Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
For the filling:
1/4 cup Crisco shortening
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
green food coloring
1 tube brown decorating icing, with writing tip
Method
In large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter until creamy, about 1 minute.
With mixer on
low, alternately add flour, salt, and milk and beat until well blended.
Wrap
dough in
plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to
375F. Spread
sugar on a plate. On a floured surface, roll one third of the dough to 1/8"
thick. Cut out
tree shapes with a 2" cookie cutter. Press cookies into sugar to coat on
both sides then
place on ungreased cookie sheets. Prick each cookie all over with a fork, for
decoration.
Bake cookies 9 to 11 minutes until very lightly browned. Cool on sheets 2 minutes
then
transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
While cookies are baking, prepare
the filling. In
a large bowl, beat shortening and butter until creamy with an electric mixer.
Beat in
vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk. Add food coloring to tint the
filling pale
green. Beat on high until the filling is light and fluffy; appx. 3 minutes.
Spread filling on
half of the cookies and sandwich with the remaining halves. Outline cookies
with the
decorating icing.
