Want to surprise your family with a fun activity to celebrate the holidays? Make a batch of these super adorable Sugar Cookie Trees and get in the holiday spirit!
Okay, how cute are these? We make tons of classic sugar cookies every year during the holidays in fun shapes and decorate them with icing and sprinkles, but this year I wanted to change things up a little bit. These cookie Christmas trees are our new obsession! They’re your classic sugar cookies, but instead of cutting them into the shape of a tree, you stack them with layers of decadent buttercream frosting to make a 3-dimensional Sugar Cookie Tree!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Family Fun: Baking and decorating these cookie trees is an activity everyone can enjoy together. Kids love stacking and decorating their “trees”! Making sweet treats like Holiday Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Bars, Gingerbread Cookies, Cake Mix Sprinkle Cookies and now these trees always puts a smile on their faces.
- Edible Art: These cookies aren’t just delicious—they’re a decorative centerpiece for your holiday table. I love the idea of adding a “forest” of Christmas cookie trees to a dessert table at a holiday party. Looking for more adorable Christmas treats? Try Chocolate Reindeer Bark, No-Bake Reindeer Bites or Christmas Tree Brownies!
- Customizable: Swap the buttercream colors, dye free sprinkles, or even the cookie shapes to fit your holiday style. You could leave the frosting white and add these blue sprinkles for a more frosty vibe!
The Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies:
- Unsalted butter: Creamy and rich, it’s the base of this classic sugar cookie.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and structure.
- All-purpose flour: The foundation for perfect sugar cookies.
- Egg and vanilla extract: For flavor and binding.
- Baking powder and salt: Helps create light, tender cookies.
For the Buttercream Icing:
- Butter: Make sure it’s at room temperature for the creamiest frosting.
- Powdered sugar: For smooth, fluffy buttercream.
- Milk or cream: Adjusts the consistency of the icing.
- Vanilla extract: Adds that classic buttercream flavor.
- Food coloring: Green is perfect for Christmas trees, but you can use any color.
How to Make 3D Sugar Cookie Trees
Step 1: Make Classic Sugar Cookies. Use three circle cookie cutters (large, medium, small). These will stack to form the trees.
Step 2: After making the buttercream icing, pipe a thick swirl of buttercream onto the largest cookie using a piping bag with a star tip. Stack the medium-sized cookie on top and repeat with another swirl of icing.
Step 3: Finally top with smallest cookie. Pipe a circular pattern and end with a tip to resemble the top of a Christmas tree. Immediately add sprinkles so they will adhere.
Tips and Tricks
- Which Cookie Cutter? I used graduated round cookie cutters to make these little trees. All you’re looking for is for each cookie layer to be slightly smaller than the one below it to give the Christmas tree effect.
- Dye Free Food Coloring and Sprinkles: I prefer to use dye free sprinkles to decorate and dye free food coloring to add to the butter cream frosting. Here are some of my favorite dye free sprinkles and food coloring options!
- Add Sprinkles Quickly: After piping, the buttercream tends to set quickly, so be sure to add your sprinkles as soon as you can so they adhere more easily.
FAQs
If assembled, keep sugar cookie trees in a cool area in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Store leftover buttercream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Let it soften at room temperature before using it again.
No problem! You can use any similarly sized round objects, like a drinking glass, lid, or even shot glass to cut out the dough. Or, get creative with other shapes for a unique tree design!
More Festive Holiday Treats
There’s no dessert more festive than these Sugar Cookie Trees for the holidays. They’re such an easy way to make holiday memories while letting kids creativity shine! Make them with your family and let me know what you think — leave a comment and rating below!
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Sugar Cookie Trees
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk or cream
- dye free green food coloring
- holiday sprinkles
Instructions
Sugar Cookies:
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
- In a separate bowl using electric beaters or in a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes on medium to high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Turn the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough in half. Place the each half onto a piece of plastic wrap, parchment paper or wax paper and flatten into a round shaped disc.
- Wrap the dough discs and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least thirty minutes to overnight.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Let dough sit for about 10 minutes or until soft enough to roll out.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until 1/4 thick and even.
- Use 3 circle cookie cutters (one large, one medium, one small) to cut out shapes to build the "trees". I like to start at one end of the dough placing the cookie cutters close together.
- Using a spatula, transfer the cut-outs onto a cookie sheet (preferably a lined-silpat cookie sheet).
- Bake for 8-10 minutes rotating halfway through until edges turn golden.
- Cool cookies on a rack.
Frosting:
- Meanwhile make the icing. In the bowl of a standing mixer or in a bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter for 4-5 minutes or until thick and creamy.
- With the mixer continuing to beat, slowly add the powdered sugar until fully incorporated.
- Add in the vanilla, milk or cream and food color until the buttercream is smooth and creamy. Add more milk or powdered sugar if needed to achieve desired consistency.
- Place the buttercream in a piping bag with star tip and pipe a thick layer of cream on largest cookie in a circular pattern. Top with medium sized circle cookie and pipe another layer or cream in a circular pattern and finally top with smallest cookie. Pipe a circular pattern and end with a tip to resemble the top of a Christmas tree.
- Immediately add sprinkles so they will adhere.
Notes
- Which Cookie Cutter? I used graduated round cookie cutters to make these little trees. All you’re looking for is for each cookie layer to be slightly smaller than the one below it to give the Christmas tree effect.
- Dye Free Food Coloring and Sprinkles: I prefer to use dye free sprinkles to decorate and dye free food coloring to add to the butter cream frosting. Here are some of my favorite dye free sprinkles and food coloring options!
- Add Sprinkles Quickly: After piping, the buttercream tends to set quickly, so be sure to add your sprinkles as soon as you can so they adhere more easily.
