Homemade Sugar Cookies are the perfect Christmas Cookie to make. This easy homemade Sugar Cookie recipe makes the most beautiful Christmas trees when topped with homemade royal icing.
These Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie are an elegant looking Christmas tree, that looks like the snow just started to catch on its limbs. Not only do they look amazing but they taste amazing too! They are the softest sugar cookies I have ever made!
Homemade Sugar Cookies Recipe
Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
If you are looking for beautiful Christmas Homemade Sugar Cookies then you are going to love these Christmas Tree Homemade Sugar Cookies.
Not only do they look amazing but they taste amazing too! Made with my No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe and my amazing Royal Icing recipe these Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies are sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Plus this sugar cookie recipe makes cookies that keep their shape when you bake them. No need to worry about them spreading when you bake them.
If you love sugar cookies, then be sure to check out these other amazing sugar cookie recipes.
- Whoville Cookies Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Minion Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Zombie Sugar Cookies
- Elf on the Shelf Cookies
- Minion Cookies
- Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies
- Jack Skellington Cookies
Easy Christmas Cookies
From the time that Thanksgiving is over until Christmas arrives we make lots of different cookies. As much as I love homemade sugar cookies there are so many other Christmas cookies that we love too.
Instead of slamming all the cookie baking at once, we spread out making Christmas cookies and make them as often as we can. We enjoy them for dessert or snack and then we pick a few to make each year just for Christmas Dinner dessert.
Check out these other AMAZING Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Dipped Nutterbutter snowmen
- Reindeer Poop Christmas Cookies
- Red Velvet Crackle Cookies
- Grinch Oreo Pops
- Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Homemade Sugar Cookies Supplies
Homemade Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 egg
How to Make Homemade Sugar Cookies
In a large bowl or with your stand mixer cream the sugar and butter until it is fluffy. If using the stand mixer it will take about 5 minutes.
Once the sugar and butter are creamed together, add in the egg and vanilla extract.
In a medium-sized bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to mix everything together thoroughly.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla extract mixture. Mix everything until well incorporated.
Put a handful of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll until you get your desired thickness and set aside still on the parchment paper.
Repeat with the rest of the sugar cookie dough.
Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
After your dough has been rolled out and refrigerated for half an hour cut your trees with the cookie cutter from the dough.
Place the rectangles onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies have browned on the edges.
Move the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to completely cool.
When your cookies are cooling prepare your royal icing.
Making Royal Icing
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 8 to 10 minutes.
If icing is too thick, add more water. If too thin, beat icing 2 to 3 minutes more.
Next add a clear extract to make your frosting take on different flavors if you want to. This is also when you will want to color the frosting as well if you are going to color it.
Place 2/3 of your royal icing into one bowl and color it green. Divide the remainder of the icing into two bowls and color one bowl brown.
Place your green, brown, and white royal icing into their own pastry bag with number 3 straight pastry tip.
Decorating Sugar Cookie Christmas Trees
Pipe the outer border of the green on your tree. Remove the green icing from your bag and thin it out to a six-second icing and flood in the tree using a toothpick to fill in any holes.
With your brown icing add your outline to the stump. Remove the brown icing from your bag and thin it out to a six-second icing and flood in the stump using a toothpick to fill in any holes.
With your white icing add wavy lines to the tree only working on one cookie at a time. While your icing is still wet take a damp paintbrush and gently thin out the icing upward.
Looking for more amazing cookie recipes? Check these out!
Homemade Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Homemade Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cups butter 2 sticks
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Homemade Royal Icing Ingredients
- 1/2 pound confectioners sugar Powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/4 cup water You may need more if you are thinning out your frosting
- clear extract Optional, if you are choosing to flavor your icing
- Gel Food Coloring. If you plan to color the frosting.
Instructions
- In a large bowl or with your stand mixer cream the powdered sugar and butter until it is fluffy. If using the stand mixer it will take about 5 minutes.
- Once the sugar and butter is creamed together, add in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to mix everything together thoroughly.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla extract mixture. Mix everything until well incorporated.
- Put a handful of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll until you get your desired thickness and set aside still on the parchment paper.
- Repeat with the rest of the sugar cookie dough.
- Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After your dough has been rolled out and refrigerated for half an hour cut your trees with the cookie cutter from the dough.
- Place the rectangles onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies have browned on the edges.
- Move the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to completely cool.
- When your cookies are cooling prepare your royal icing.
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- If icing is too thick, add more water. If too thin, beat icing 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Next add a clear extract to make your frosting take on different flavors if you want to. This is also when you will want to color the frosting as well if you are going to color it.
- Place 2/3 of your royal icing into one bowl and color it green. Divide the remainder of the icing into two bowls and color one bowl brown.
- Place your green, brown, and white royal icing into their own pastry bag with number 3 straight pastry tip on each bag.
- Pipe the outer border of the green on your tree. Remove the green icing from your bag and thin it out to a six-second icing and flood in the tree using a toothpick to fill in any holes.
- With your brown icing add your outline to the stump. Remove the brown icing from your bag and thin it out to a six-second icing and flood in the stump using a toothpick to fill in any holes.
- With your white icing add wavy lines to the tree only working on one cookie at a time. While your icing is still wet take a damp paintbrush and gently thin out the icing upward.
Nutrition
Approximately 9 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per cookie on the Freestyle Program.
More Christmas Recipe You will Love!
Marshmallow Tree Pop
More Holiday fun to check out!
Looking for Christmas cookie recipes? Check out our 12 Days of Christmas cookies and our 25 Days of Christmas cookies.
Of course you probably need some Christmas treats for the kids to, so make sure you check out the 16 Christmas treats for kids and Christmas Tree Dessert Recipes, for some really fun and tasty kids Christmas treat!
If you are looking for crafts to do with the kids check out the awesome list of Christmas Crafts for kids. There are some really awesome handprint and foot print crafts that are perfect for gifts and keepsakes!
If your kiddos love Santa then be sure to check out How to Facetime Santa! Plus you can also call Santa on the FREE Santas Phone Number!
If you do Elf on the Shelf, then make sure you check out all the Elfy fun we have for you!
Elf on the Shelf Letter – Perfect Elf on the shelf printable letter that you can print out and have your elf on the shelf bring with him or her when he comes to visit! Plus this Elf on the Shelf Rules printable is awesome to print out and hang on the wall for the kids!
If you are stuck on Elf Names, Check out this awesome list of 110 Elf on the shelf names! We have girl elf names and boy elf names!
You should also check out these funny elf on the shelf ideas! There are over 135 Elf on the Shelf Ideas that kids will love! If you are running short on time, then make sure you check out this list of Quick Elf on the Shelf ideas! Plus we have Elf on the Shelf Ideas for Toddlers, Reasons Elf did not move, Elf on the Shelf Ideas calendar, Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas, and How to put Elf in a Water bottle!
Brenda Jones says
Anxious to make your no spread sugar cookies but am confused. The recipe calls for granulated sugar but your instructions say to cream the “powdered sugar “. Would you please clarify?
Thank you.
Stephanie says
sorry the recipe has been fixed.
Claudia Tune says
Hey there – I’m confused with the recipe. In the instructions for the cookies it says to mix powdered sugar with butter. Then after that, it says to mix the flour mixture with granulated sugar, but you just show granulated sugar in the recipe. Is something missing in the ingredients list?
Stephanie says
Im not sure what happened here but the recipe is fixed