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The merriest little bite-sized Christmas cookies around! These cake batter-flavored sugar cookies are decorated to look exactly like the Little Debbie’s Christmas Trees.
Mini Christmas Tree Cookies
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart (sugar cookies decorated like Little Debbie’s trees). This year, to save you from eating way too many, I’m giving you the special little version. This is the same cake batter flavored, incredibly pillowy soft sugar cookie as last year’s sugar cookie tree feature but now it’s in the tiniest, most adorable little package. You will fall in love with how freaking adorable the little mini Christmas tree cookies look and you’ll stay for the melt in your mouth texture, tiny kiss of cake flavoring, and the tiny coat of vanilla icing.
To make these itsy bitsy cookies, I used this darling tiny Christmas tree cookie cutter , these dipping tools to help speed up the process of decorating and these piping bags (they’re disposable so you don’t have to wash them!!).
Ingredients
*Find instructions and exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Salted butter, softened – I always, always use salted butter. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
- Powdered sugar – This will make your cookies SO FESTIVELY SOFT so they completely melt in your mouth.
- Egg
- Cake batter flavor – I recommend using my super strength, easy to use Cake Batter Flavoring!
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder – This will give the cookies a slight, beautiful puff.
- Salt
- Water
Icing + toppings
- Very warm water
- Light corn syrup – This helps the frosting harden slightly with a smooth + shiny finish.
- Vanilla – I used pure vanilla extract here and I love the flavor it gives the icing.
- White + red gel food coloring – To get that iconic Little Debbie Christmas Tree look.
- Powdered sugar, sifted
- Green sanding sugar sprinkles
How to Make Mini Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add in the egg and cake batter flavor, mixing until mostly combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Begin to mix and add up to the 3 tsp of water to bring the dough together, the dough should be soft and easy to work with.
- Roll the dough out until approximately 1/2 inch thick and use a christmas tree cookie cutter to cut the dough.
- Arrange on a silicone or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes or until the cookies are matte looking on top and have puffed up.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely and then make the glaze.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the warm water, corn syrup and vanilla. Once the corn syrup is dissolved, add in enough white food coloring to make the water mixture completely white.
- Whisk in the sifted powdered sugar, whisking until smooth.
- Feel free to add a tiny bit more water, if needed, to get a smooth consistency that drizzles and melts back into itself within about 5 seconds.
- Remove about 1/4 cup of the icing and set aside.
- Warm the remaining white icing in the microwave and then dip each cookie completely into the icing and set on a cookie cooling rack. Top with the green sprinkles before the icing has set but you don’t want the icing to be really wet or else the sprinkles will bleed.
- Once all of the cookies have been iced, dye the icing you set aside red using red gel food coloring.
- Transfer the red icing into either a piping bag or a small zip top bag and snip the corner.
- Moving from left to right and then back again, drizzle the red icing onto each christmas tree.
- Allow the cookies to set completely before serving.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, enjoy!
Cookie Storage
These cookies need to set up completely before you store them! Then they can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
If you’d like, you can also freeze these cookies. Let them set up completely and then arrange close together on a cookie sheet. Place the entire cookie sheet into the freezer and let them harden for 30ish minutes. Then remove from the pan and place in a ziptop bag to freeze. Use within 3 months!
Killer Christmas Cookies
Mini Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tbsp cake batter flavor
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-3 tsp water
Icing + toppings
- 6 tbsp very warm water
- 1 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- white + red gel food coloring
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- green sanding sugar sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.1/2 cup salted butter, softened, 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- Add in the eggs and cake batter flavor, mixing until mostly combined.1 egg, 1/2 tbsp cake batter flavor
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Begin to mix and add up to the 3 tsp of water to bring the dough together, the dough should be soft and easy to work with.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1-3 tsp water
- Roll the dough out until approximately 1/2 inch thick and use a christmas tree cookie cutter to cut the dough.
- Arrange on a silicone or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes or until the cookies are matte looking on top and have puffed up.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely and then make the glaze.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the warm water, corn syrup and vanilla. Once the corn syrup is dissolved, add in enough white food coloring to make the water mixture completely white.6 tbsp very warm water, 1 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, white + red gel food coloring
- Whisk in the sifted powdered sugar, whisking until smooth.4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Feel free to add a tiny bit more water, if needed, to get a smooth consistency that drizzles and melts back into itself within about 5 seconds.
- Remove about 1/4 cup of the icing and set aside.
- Warm the remaining white icing in the microwave and then dip each cookie completely into the icing and set on a cookie cooling rack. Top with the green sprinkles before the icing has set but you don’t want the icing to be really wet or else the sprinkles will bleed.
- Once all of the cookies have been iced, dye the icing you set aside red using red gel food coloring.white + red gel food coloring
- Transfer the red icing into either a piping bag or a small zip top bag and snip the corner.
- Moving from left to right and then back again, drizzle the red icing onto each christmas tree.
- Allow the cookies to set completely before serving.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, enjoy!
Approx. how many cookies does the recipe make?
About 60 cookies!
Have you made them in a bigger size if I can’t find mini cookie cutters in time? And if so about how long would baking time be? Thanks
Yes! Here’s my recipe for the larger version: https://cookiesfordays.com/little-debbie-christmas-tree-sugar-cookies/
Just checking it’s only 1 egg wasn’t sure if it eggs was supposed to be plural. I don’t want to mess up my measurements. 😀
Yes, it is only 1 egg! Thank you for the catch, I’ve corrected the typo.