese and dried oregano.
• Bake in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet slightly.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out one puff pastry sheet into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Lightly score puff pastry into the shape of a Christmas tree (triangle) with a wide base. Spread chocolate-hazelnut spread over the triangle in a thin layer with the back of a spoon.
• Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry to a large rectangle and place on top of the first one. Carefully trace the shape of the chocolate covered triangle underneath and cut out the Christmas tree shape and the trunk. Pull away excess pastry.
• Lightly score 2 lines down the middle of the triangle to form a tree trunk that is narrower at the top and gets wider towards the base. Using the trunk as a guide, cut branches into the sides of the triangle.
• Twist the branches away from you, trying to get in 2 turns on the lower branches. Continue moving up the tree, twisting away from you as you go.
• Cut a small star out of the excess pastry; place on top of the tree. Brush the star and tree with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffy and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Slide onto a serving plate, using a piece of parchment paper if needed.

Steps:

• DISCLAIMER: This should go without saying, but - DO NOT DRINK THIS. THIS MIXTURE IS NOT MEANT TO BE CONSUMED BY HUMANS OR ANIMALS. IT SHOULD ONLY BE USED TO WATER YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE.
• IMPORTANT: DO NOT MIX VINEGAR AND BLEACH TOGETHER DIRECTLY - IF YOU MIX THEM DIRECTLY THE MIXTURE WILL PRODUCE TOXIC VAPORS. MIX THE VINEGAR WITH THE WATER FIRST, THEN PROCEED WITH THE REST OF THE RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS.
• In a large bowl, mix together the water and the vinegar.
• Add the corn syrup or the sugar, and stir well until all is combined or the sugar is dissolved. If you are using sugar, it may help to use half hot water first to dissolve the sugar, then add the second half, using cold water.
• Add the bleach, if using, and mix well to combine.
• Place your Christmas tree securely in the Christmas tree stand.
• Place a penny in the reservoir of the Christmas tree stand, then fill it with the water mixture.
• Store the remainder of the mixture in a gallon jug, and check the tree every day to see if it needs more of the mixture. Christmas trees which are not watered and which dry out become fire hazards, so make sure your tree is kept watered. If you have used bleach in the mixture label the container appropriately so that no one will drink from it.

Steps:

• Make the cordial: Bring 4 cups water, 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, the zest of 2 lemons, the juice of 5 lemons and 7 ounces spruce or fir needles to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 2 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, repeating to remove all the needles; let cool. Make the drinks: Combine 1/3 cup each sparkling water and bourbon, 3 tablespoons of the cordial, the juice of 2 limes and 3 dashes bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into 2 ice-filled glasses and garnish with spruce or fir sprigs. Refrigerate the remaining cordial for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 200°. Add vanilla, cream of tartar and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes. Tint with green food coloring and mix thoroughly., Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag; insert a large #828 open star tip. Transfer meringue to bag. Pipe 2-in.-diameter tree shapes 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets; top with sprinkles and a star nonpareil. , Bake until firm to the touch, about 3 hours. Turn off oven and open door all the way; leave meringues in oven until cool. Remove meringues from parchment. If desired, sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unroll the two pastry sheets, keeping them on their baking parchment. Spread the pesto over one of the pastry sheets, then scatter over half of the grated cheese. Flip the second sheet of pastry on top and press to stick the two pastry sheets together. Remove the top layer of parchment.
• Cut out a Christmas tree shape - a large triangle with a little stump at the bottom, using as much of the pastry as possible. Cut a star shape out of the offcuts for the top of the tree. Reserve the rest of the offcuts. Lift the tree onto a large baking tray, brush with the beaten egg, then do the same with the star and press it on the tip. Scatter over the rest of the cheese and gently press to help it stick to the pastry.
• Cut vertical lines into the sides of the tree, about 1cm apart, leaving a 'trunk' of about 2cm up the middle. Twist the strips of pastry and stick them back down to the tray. Do this with all the pastry 'branches'. Cut the offcuts into straws, and arrange them on another baking tray. You can now wrap and chill the tree and offcuts for up to two days, freeze for two months, or bake straightaway.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
• Roll pastry into a 14-inch square, sprinkling with flour if necessary.
• Cut from the bottom corners up to the center top to make a triangle. Place the triangle on a prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator.
• Overlap the long edges of the 2 remaining pieces of pastry by about ½ inch to form a second triangle. Roll to flatten slightly. Place on the second prepared baking sheet and chill until needed.
• Remove the first triangle from the refrigerator. Lift the silicone liner and pastry off the pan and onto the counter. Trim about 1 ½ inches off the bottom of the triangle and cut a 2-inch piece from that strip. Tuck that piece under the triangle to make a trunk.
• Spread all but 1 to 2 tablespoons pesto sauce over the entire triangle, leaving ¼ inch exposed at the edges. Grate most of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the pesto. Place the second pastry triangle over top; stretch and pull it to fit, and trim off any extra dough as needed. Lightly press the edges together to seal and pat over the whole surface of the dough.
• Use a pizza wheel to cut ¾-inch horizontal strips on one side of the tree going from the outside edge in to about ¼ to ½ inch from the center; leave the center part connected to form the trunk. As you move up the tree, it may be easier to place the pizza wheel at the trunk and cut out to the edge. Repeat on the other side, lining up the cuts with the first side.
• Lift up each strip and twist 3 to 4 times. As you get up to the shorter pieces near the top, twist as many times as you can, but don't worry if you can't twist the strips at the very top.
• Brush remaining pesto over the center of the tree and any other spots you feel need it. Transfer the silicone liner back onto a baking sheet. Grate remaining cheese over top.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until pastry is fully cooked and well browned, 30 to 35 minutes; do not undercook.
• Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes before serving.