Christmas Tree Cookies

Dig out your tree-shaped cookie cutter and whip up a batch of these Christmas Tree Cookies! The ornaments are easy to make with crushed candy and they’re baked right into the cookie dough. It’s like adding decoration and flavour at the same time!

I find most of my cookie cutters on Amazon, but most baking supply stores are well stocked with them as well. Even though this recipe is called Christmas Tree Cookies, you can easily make them into star cookies or snowflake cookies, etc. If you don’t have a cookie cutter that is shaped like a tree, that is! Just about anyone who has a cookie-cutter container stashed somewhere at the back of a cabinet will have something Christmas-like. Try gingerbread men, reindeer, angels, etc.

I’m going to tell you all about this cookie recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the cookie recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the three previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifle Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. Next was my 12 Squares and Bars Series, which was Volume 2 of that particular series.  

And today, I’m finishing up this latest series, which is the seventh annual instalment! I cannot believe that this is the seventh year in a row that I’ve shared Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! But, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 7! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family.

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series! Even though this is the fourth series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Sugar
• Eggs – Like you butter, your eggs should be at room temperature.
• Milk – I use whole milk in all of my baking unless otherwise specified.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Salt
• Hard Candy – Use hard candy that is one solid colour for best results.
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Sanding Sugar

HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS TREE COOKIES

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the egg and milk. Beat to combine. Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat into the butter and sugar mixture. The dough will be dry and crumbly at first, but keep beating until a dry dough is formed. In some cases, you might need to add one more tablespoon of milk. Knead dough to form a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

In the meantime, transfer the hard candy to a food processor and pulse until the candy is completely crushed. If you are using different colours, process the candy in batches and keep the colours separate. Set those aside until you are ready to bake.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside. Cut the dough into 4 portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll dough to 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper. Use your cookie cutter to cut the shape of the cookie. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookie to the prepared baking sheet. Save the leftover dough. Re-roll to make more cookies.

Using a straw, push straight down to cut random holes into the cookie where you would like the ornaments placed. (Not too close together or the colours will blend into each other.) Fill the holes with the crushed candy, using the colour of your choice. The candy should be level with the top of the cookie. A little more or less will not make a difference. If you get any candy on the cookie, use a small, clean paintbrush to brush the candy into the center hole.

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on a baking sheet. Carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Once the cookies are fully cooled, whisk the confectioner’s sugar with milk until smooth. Drizzle it over the cookies and immediately sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Allow the icing to dry and set fully before packaging and storing the cookies.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for a long time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Christmas Tree Cookies, you certainly can! Pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!