Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
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Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies are the holiday baking project I look forward to every single December. The dough bakes up soft, buttery, and green, then each triangle gets piped with darker green frosting in swirling layers, covered in festive sprinkles, and finished with a pretzel stick trunk. They’re always the first thing gone from any cookie spread.
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I make these for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and Christmas gift boxes. They travel well and are always a hit with the whole family. They hold up well at room temperature for up to a week, and you can also freeze them for up to 3 months, which makes holiday baking prep so much easier.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
How to Make Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies with Step-By-Step Instructions
Scroll down for the full recipe card containing a full printable recipe and measurements in both US customary and metric units.
Once you see how the pan-to-triangle method works, you’ll want to make these every year without fail.
Preheat Oven and Prep Your Pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Grab a nonstick springform pan or 9-inch cake pan, line it with round parchment paper, and butter the parchment well. Lightly flour the pan, then shake out any excess. This step helps prevent sticking.
Make the Sugar Cookie Dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda, then set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together until combined using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer.
Mix in the egg, then mix in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated, then add your green gel food coloring a little at a time until you reach your preferred shade of green. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
Bake and Cool the Sugar Cookie
Transfer the dough into your prepared pan and use a palette knife or an offset spatula to spread it out evenly. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes.
When it comes out of the oven, if the edges are slightly higher than the center, gently press them down with the bottom of a glass to level things out. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely before moving on.
SERIOUSLY GOOD
DESSERTS!
Dessert First is a collection of 61 RECIPES to show you that you can make beautiful, impressive desserts right in your own kitchen, no matter your skill level.
Immediate eBook download. No physical book available.
Includes ad-free recipes like:
∙ Lemon Pound Cake
∙ Key Lime Bars
∙ Boston Cream Pie
∙ No-Bake Chocolate Lasagna
∙ Raspberry Cheesecake
...and much more!
Slice Into Christmas Tree Shapes
Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cooled cookie to loosen and help it release from the pan. If you used a standard cake pan, invert it onto a cutting board. If you used a springform pan, just remove the ring.
Cut the round cookie into 8 equal triangles using a sharp knife or a triangle-shaped cookie cutter, then trim the rounded ends off each one so they have clean, flat edges that really look like little trees, and insert a pretzel stick into the base of each triangle to form the trunk.
Make the Frosting and Pipe
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, vanilla extract, and green food gel. You want the frosting to be a noticeably darker shade of green than the cookies themselves.
Carefully transfer the green frosting to a piping bag fitted with a thin tip, or use a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe a zig-zag pattern over each cooled cookie triangle, and work quickly because you’ll want to press the sprinkles on before the frosting sets.
Finish Decorating Cookies
Use large star sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, sugar pearls, gold balls, or whatever mix looks and feels festive to you. Finally, serve and enjoy your cookie, and Merry Christmas!
These cookies travel really well, which makes them great for gifting, cookie exchanges, and holiday parties. Once fully decorated and set, arrange them in a single layer inside a Christmas cookie tin or a sturdy airtight container lined with parchment paper.
If you need to stack them, place a sheet of parchment between each layer to protect the frosting and sprinkles. Keep the container level during transport so the pretzel trunks stay in place, and avoid leaving them in a hot car for long stretches.
You can also pack them individually in cellophane bags with ribbon as giveaway treats, or in a gift box to keep them looking presentable.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cookies
- butter to grease the parchment paper
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting the pan
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- green food gel use to your preference of green
For the frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- green food gel a darker shade than your cookie
- cookie sprinkles
- pretzels sticks
Instructions
To make the cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Use a 9 inch cake pan or a springform pan and line it with parchment paper then butter the parchment paper. Lightly dust the pan with flour and shake any loose flour out.butter
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda, then set aside.1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Using either a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until combined. Next, mix in the egg, then mix in vanilla extract. Add the flour mix and then add the green food gel (to the desired level of greenness). Scrape down the bowl.10 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, green food gel
- Transfer the dough into your prepared pan and using a palate knife spread the dough so it rests evenly. Bake for 14 – 15 minutes.
- When cooked, remove from the oven, if you find the sides are a little higher than the centers, use the bottom of a glass to gently flatten them. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely in the pan.
- Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cookie that is still in the pan to loosen it, invert the cookie onto a cutting board if you used a cake pan, or remove the ring of the springform pan. Then, cut the cookie into 8 triangles and cut the rounded ends off.
To make the frosting
- Using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, mix powdered sugar, milk, butter, vanilla extract and green food gel, you'll want the green to be a shade darker than the cookie color. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a thin piping tip or a freezer bag with the tip snipped off.1 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons milk, 3 tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, green food gel
- Pipe a zig zag pattern over the cooled cookies, you'll need to be quick when adding the sprinkles to the piped icing. Use large star sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, sugar pearls, gold balls, or whatever you prefer. Gently press a pretzel 'trunk' into the bottom of each cookie. Enjoy your cookie and Merry Christmas!cookie sprinkles, pretzels
Notes
Nutrition
SERIOUSLY GOOD
DESSERTS!
Dessert First is a collection of 61 RECIPES to show you that you can make beautiful, impressive desserts right in your own kitchen, no matter your skill level.
Immediate eBook download. No physical book available.
Includes ad-free recipes like:
∙ Lemon Pound Cake
∙ Key Lime Bars
∙ Boston Cream Pie
∙ No-Bake Chocolate Lasagna
∙ Raspberry Cheesecake
...and much more!
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Keep them in a single layer or separate layers with parchment paper between them to keep the frosting and sprinkles intact.
To freeze, skip the pretzel sticks and place the cookies on a freezer-safe baking sheet until frozen solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. They’ll keep well for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature, then add the pretzel sticks before serving.
What to Serve With Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
A warm drink is the natural partner here. Hot cocoa topped with marshmallows is always a crowd-pleaser alongside them, and a spiced chai latte or a classic cup of peppermint tea makes the whole holiday experience feel extra cozy.
A glass of cold milk is the no-fuss classic that never disappoints, either, especially with kids. If you’re putting together a holiday dessert spread, these Christmas tree cookies look beautiful next to other festive bakes like snowball cookies.
Pair them with chewy gingerbread bars, a simple vanilla loaf cake, or candy cane hot chocolate stirrers for a holiday table that covers all the classic Christmas flavors without anything feeling out of place.
More Easy Recipes for You to Try at Home
Here are more easy and festive Christmas desserts I think you’ll love.
