All the cheer

These were another set of cookies I made for the Bake Sale - if you are looking for a showstopper cookie - these are it. They can be customized in so many way... the color of the sprinkles, the designs on top, and even the flavors! These cookies were so fun to make, a little tricky to flatten the cookie discs to make sure they baked to each other and didn't separate, but also remained round. I think other more creative people could do some fun piping on top - I did my best. What a fun way to bring some Christmas cheer in or Halloween cheer - heck - Easter cheer! Bring on all the cheer!

Stacked Christmas Sprinkle Cookies Recipe
For the sprinkle sugar cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Christmas colored sprinkles 
For the buttercream frosting (optional - to decorate)
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
red and green gel food colorings
more sprinkles for decorating

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the sprinkle cookies: In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon by hand, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk to combine.
Add your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Fold together until you have a streak free cookie dough. The cookie dough should be soft, but shouldn't stick to your hands. If it's too sticky to work with, pop it into the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes or until firmed up enough to handle.
Scoop a 1.5 tablespoon sized portion of dough and roll into a smooth ball. Roll the ball of dough around in your choice of colored sprinkles to completely coat. Place the sprinkle covered ball of dough on your parchment lined baking sheet and flatten into a ¼ inch thick disk.
Take another piece of dough (about half the size of the sprinkle covered dough) and press into a small disk shape that's smaller than the disk of sprinkle dough. Lay the plain disk of dough over the sprinkle covered dough and gently press to stick it on. See above for visual.
Repeat the process of stacking sprinkle covered dough with plain dough. Make sure to leave about 1 inch of space between each cookie on your baking sheet.
Bake the stacked cookies in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned along the bottom edges.
Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely to room temperature.
Make the buttercream frosting: In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon by hand, mix together until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and lightened in color.
Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk, and whisk together until combined and fluffy. If needed, gradually whisk in more milk until you reach your desired consistency.
To create the designs I made for these cookies, divide the frosting into thirds. Leave ⅓ of the buttercream plain white, and color ⅓ red and ⅓ green.
Decorate the cookie tops with some with your favorite Christmassy designs - I just piped on some snowflakes, Christmas trees, and Santa hats! Before the frosting sets, sprinkle over some white sprinkles on the snowflakes for added sparkle and crunch. Sprinkle some rainbow sprinkles over the trees to resemble Christmas lights. Or you can also leave the cookies plain. Serve and enjoy!