Stacked Wedding Cake Cookies

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened slightly
3/4 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract

Decorations

8 ounces white candy melts, melted (or substitute with Royal Icing)
Optional: sugar pearls, flower sprinkles, or tiny fondant flowers and clear piping gel

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

Directions

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Stir in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Spoon dough into a large zip-top bag and place it in refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Dust your work surface, preferably a silicone mat, with flour.
Roll out cookie dough on floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut (24) 2-inch circles, (24) 1.5- inch circles, and (24) 7/8-inch circles out of cookie dough.
Place circles on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and freeze for 10 minutes.
Bake 2-inch cookies for about 12 minutes until edges of cookies look set and tops no longer look wet.
Bake 1 1/2-inch cookies for about 10 minutes and smallest cookies for about 8 minutes.
Let cookies cool for about 2 minutes on cookie sheet, then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To assemble cakes, spread a thin layer of white candy melts (or Royal Icing) over one large cookie then top it with another large cookie. Repeat creating a total of twelve 2-layer cookies using large round cookies.
Then repeat using small and medium cookies.
Set cookies aside to allow candy melts to dry.
Reheat candy melts until they are smooth and viscous.
Spread a thin layer of candy melts over top of one of large cookie stacks.
Shake cookie to smooth out candy melts.
Place a medium cookie stack on top, centering it over the larger cookie.
Pop cookie in freezer for 1-2 minutes until candy hardens.
Continue topping large cookies with medium cookies.
Allow cookies to come to room temperature before spreading a thin layer of white candy melts over medium cookies and top them with a small cookie.
Freeze for a minute or so to harden the candy.
Spread a thin layer over top cookies and freeze for 1 minute to harden.
Decorate stacked wedding cake cookies by attaching sugar pearls, sprinkles, or fondant flowers using clear piping gel or white candy melts. If using pure white chocolate with cocoa butter use 21 ounces of white chocolate, otherwise use 18 ounces.