Get ready to fill your kitchen with the sweet scent of holiday baking! These cut out Christmas tree sugar cookies are as festive as they are delicious – crisp on the edges, buttery in the center, and studded with bits of chocolate and walnuts for extra holiday cheer.
Perfect for a Christmas cookie box, Christmas food gifts, or hanging as edible ornaments, these Christmas tree cookies are a must holiday treats idea everyone will love.
Dust them with powdered sugar, drizzle with icing, or decorate with sprinkles for a fun family activity that doubles as a festive sweet treat.
Whether you’re baking for gifts, holiday party desserts, or holiday baking with kids, these cute Christmas cookies are guaranteed to sparkle with holiday spirit.
If you love holiday baking, you may also like these Christmas pinwheel cookies, these indulgent tiramisu cookies, or easy mocha fudge truffles.
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies Recipe
Fun To Make And Decorate: With their easy recipe and charming Christmas tree shape, these Christmas goodies are perfect for holiday baking sessions.
Crisp, Buttery Texture With A Twist: The combination of soft butter, sweet sugar, and crunchy chopped walnuts and chocolate creates holiday cookies that are a flavorful upgrade from plain sugar cookies.
Perfect For Gifting And Entertaining: With a classic sugar cookie dough that chills to the perfect firmness, these cut out sugar cookies make excellent Christmas food gifts or cookie box treats, and their built-in hole makes them ideal as edible ornaments for a fun, decorative touch at holiday parties.
Ingredients For Christmas Tree Cookies
To make Christmas tree shaped cookies, you’ll need the ingredients shown in the image below. I cover a few of the key ingredients here, you can find the specific quantities and steps in the recipe card below.
- Butter: Should be unsalted, and brought to room temperature for the best results.
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate is a great option for these cookies, but you can use any type of chocolate – dark, milk, or white.
- Walnuts: Adding nuts gives these Christmas cookies an extra festive flavor boost, but they can be left out if you’re not a fan.
How To Make Christmas Cut Out Cookies
Here’s a quick overview of how to make Christmas tree cutout cookies. For the full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements needed, scroll down to the printable recipe card below.
Make The Cookie Dough: Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl using a stand or hand mixer. Add the wet ingredients and mix to combine, then add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Flatten the dough into a large rectangle and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Cut Out The Cookies: When it’s time to bake, preheat the oven and remove the dough from the fridge.
Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4-inch (5mm). Cut out the cookies using a Christmas tree shaped cookie cutter. Reroll the scraps and cut more cookies out.
Use a straw or similar tool to make a small hole in the top of the cookie (for hanging – optional).
Place the cookies on the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes to firm up before baking.
Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden. Remove from the oven and while still warm, use your straw to reshape the hole.
Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Final decorations: Once cooled, cut pieces of Christmas twine into lengths of about 6-7 inches (or your preferred length). Thread through the hole and tie a knot. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired.
Recipe Tips For Success
Chill the dough thoroughly: Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours before rolling to make it easier to handle and help the cookies keep their Christmas tree shape while baking.
Roll evenly for perfect baking: Aim for about ¼ inch (5mm) thickness so your cookies bake evenly and have just the right balance of softness and crunch.
Adjust the hanging hole while warm: If making edible ornaments, gently enlarge the hole right after baking, while the cookies are still soft, as they’ll firm up as they cool.
Recipe Variations
Spiced Christmas Tree Cookies: Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon or mixed spice to the dough for a warm, festive flavor that pairs perfectly with the buttery base.
Orange Chocolate Tree Cookies: Mix in a teaspoon of orange zest along with the chopped chocolate for a zesty twist that brightens the classic holiday cookie.
Iced Sugar Cookies: Skip the chocolate and walnuts, then decorate cooled cookies with colorful icing and festive sprinkles for a fun, kid-friendly version.
How To Store Christmas Sugar Cookies
Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days.
If you want to plan ahead, you can freeze the baked cookies.
Simply bake the cookies, then once they’re cooled, place them on a tray in the freezer until firm (at least a couple of hours). Then place them in an airtight container, with a layer of parchment paper between each layer of cookies. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw the cookies in the fridge overnight then decorate and serve!
More Christmas Baking Ideas
And find even more Christmas dessert recipes to make at home here.
Loved this recipe? Leave a review, and join me on Facebook and Pinterest for more tasty coffee recipe ideas.
Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter 3-4" in length
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cooking salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup dark chocolate chopped
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, use a stand or hand mixer to beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Mix on low until the dry ingredients are just combined. Don't overmix. Add the chopped chocolate and walnuts (if using) and stir to combine.
- Chill the dough: Shape the dough into a large flat rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Cut out cookies: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick (5mm). Add a little extra flour if the dough is very sticky. Use a Christmas tree shaped cookie cutter (3-4-inch tall) to cut out the cookies. Re-roll the dough scraps and cut more cookies.
- Prepare for baking: Place the cut out cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 2-3 inches between each cookie. Use a straw or similar tool to make a small hole in the top of each cookie (to thread the twine through later). Place the cookies on the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes to firm up before baking. This helps them retain their cut out shape.
- Bake the cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Adjust the hole: Remove from the oven, and while the cookies are still warm, gently reshape the hole with the straw or similar tool (if needed), as they will harden as they cool. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Add the final touches: Thread red and white gift twine through the hole and tie a knot. If serving right away as a holiday treat, dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Pin for later!
