Chocolate-Dipped Christmas Tree Cookies - unsalted butter

Method

• Note this requires at least 2 1/2 hours of refrigeration time for the dough, so plan ahead.
• For the cookies:
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
• In a bowl combine flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda, then add it into the sugar-butter mixture. Mix until incorporated.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Unwrap dough and place it on your work surface. Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out Christmas tree shaped cookies using a cookie cutter. Place cookies onto parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing them an inch or so apart. Chill cookies for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C). Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes until they start to turn golden. Be careful not to over bake. Remove from oven. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
• For the chocolate ganache:
• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to almost a boil and remove from heat. Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour cream over chocolate chips, stirring to combine (might take a few minutes). Add the peppermint extract (if you decide to use it) and mix to combine. Set ganache aside to set, stirring every so often.
• To assemble the the cookies:
• Once cookies have cooled to room temperature, coat the bottom side of half of them with the ganache as desired. You can use a piping bag or spatula. Then add a second cookie, to create a sandwich. Then dip them into the ganache at an angle. Top with sprinkles.