These Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies are everything you love about holiday baking and more. A soft and fluffy sugar cookie base topped with the fluffiest cream cheese frosting, they're hands down the best cookie for gifting, decorating with the kids, or at your Christmas dessert table. These cookies do it all.
There's just something so special about baking holiday cookies. I love making tons of different cookies and gifting them in cookie boxes for friends and family during the holiday months. My no bake cookies are a classic alongside my frosted ginger cookies for that perfect homemade gift. And when I want the kiddos to help, I'll go with these Christmas wreath cookies.
While I do love experimenting with new cookie recipes every year, these Christmas tree sugar cookies are a staple in my cookie baking tradition, and for good reason. What sets these cookies apart are the two secret ingredients that almost all bakers use (almond extract and cream of tartar). For the absolute best flavor and fluffiest texture, those ingredients are my go-to's.
Why I Bake These Every December Without Fail
- Soft yet sturdy: The cookie base is soft enough to leave you wanting more, yet sturdy enough to hold all the frosting your heart desires. Just like my classic buttery cut out cookies.
- Make ahead option: If you're anything like me and you have a busy holiday schedule, you can make these cookies or the cookie dough ahead of time. Saving you a headache and a whole lot of time.
- They keep their shape: Unlike some sugar cookie dough, these trees stay intact while baking. No sad, droopy trees here!
- Great activity for the kids: Christmas trees are seriously so easy to decorate, even the kiddos will have no problem joining the fun. Or you can have them make gingerbread houses!
Do I really have to chill sugar cookie dough?
Yes, chilling the cookie dough is essential for keeping clean edges. It helps the butter re-solidify which prevents the cookies from spreading too much while they bake. Plan for at least two hours of chill time.
From Butter to Sprinkles—Here’s What You’ll Need
- Butter and sugar: You'll need softened butter and classic white sugar. When creaming these together you get that super fluffy bakery-style cookie texture.
- Eggs: 6 eggs may sound like a lot, but I've done tons of recipe testing and that's how many you'll need to provide structure and bind the dough!
- Extracts (aka the flavor): Vanilla extract AND almond extract is essential for getting the best sugar cookie flavor.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar is the base of your dry ingredients. The cream of tartar is what gives these cookies their slightly chewy texture. Do NOT skip it!!
- Frosting ingredients: I use full fat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a few drops of food coloring to make a thick, spreadable frosting that holds its shape and tastes 100x better than any frosting you can find in the store.
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How to make Christmas tree sugar cookies
Can I color the dough instead of just the frosting?
Yes, you can color the dough itself with gel food coloring for a fun twist. Add the food coloring during the mixing step, before the dry ingredients go in. This works super well if you want to skip the frosting all together, but still have festive cookies.
More dessert recipes you'll love
- White chocolate Christmas crack
- Red hots cookie recipe
- Christmas cookie bars
- Christmas Oreo truffles
- Festive hot cocoa
Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 7 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoons almond extract
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 16 ounces confectioners sugar 1 package
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
- In another mixing bowl, add together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar and whisk.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft cookie dough forms. Try not to over-mix.
- Divide the dough into two halves, wrap in plastic wrap or cover with a towel, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out Christmas Trees. .
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat, leaving space between them. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly golden.
- Cool on a wire rack completely before decorating.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth and creamy.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, food coloring, and vanilla extract, mixing until the frosting is fluffy and your desired consistency.
- Spread or pipe the frosting onto cooled cookies, and add sprinkles or other decorations as desired.
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