Pat Egan's Christmas Tree Cookies

Description
These second-place winning cookies are easily shaped into trees that are edged with glittery green sugar. Of her simple cookies, Pat Egan of Dolton, Illinois writes, "They're not a fancy or gourmet cookie, but a simple symbol of the Christmas season that is so close to my heart."
 * Source: Chicago Tribune Annual Food Guide holiday cookie contest December 8, 1988.
 * Preparation time: 20 minutes | chilling time: 4 hours | baking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

 * 2½ cups flour
 * 1 cup sugar
 * 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
 * 1½ tsp baking powder
 * ¼ tsp salt
 * ½ tsp almond extract
 * 1 egg
 * ¼ cup green sugar crystals
 * about ¼ cup confetti or nonpareil candy decorations, optional

Directions

 * 1) Put all ingredients except decorative sugar/nonpareils into the large bowl of an electric mixer.
 * 2) Mix together, using low speed. (Dough will be crumbly)
 * 3) Knead dough with hands until mixture holds together.
 * 4) Remove ⅓ cup of the dough; wrap and refrigerate.
 * 5) Divide remaining dough in thirds, and roll each into a 6-inch log. Note: the logs can be divided and shaped into 3 sizes and sliced to form a 3-tiered tree.
 * 6) Put sugar crystals on a sheet of wax paper.
 * 7) Roll each log in the sugar crystals to coat well; use the wax paper as a guide to press in crystals.
 * 8) Shape each log into a triangle, pressing gently on wax paper to give three sharp corners.
 * 9) Make sure to make 2 sides longer than the third side.
 * 10) Wrap each log well and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until dough is firm enough to slice.
 * 11) To this point, cookies can be made up to a week in advance.
 * 12) Heat oven to 350°F.
 * 13) To bake, slice logs crosswise into ¼-inch slices.
 * 14) Put slices about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
 * 15) For each cookie, shape about ½ teaspoon of the reserved ⅓ cup dough into a tree trunk.
 * 16) Attach to bottom underside of each tree.
 * 17) Sprinkle each cookie lightly with candy decorations, if desired.
 * 18) Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
 * 19) Carefully remove to wire racks.
 * 20) Cool completely.