Christmas Tree Sours Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unroll one of the pie crusts onto a cutting board. Using a 2 1/2-inch plain-edged round cutter, cut out 8 circles from the crust. Place the circles on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Discard the remaining dough.
• Unroll the second pie crust onto the cutting board. Using the same 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out 8 more circles. Then, use a 2-inch plain-edged round cutter and cut out 8 smaller circles from the larger circles on the board. Set aside the rings. Using a 1 1/2-inch Christmas tree cutter, cut out 8 small trees from the smaller full circles. You should now have eight 2 1/2-inch full circles, eight 2 1/2-inch rings and eight small Christmas trees of dough.
• Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Use your finger or a brush to brush the edge of the 2 1/2-inch circles. This will help the rings adhere during baking. Lay the rings on top of the egg-washed circles. Working carefully, spoon 3 cherries into the center of each tart. Place a tiny tree on top of each tart over the cherries. The trunk of the tree should be touching the outer ring. Using your finger or a pastry brush, brush the pie-crust ring and tree with the egg wash. Bake the tarts until the dough is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• Create a bed of rosemary on a platter or cake stand and arrange the baked tarts on top of the rosemary. Dust with confectioners' sugar and enjoy!

Steps:

• First decorate the top of the cake. With the black sparkle gel, pipe three arcs across the top of the cake (These are the wires.) Draw tiny rectangles hanging off each arc, spaced about 1/2 inch apart. (These are the "sockets.")
• Snip the candies in half with kitchen shears. You'll be using the rounded ends; save the other ends for another use (or eat them!). Place each rounded end beneath a rectangle, so the flat cut side attaches to the flat side of the rectangle. (These are the lights.)
• Next decorate the sides of the cake. Pipe wide swags around the circumference, with their ends connected. Pipe rectangle sockets hanging off the wire, just as you did on top of cake. Place candy lights under the sockets.

Steps:

• Using a stand mixer or a bowl and a spatula, mix together the cream cheese, herbs, garlic, mustard, and salt until combined. Form the mixture into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Before serving, form the ball into a tree shape -- like an egg shape, but pointier on top. Roll the tree-shaped ball in the parsley, reshaping it with your hands as necessary. Decorate with bits of bell peppers and pomegranate seeds. Top with the slice of star fruit.
• Serve with crackers and crudites.

Steps:

• For the dip: Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, lemon zest, granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a generous grinding of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined and smooth. Transfer the dip to a medium bowl and fold in the chives and parsley. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water. Add the broccoli to the boiling water and blanch until bright green and crisp tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a strainer to the ice bath. Repeat with the cauliflower. Drain the vegetables well and pat them very dry.
• To build the tree, make a triangle of broccoli florets in the center of a serving platter. Place the cucumber piece, skin side up, at the base of the tree as a stump and scatter the cauliflower on either side. Decorate the tree with tomatoes, cucumber slices and pepper strips and stars, leaving one star for the top.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Beat in the sour cream, honey and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 325° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. , In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white coating; stir until smooth. Stir in food coloring; drizzle over cookies.

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.