These Frosted Christmas Tree Cookies make a great addition to any holiday spread! With a buttery almond flavor and a soft, chewy texture, they're perfect for both baking with loved ones and sharing the joy of the season.
Decorating these delicious cookies with green tinted icing and sprinkles adds a festive touch that'll bring smiles to everyone's faces! This is a great recipe for little hands that want to help in the kitchen. They will love spreading on the green icing and getting creative with fun sprinkles!
These Christmas tree cookies look great on a holiday cookie tray, adding a bit of color and playfulness. You could also package these up and spread holiday cheer to your friends and family.
For more cookie recipes, try my: Frosted Chocolate Cookies, Double Chocolate Fudgy Egg White Brownie Cookies or Simple Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips (No Flour).
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Why You Will Love These Cookies
- They are festive. Is there even anything more festive than a Christmas tree cookie covered in green icing and sprinkles? It's the perfect holiday cookie, in my opinion.
- They are delicious. These easy cookies are buttery and full of almond flavor from the almond extract in the dough and the icing. You will find that it is hard to have just one!
- They are customizable. You can easily decorate these cookies in any way you please, cut them out in a different shape, or swap out the almond extract to suit your flavor preference. There are so many ways you can make these cookies your own!
Ingredients Needed
Here are notes about some of the ingredients needed for these Christmas tree sugar cookies. All ingredients can be found at your local grocery store or an online retailer, like Amazon.
- Butter: Be sure to use room temperature butter for both the dough and the icing. You can use either salted or unsalted butter.
- Sugar: You will use white granulated sugar in the dough and powdered sugar in the icing.
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Almond extract
- Heavy whipping cream
- Green food coloring
- Sprinkles
Ingredient Substitutions
- Almond extract: If almond extract is not your preferred flavor, you can substitute it with vanilla extract or any other extract of your choice. Orange, lemon, or peppermint might be some good choices. You might also enjoy replacing the almond extract with orange or lemon zest.
- Green food coloring: You can get creative with your icing colors. Instead of green, you can use various colors or create a range of green hues. Simply divide the icing into separate bowls and mix the food coloring in as you please.
- Sprinkles: You could easily decorate your trees with something besides sprinkles. Try using candy like mini M&M's or sprinkling on some edible glitter for an extra fancy look!
Equipment Needed
- Stand mixer: Every kitchen needs a good stand mixer and this is the one I use nearly every single day.
- Baking sheet: I love to use large jelly roll pans for baking cookies.
- Parchment paper: Precut parchment paper sheets are the best thing that has ever happened to me. They are so convenient and highly recommended. They prevent things from sticking and make for easy clean up too!
- Pastry mat: Any time I am rolling out dough of any kind, I am so thankful I have a pastry mat that does not slide around and makes for fairly easy clean up.
- Rolling pin: I just use an ordinary wooden rolling pin. It's a necessity for cookies, pizza dough, pie crust, and so much more!
- Christmas tree cookie cutter: I really like the simplicity of this triangle Christmas tree cookie cutter.
- Small straight spatula: For decorating cookies and cakes, I love using this perfectly sized straight spatula.
Step by Step Instructions - Christmas Tree Cookies
Here is how to make these Christmas cookies. For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
STEP 1: In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.) Stir with a whisk to combine.
STEP 2: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter over medium speed for two minutes.
STEP 3: Add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
STEP 4: Add the eggs and the almond extract. Beat just until combined and you can no longer see the egg yolk.
STEP 5: With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
STEP 6: Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal portions and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Form into a disc shape and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
STEP 7: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 8: Lightly flour your work surface. Remove one of the dough portions from the refrigerator and place it on your prepared surface. Turn the dough over a couple of times so both sides have a light layer of flour.
STEP 9: Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness and using your Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. Transfer cut cookies to your prepared baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or just until starting to golden brown around the edges.
STEP 10: Gather up leftover dough and repeat the process as many times as possible before starting on the next dough portion.
STEP 11: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step by Step Instructions - Green Frosting
STEP 1: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, and 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, adding more whipping cream by the ½ teaspoonful until the desired spreading consistency is reached.
STEP 2: Add several drops of green food coloring and mix well. Add more food coloring until desired hue of green is reached.
STEP 3: Using a straight spatula or knife, spread the frosting on the cookies and top with sprinkles right away. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Here are some tips and tricks for making these Christmas sugar cookies.
- Start with softened butter. Take the butter out of the refrigerator about 2 two hours before you plan to make the dough and icing.
- It is important to chill the dough for at least two hours. Prior to chilling, the dough is pretty soft and it would be quite difficult to roll out.
- Lightly flour your surface when rolling out your dough and only add as much as you need. Too much flour will cause the cookies to be tough.
- When adjusting your icing consistency, only add a little whipping cream at a time to prevent it from getting too thin.
- Add the sprinkles fairly soon after spreading on the icing otherwise the icing starts to harden and the sprinkles fall right off.
- If you wanted to, you could reserve some of the icing before tinting it green. Color the reserved icing, place it in a piping bag and pipe on any design you would like. Christmas balls or stings of lights would be fun!
- The best thing about this recipe is that you can roll the cookies thinner for a crunchy cookie or thicker for a chewier, soft cookie. Keep an eye on the baking time and remove when they are starting to brown around the edges for the perfect cookie!
FAQ
Yes! In fact, this is absolutely necessary! Be sure to refrigerate for at least two hours and up to 2-3 days before rolling it out and baking the cookies. This makes it incredibly convenient for planning ahead during the busy holiday season!
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough for future use! After preparing the dough and shaping it into discs, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container or a freezer bag. When you're ready to use it, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator.
Absolutely! While an electric stand mixer makes the process easier, you can definitely make these cookies without one. A handheld mixer would work just as great with only a bit more work.
Recipe Variations
- Cookie shape: While the recipe uses Christmas tree cutouts, you can use different cookie cutters for various occasions. Snowflakes, stars, hearts, or even simple rounds for a classic look.
- Icing: Instead of making a thick icing to spread on the cookies, try making a glaze with powdered sugar and a splash of milk. You can drizzle it on top of the or dip the tops or sides. If you are feeling extra motivated, you could make royal icing and pipe on some really beautiful designs!
Storing and Freezing
Store baked holiday cookies in an airtight container or zip top bag on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze baked cookies, store in an airtight container or zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Other Recipes to Try
If you have some leftover heavy whipping cream after making these flavorful cookies, try one (or two!) of these recipes to use it up!
Try These Cookie Recipes Too!
- Ultimate Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Brown Butter Pecan Spice Cookies
- Brown Butter Brown Sugar Maple Glazed Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Applesauce
- Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans
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Recipe
Frosted Christmas Tree Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Green food coloring
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the cookies:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine.3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed for 2 minutes.¾ cup butter
- Add the sugar and continue to beat for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed..1 ¼ cup sugar
- Add the eggs and almond extract. Mix just until combined.2 eggs, 2 teaspoons almond extract
- With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal portions, wrap in plastic wrap and form into discs. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Press a 4-inch Christmas tree cookie cutter into the dough as many times as you can. Transfer cut outs to the lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown around the edges. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar, butter, almond extract, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream on medium speed until spreading consistency. Add more heavy cream by the ½ teaspoonful until desired consistency is reached, if needed.2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup butter, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Using green food to tint the icing desired shade of green. Spread on the tops of the cookies and decorate with sprinkles.Green food coloring, Sprinkles
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