Christmas Tree Cookies

What You Need:

• Cookie dough
• Rolling pin
• Knife
• Baking Sheet
• Royal icing
• Food coloring
• Small herb leaves for painting
• Tree cookie cutter or cardstock, pencil, and a scissor

What You Do:

1. Prepare a batch of store-bought or homemade sugar cookie dough, and have your child roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick.
2. Cut out tree shapes using a cookie cutter. Cut out the trees and divide them into two batches. In one batch, cut halfway down the top of tree that is about ¼ inch wide. In the other batch, cut the same size slit at the bottom of the tree, up from the trunk.
3. Or if you're drawing a tree shape and using it as a template, print it out on card stock, cut out the tree shapes, lay them on the dough and carefully cut around the templates using a knife.
4. Lay the cookies on a baking tray about an inch apart from each other and bake according to directions. Let cool completely.
5. Have your child mix up a batch of tinted royal icing with some green food coloring.
6. Coat the cookies with icing by carefully dipping one side of them into the icing, or spreading the icing on with a knife. If icing gets into the cracks of the trees, make sure to wipe it off.
7. Dry over night, until it has smooth, matte finish.
8. Now it's time to assemble the cookies! Carefully fit the trees with opposite slits together. If using the template, insert cookie "A" into cookie "B". The cookies should form a cross-section and be able to stand upright on a plate!
9. Decorate your trees with icing, sprinkles, or use this amazing technique: dip small herbs like lavender or rosemary into green food coloring, gently shake off excess color, and press them onto the trees.

If you're making a gingerbread house this year, these trees would be the coolest addition to the yard!