These Christmas Tree Cookies have 3 tiers of homemade sugar cookies that are layered with green buttercream frosting and then finished off with sprinkles! Made with pantry staple ingredients!
Whip up another festive Christmas treat that everyone will marvel over like these Easy Christmas Tree Cupcakes that are made with a boxed cake mix or some Classic Christmas Sugar Cookies!
Christmas Tree Cookie Stacks are a festive treat that the whole family will cheerfully devour! Lightly sweetened cookies are cut into three sizes and then stacked in the shape of a Christmas tree by using joyful green frosting to hold the tasty cookie stack together!
Sprinkles are then used as Christmas ornaments on the cookie tree to finish it off! But if you’re knee-deep in that exciting Christmas spirit you could also grab some star-shaped sprinkles to be the topper on your tree cookies as well!
What I Love About This Recipe!
- Let The Kids Help! Move over Sugar Cookies, there’s a fun new recipe in town that the kids will love stacking up and decorating together just as much!
- Make Them Ahead Of Time! Make the cookies up then just toss them in the freezer to be paired with fresh buttercream frosting when it’s closer to decorating and serving day!
- Filled With Holiday Spirit! A christmas tree shaped dessert layered in green frosting that’s covered in sprinkles is sure to get ayone in the holiday spirit!
- Edible Decoration! It’s always a win-win when your dessert also doubles as a decoration!
Ingredient Notes
This Easy Cookie Tree Recipe doesn’t require the cookie dough to be chilled or even rolled out then cut with a cookie cutter! This saves on time AND mess yet still delivers a super fun treat!
To make the cookie dough salted butter, granulated sugar, an egg, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, and baking powder are combined. The dough then gets pinched off into three sizes, rolled up, and flattened right on the baking sheet using a flat bottom glass.
Once the cookies have baked and cooled you’re ready to assemble this dessert into its Christmas tree shape. To do this, homemade frosting is whipped up to hold the stack together!
This is made with powdered sugar, salted butter, whole milk, vanilla extract, and green food coloring. Then just add on some sprinkles for decorating the ‘trees’!
How To Make Christmas Tree Cookies Stacks
Beat the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together until fluffy.
Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl before adding it to the butter mixture. Then beat the combined mixtures together.
Shape the dough into three different-sized cookies and roll it into balls.
Place the balls of cookie dough onto three separate baking sheets that are lined with parchment paper. For example, small cookies on one, medium cookies on another, and larger cookies on a third sheet.
Flatten each cookie on all of the baking sheets by using the bottom of a glass.
Bake each sized cookie separately on a medium oven rack until the bottoms are just golden.
Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the frosting by creaming together the powdered sugar and butter. Then beat in the milk, vanilla, and food coloring. Transfer the frosting into piping bags.
Assemble the cookies into a Christmas tree shape, using the frosting as “glue”. Large cookies on the bottom, medium cookies in the middle, and small cookies on top.
Decorate the cookies with sprinkles and enjoy!
Want to make “flocked” Christmas Tree Cookies? Skip the sprinkles and dust the cookies with powdered sugar after assembling!
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Store
You can store these Cookie Christmas Trees in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Is There A Substitution For Vanilla Extract?
You can use almond extract instead. I actually find the cookies still taste incredibly delicious using that extract!
Can I Freeze These Cookies?
Yes, you can! These can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
How Can I Fix The Frosting If It Comes Out Too Thin?
The frosting is so easy to fix if it comes out too thin or even too thick! To fix thin frosting just add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
To fix thick frosting just simply add in milk a teaspoon of a time until it reaches your desired consistency as well!
What Happened If The Cookies Came Out Really Dry?
This is a recipe where you really have to be careful when measuring out the flour. I recommend spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then using a knife to scrape the top off, making it level.
Want More Delicious Christmas Cookie Recipes?
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These Christmas Tree Cookie Stacks are so festive with their green icing, sprinkles, and then finished off with a star-shaped sprinkle as the tree topper! Grab another festive and tasty Christmas dessert recipe to enjoy with your friends and family this holiday season!
- Soft Christmas Sugar Cookies – Perfect cookies to decorate with the kids so they can leave them out for Santa on Christmas Eve!
- No Bake Christmas Krispie Treats – This festive and easy-to-make no bake dessert is made with butter, marshmallows, cereal, and candy!
- Shortbread Christmas Crack – Made with shortbread cookies, chopped pecans, and toffee bits for a treat that will have you going back for seconds!
- Christmas Popcorn – Kettle corn, cake mix, white chocolate, and christmas sprinkles combine to make a sweet treat that everyone will love to munch on during Christmas movie marathons!
- Heart-Shaped Grinch Cookies – Cookies made with pantry staple ingredients that are inspired by the classic movie!
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Christmas Tree Cookie Stacks
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Cooling rack
- Piping bag
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 3 Tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- green food coloring
- Sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until combined.
- Shape the dough into 3 different-sized balls of cookie dough. Use a rounded 1 teaspoon of dough to make small balls. Then you will use 2 rounded teaspoons of dough to make medium balls. And 3 rounded teaspoons of dough to make large balls. You should be able to make at least 15 balls of each size.
- Place each size of balls on its own prepared baking sheet and use the bottle of a glass to gently flatten them. The different sizes of cookies should bake on different sheets as they will not bake at the same rate.
- Bake each sized cookie separately until the bottoms are just golden. Small cookies will take 4 to 6 minutes. Medium will take 6 to 8 minutes. Large will take 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting by creaming together the powdered sugar and butter. Then beat in the milk, vanilla, and food coloring.
- Use the frosting to “glue” together one of each sized cookie to make a Christmas tree. Pipe icing onto the top of the largest size cookie and place the middle size cookie on top. Pipe icing on the top of the middle size cookie and place the small size cookie on top. Then continue decorating with the icing and sprinkles.
Notes
- How To Store: You can store these Cookie Christmas Trees in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Is There A Substitution For Vanilla Extract? You can use almond extract instead. I actually find the cookies still taste incredibly delicious using that extract!
- Can I Freeze These Cookies? Yes, you can! These can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
- How Can I Fix The Frosting If It Comes Out Too Thin? The frosting is so easy to fix if it comes out too thin or even too thick! To fix thin frosting just add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. To fix thick frosting just simply add in milk a teaspoon of a time until it reaches your desired consistency as well!
- What Happened If The Cookies Came Out Really Dry? This is a recipe where you really have to be careful when measuring out the flour. I recommend spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then using a knife to scrape the top off, making it level.
Nutrition
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