Christmas Tree Cookies
No Christmas celebration is complete without beautifully decorated cookies, and this year, we're kicking it off with Christmas tree cookies adorned with a wonderfully simple marbling technique that's sure to impress on TikTok. It's an excellent activity to involve kids in or to use on other festive cookie shapes. How about trying candy cane shapes with a red and white marble effect? Or snowflake cookies with a stunning blue and white marble design? The creative possibilities are endless as long as you stick to the elegant white plus one color scheme, as additional colors may blend together.If you prefer a more traditional sugar cookie decoration for the trees, be sure to check out our guide on achieving perfectly decorated sugar cookies. Alternatively, if you'd like to use buttercream icing instead of royal icing, we have some great options for you as well.To create the icing for these cookies, you'll utilize meringue powder—a convenient product that primarily consists of dried egg whites, offering a food-safe alternative to using raw egg whites. It's a fantastic time-saving ingredient for whipping up cookie icing.If you're keen on making red and green trees, simply divide the icing in half and use red in one bowl and green in the other for a delightful holiday color scheme.
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 3 c. (360 g.) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 c. (200 g.) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
ICING & ASSEMBLY
- 1/4 c. meringue powder
- 5 to 8 tbsp. water
- 4 c. (460 g.) powdered sugar
- Green liquid food coloring, for icing
Instructions
COOKIES
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and pale in color, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until fully combined, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula, if needed.
- Divide dough in half. Place between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment. Roll each piece to a scant 1/4"-thick round. Transfer to a large baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Cut out dough with a 3" tree-shaped cookie cutter and transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1" apart. Freeze 5 minutes.
- Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
ICING & ASSEMBLY
- In a large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat meringue powder and 5 tablespoons water until frothy and starting to stiffen, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth and thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed until icing holds its shape without being too stiff to work with.
- Add a few drops of food coloring to icing and use a toothpick to swirl a few times to create a marbled effect.
- Working one at a time, dip tops of cookies into icing, then lift and allow excess to drip back into bowl. Continue to dip, swirling in more food coloring as needed, until cookie is coated. Let sit on wire racks until icing hardens, about 30 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!