Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cookies

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Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cookies are made with my easy thick and chewy sugar cookie recipe and made to look like the famous Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes but in a cookie form. These are the jolliest cookies and perfect for Christmas baking with kids!

PIN these Little Debbie Christmas Cookies to try later!

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little debbie christmas tree cookies

These cute Christmas Tree Cookies are made to look like the popular Little Debbie Christmas Trees and are so soft, chewy, so easy to make, and have an irresistible flavor. Made with my buttery sugar cookie base and dipped in a vanilla icing. We decorate the Christmas tree shapes with green sugar sprinkles, and a red icing gel making the most satisfying treat.

If you don’t know what the Little Debbie Christmas Trees are, they are little soft cakes with creamy fillings and drenched in white coating with a kiss of cake batter flavoring. They are known to be one of Santa’s favorite snacks ;). Other popular Little Debbie Snacks are the Chocolatey Swiss Rolls and Chewy Oatmeal Creme Pies.

This is the perfect Christmas cookie to make with kids and everyone will love how festive these are. Sugar Cookies are always a hit during Christmas Time especially when they are decorated into nostalgic Christmas trees!

Other Christmas tree desserts to try are my Christmas Tree Brownies and Christmas Tree Frosting Board.

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key ingredients

• Butter: I use salted butter- it adds just the right amount of salt that’s needed. If you use unsalted butter, be sure to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dry mixture. 
• Sugar: The main ingredient.
• Egg: One large, whole egg at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract and almond extract: Gives the cookie dough the ultimate “sugar cookie” flavor. Use cake batter extract instead to taste like the classic little cakes flavor.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is preferred although you could make these with whole wheat flour however, it will change the flavor.
• Baking powder: Makes these cookies rise just a bit. 
• Icing: Made with powdered sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract.
• Red frosting gel and green sprinkles: These can be found at just about any grocery store.

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how to make christmas tree cookies

Prepare and bake sugar cookies: Prepare sugar cookie recipe according to the recipe and use a 3-4 inch Christmas tree cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Bake cookies and let cool completely.

Make icing: Once the cookies are cooled, melt the butter in a medium microwave safe bowl and add 2 tablespoons of milk. Whisk together then add vanilla extract and one cup of powdered sugar at a time until smooth. Add more powdered sugar to make icing thicker or add more milk to get icing thinner. The icing should be the same consistency as syrup.

Frost the cookies: Dip the cooled Christmas tree cookies individually into the icing and place on a cooling rack with the bottom lined with parchment paper. You could also spoon the icing on or use a piping bag. Be sure to give each cookie a few gentle taps on the side of the bowl to even the icing out.

Decorate and let sit: Immediately top the cookies with the green sugar sprinkles before the icing sets. Finally, use the red gel to make 4-6 red lines on each tree. Let cookies sit for at least 3 hours or until the icing has hardened. Enjoy!

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recipe variations

• Funfetti Sugar Cookies: Add sprinkles to the cookie dough.
• Chocolate Sugar Cookies: Add a few tablespoons of cocoa powder to the cookie dough and top the cookies with melted chocolate or a chocolate frosting.
• Chocolate chip sugar cookies: Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips to the cookies dough. Be careful not to add too any otherwise they will melt.
• Cake batter flavor: Swap the vanilla extract and almond extract for cake batter extract to make these taste like little cakes.
• Frosting: Instead of using an icing, you can use a buttercream frosting, vanilla frosting, or use any canned white frosting. Frosting is much thicker than icing so the tops of the Christmas trees won’t be as smooth. If you didn’t want to go the icing route, you could also use melted white chocolate.

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recipe tips

• Freezing the cutout cookie dough is essential. You must do this otherwise your cookie may lose its shape and spread. 
• Dip the cookie cutter in flour before each use. This will prevent the cookie cutter from sticking to the dough.
• Make sure to roll out the cookie dough 1/8-1/4 inch thick. You don’t want the dough to be thinner than that, otherwise, they can burn and end up super brown and crunchy edges.  

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leftovers & storage

These Sugar Cookies freeze very well when they are unfrosted. It also saves you time if you don’t want to go through the whole process of making the cookies.

Store any iced or frosted cookies in an airtight container on the counter of a cool area for up to 1 week. You can also cover plate with plastic wrap. 

HOW TO FREEZE SUGAR COOKIES

To freeze: Make sure the unfrosted cookies are completely cool. Place them in a large ziplock container, you can carefully stack them or place parchment paper in between each layer. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to frost and decorate the cookies, remove the cookies from the freezer and let them thaw for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

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