Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies with Frosting Recipe
Celebrate the holidays with these festive Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies topped with easy, customizable frosting. Perfectly soft and buttery sugar cookies are rolled out and cut into charming Christmas tree shapes, then decorated with sweet, smooth icing that can be colored and adorned with sprinkles for a fun and delicious holiday treat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including chilling)
- Yield: About 24 medium-sized cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)
Easy Icing
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (omit and replace with water for stark white icing)
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 4.5–5 Tablespoons (67–75ml) room temperature water
- pinch salt
- optional: gel food coloring & sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using), then mix well. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour.
- Chill the Dough: Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up, which helps with rolling and cutting.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the Icing: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, light corn syrup, salt, and 4.5 tablespoons of water. Adjust consistency by adding more water a teaspoon at a time until the icing is smooth and spreadable but not runny. Divide and tint with gel food coloring if desired.
- Decorate the Cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, spread or pipe the icing onto each cookie. Add sprinkles or other festive decorations while the icing is wet. Allow icing to set at room temperature before storing.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent spreading and to make cutting easier.
- If the dough softens during cutting, return it to the fridge to firm up again.
- You can substitute almond extract with another flavor extract like peppermint for a holiday twist.
- Use gel food coloring rather than liquid to avoid thinning the icing.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Keywords: Christmas tree cookies, sugar cookies, holiday cookies, festive baking, decorated sugar cookies, Christmas treats