These Christmas Tree Cookies are the perfect holiday baking project-festive, fun, and full of buttery sugar cookie goodness! Decorated with green frosting, sprinkles, and a touch of sparkle, they're guaranteed to make your dessert table merry and bright.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Simple & Delicious: Soft, buttery sugar cookies that hold their shape beautifully.
- Perfectly Festive: Decorated to look like little Christmas trees-so fun for kids and adults!
- Customizable: Change colors, decorations, or even the shape for endless holiday creativity.
- Make Ahead Friendly: The cookies and frosting can both be prepped in advance.
Make sure to check out my other Christmas cookies like Red Velvet Crinkle, Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies, Gingerbread Christmas Tree, Grinch Cookies, and these super festive Christmas Wreath Cookies!
What This Recipe Needs
- Tree Cookie Cutter: This is such a cute Christmas Tree cookie cutter, but you can use any Christmas shape you want!
- Flour: The foundation for your sugar cookies, keeping them sturdy yet tender.
- Butter: Adds rich flavor and helps create that perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps achieve those golden edges.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients and gives the cookies structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and enhances the buttery flavor.
- Green Frosting: Brings your trees to life with festive color and flavor. I recommend using green food gel to color the frosting.
- Sprinkles and Christmas Candies: Add sparkle, color, and a touch of holiday magic! I love using Star Sprinkles, Christmas M&Ms, and a variety of Christmas Sprinkles!
- Additional Equipment: Additional Items: Piping Bag, Piping Tips, Piping Couplers, Parchment Paper, and a Rolling Pin.
Love sugar cookies? Check out my Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Sugar Cookies, and Black Cat Sugar Cookies!
How to Make Christmas Tree Cookies?
- Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Incorporate the egg and vanilla. Then stir in the dry ingredients.
- Step 3: Divide the dough in half. Roll each half between two pieces of parchment paper, then refrigerate while still flattened and between the parchment paper.
- Step 4: Once the dough has chilled, cut out the tree shapes and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Step 5: Bake cookies until lightly golden.
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How to Decorate Christmas Tree Cookies?
- Step 6: Mix up the buttercream. Divide the frosting into a few bowls and stir in any colors (like red or green). I like to leave some frosting white, too.
- Step 7: Fill a piping bag fitted with a tip with frosting, then decorate the cookies. Add sprinkles and let frosting set.
- Step 8: I like to use a combination of star tips, the grass tip, and writing tips to create branches and other designs on the cookies.
- Step 9: Get creative with your designs and color combos, then enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Chill the Dough: Keeps your cookies from spreading while baking.
- Use Parchment Paper: It helps when rolling out the dough, prevents sticking, and ensures even baking.
- Let Cookies Cool: Always cool completely before frosting to prevent melting.
- Get Creative: Use different shades of green or piping tips for textured "tree branches." Use a coupler for your piping tips so you can easily switch out tips without changing frosting bags!
Variations
- Peppermint Cookies: Mix in peppermint extract for a refreshing holiday flavor.
- Mini Tree Cookies: Make bite-sized versions for gift boxes or dessert trays.
- Iced Sugar Trees: Use white icing with colored sugar for a snowy look.
- Royal Icing: Want a more classic sugar cookie icing? Try my royal icing recipe, which I use on my gingerbread men cookies!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make the Dough Ahead of Time?
Yes! Chill it for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
What's the Best Frosting for These Cookies?
Buttercream or royal icing both work great-it depends if you want soft or crisp decorations.
Can I Use a Different Shape Cutter?
Of course! Stars, snowflakes, or bells work wonderfully with this same dough.
Do I Need to Chill the Dough?
Yes-this step helps your cookies keep their tree shape perfectly.
How Should I Store Frosted Cookies?
Keep them in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If frosted with buttercream, keep them refrigerated.
More Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out all my fun and tasty Christmas Recipes like Christmas Tree Cake Dip, Candy Cane Beignets, Christmas Oreo Balls, Christmas Tree Appetizer, Peppermint Bark, Red Velvet Cake Balls, Christmas Drink, and this tasty Christmas Cracker Toffee!
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Christmas Tree Cookies
These Christmas Tree Cookies are soft, buttery, and beautifully decorated-perfect for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and festive baking fun!
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Servings: 60 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Butter Cream Frosting
- 2 cups butter softened to room temperature
- 10 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbs vanilla or almond extract*
- 10 tbs heavy cream
- Pinch of Salt
- Food Coloring Gel green, red, etc
- Candies and Sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add sugar and softened butter and stir until combined.1 cup sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter
- Add in egg and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined. You may need to scrape down the sides at least once.1 egg, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Then add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Divide the dough in half. Take half of the dough and place it between two large pieces of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a flat layer about ~⅛th inch thick. Do the same with the other half. Refrigerate the flattened dough for 20 minutes or up to 1 ½ hours, still pressed between the parchment paper..
- Preheat oven to 300°F and line several baking sheets* with parchment paper. Move oven rack to the second-to-lowest position.
- Cut out tree cookie shapes and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden. Thickness of the cookies will vary the baking time.
- Any scraps of dough leftover can be rerolled and refrigerated while the other cookies are baking. Try to use a cold baking sheet for every new batch.
- While cookies are baking and cooling, make the frosting.
- In a stand mixer, whip the butter on high until light and fluffy.2 cups butter
- Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar, alternating between the two, until fully mixed in.10 cups powdered sugar, 10 tbs heavy cream
- Add in the vanilla/almond extract, salt, and green food coloring. Before adding the green color, you can reserve a some of the white frosting if you want to use it to decorate.2 tbs vanilla or almond extract*, Pinch of Salt, Food Coloring Gel
- Mix frosting on high for 30 seconds to get light and fluffy.
- Frost the cookies when they are cooled completely. I like to use a combination of different piping tips like a dot, leaf, grass tips, or star tip. Add sprinkles as bulbs and a little star on the top!Candies and Sprinkles for decorating
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- * I used almond extract instead of vanilla in this batch of frosting, but you can use whatever extract you want.
- *Depending on how cold the dough is, it might be hard to lift it off the parchment paper. If that's the case, use scissors to cut parchment paper around the cookie and place the cookie and parchment directly on the baking sheet.
- *If you have a baking sheet without edges, use it! It will allow air to circulate more effectively.
- *I recommend using gel food coloring to dye your frosting for a more vibrant color.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Lisa says
These are so fun to make and tasty amazing too!