Description
These festive Christmas Tree Cookies combine rich chocolate cookie bases with vibrant vanilla icing to create a delightful and visually appealing holiday treat. The cookies are soft and slightly chewy with a deep cocoa flavor, while the green, brown, and yellow icing add an artistic touch resembling Christmas trees complete with trunks and stars. Perfect for holiday gatherings or gift-giving, this easy-to-follow recipe delivers flavorful and charming cookies that bring holiday cheer to any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Cookies:
- 1 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 TBSP Cornstarch
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup Regenerative Organic Certified® Cane Sugar from Wholesome
- 2 TBSP Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Regenerative Organic Certified® Cane Sugar from Wholesome (for coating)
Vanilla Icing:
- 1 cup Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Powdered Confectioners Sugar, sifted
- 1-2 TBSP Milk
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- Green food dye
- Brown food dye
- Yellow food dye
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. Add baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Stir well to combine all dry ingredients evenly.
- Cream sugars and butter: Using a mixer on high speed, beat the melted and cooled unsalted butter together with the cane sugar and light brown sugar for 2 minutes until well combined and fluffy.
- Add eggs and dry ingredients: Mix in the pure vanilla extract and egg yolk on medium speed until smooth. Then add the sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together. Avoid overmixing.
- Preheat oven and prepare sheets: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before scooping.
- Form dough balls: Use a small cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Roll each dough ball in the reserved 1/2 cup cane sugar, then place 12 dough balls evenly spaced on each prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies: Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set but the centers remain soft. The cookies may puff up during baking.
- Cool cookies: Allow the cookies to rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If any cookies puff excessively, gently flatten them while warm to ensure easier decorating.
- Prepare vanilla icing: In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract and start with 1 tablespoon of milk, whisking to combine. Add more milk as necessary to achieve a thick consistency suitable for piping precise lines.
- Color icings: Divide the icing evenly into three small bowls. Tint one with green, one with brown, and one with yellow food dye. Transfer each colored icing into separate piping bags, cutting the tips accordingly—slightly larger for green, small openings for brown and yellow.
- Decorate cookies: Use the green icing with a back-and-forth motion to pipe the Christmas tree shape on each cookie. Use the brown icing to pipe the trunk at the base, and the yellow icing to create a star on top. Optionally, add white nonpareil sprinkles as decorative snow.
Notes
- Flour measurement is critical: spoon and level your flour or weigh it for best results; compacted flour can lead to dry cookies that do not spread.
- If baking at high altitude, increase flour by 1 tablespoon to maintain texture and structure.
- Bring dairy ingredients such as butter and eggs to room temperature by removing them from the fridge 2 hours prior to baking for optimal mixing and dough consistency.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
