Modern Christmas Trees

As the holiday cookie season kicks off, these modern Christmas trees are a fun way to liven up your sugar cookie repertoire!  Using your favorite sugar cookie and buttercream recipes, both kids and adults can have fun with this simple, but beautiful design.  I've linked up a couple different sources in the supplies below, but you'll probably be able to find everything you need at your local baking supply store. 
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Supplies

• Baked Christmas tree sugar cookies
• Buttercream icing
• Red, Brown, & green gel food coloring
• Three pastry bags
• #4 pastry tip
• Two #2 pastry tips
• Three couplers (optional)
• Three small bowls
• Spoons/spatulas for mixing the color into the icing

Tips

• A small amount of gel food coloring goes a long way.  Add one drop to your buttercream to start with.  If after mixing you'd like a more intense color, add more.
• Red gel color develops over time.  At first, the color may look a little pale, but it will darken over time.
• Cocoa powder can be used instead of the brown gel color.  Start by adding 1/2 T. to your buttercream.  
• Couplers allow you to change the pastry tip on the pastry bag.  If you are only creating this design, you do not need to use a coupler.  You can put the pastry tip directly in the pastry bag.

Directions​
1.  Divide the buttercream into 3 separate bowls.  You will only need a small amount
     of red and brown icing, so divide accordingly.  Use the gel colors to tint the icing.  
2.  Fit the pastry bags with the couplers (if using) and the pastry tips. 
3.  Fill the bag fitted with the #4 tip with the brown icing.  Fill each of the other bags
     with the green and red icing.
4.  Using the bag filled with brown icing, draw the trunk of the tree.

5.  Using the bag filled with green icing, start at the top and draw the large branches
     of the tree.  Then fill them in with smaller branches.

6.  Using the bag filled with red icing, pipe small dots along the branches for the
     berries.

These cookies will look beautiful on your cookie tray this holiday season, whether you're enjoying them with family or giving them away as gifts!  I'd love to hear how your modern tree designs turned out - post in the comments below, on Instagram (@savorbakingco), or on our Facebook page.