3D Christmas Cookies
Big fun for the giver and the receiver – These 3D Christmas Cookies are a fabulous edible gift this season!
3D Cookies for the Holidays
I always look forward to cookie baking during the holidays.
In this season of hope and inspiration, magic seems to spill over into every aspect of life, including baking.
You’ll notice cookies are glitzier at Christmas time. Bigger, and often heavily decorated. (Yet not always as tasty.)
If your not a pastry chef or artist, don’t worry. You can still make inspired cookies that your friends and family will love.
Instead of leaning on decorating skills you may or may not have, why not go for height and dimension?
3D Christmas Cookies
These simple 3D Christmas Tree Cookies look spectacular, yet require very little technique. If you can roll, cut, and stack, you are well equipped.
The key to making marvelous 3D Christmas Cookies is to start with a really good roll-out sugar cookie recipe, like the one you’ll find below.
How to Make 3D Christmas Tree Cookies
Using at least 4 sizes of star cookie cutters, cut out eight stars per tree. Then cut out a round base and 7 smaller round “connector” cookies. If you have a set of star cutters with more size options, feel free to use them all.
Lay all the cookies on cookie sheets and bake until just barely baked through.
Once the cookies are cool, whisk together a simple 2-ingredient icing and glue the stars together. Start with the round base on the bottom, followed by 2 of the largest stars with the points offset, working up to two of the smallest stars.
Glue a small round connector cookie in between each star to add height.
Allow the cookies to dry until all the pieces are well “glued” together.
Once the 3D Christmas Tree Cookies are dry, drizzle more icing over the branches and sprinkle with sugar sprinkles.
You can also dip candies in the icing and glue them onto the branches. I used sixlets as ornaments on my trees, but you could use any small candy you like.
3D Christmas Cookies make fun edible gifts. Place them in small boxes and hand them out to neighbors and coworkers.
…And best of all, they taste even better than they look!
Variations
- Use only circle cookie cutters to make cone-style modern Christmas trees.
- Dust with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or sweetened cocoa powder instead of decorating.
- Add pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice to the cookie dough for extra flavor.
Serving
- These cookies are perfect for wrapping in cellophane bags with a pretty ribbon for cute edible gifts.
- Stack them on holiday treat platters or tiered cake stands.
- Use these cookie trees to decorate larger desserts like holiday cakes, cupcakes, and brownie bars.
More Decadent Christmas Cookies
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- Mexican Cookies (Biscochitos)
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Cream Cheese Cookies
- Soft Key Lime Cookies with Glaze
- Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies + Sugar Cookie Icing
3D Christmas Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened (3 sticks)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons half & half
- Sprinkles and candy for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, and turn the mixer on low. Beat in the salt, eggs, vanilla, and then finally the flour. Once combined, turn the mixer off as to not over-mix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Once the dough is cold and firm, flour a work surface. Cut the dough in half and roll it out into an even 1/8-inch sheet. Using 4 sizes of star cutters (4-inch, 3-inch, 2-inch, and 1-inch) cut two stars out with each cutter, for each tree, followed by one 1 1/2-inch circle for the base and seven half-circles for the connectors. You should have a total of 8 stars, 7 small connector circles, and one medium base circle per tree. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Place the cookies on the baking sheets 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 6-7 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. Cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Once the cookies are cool, whisk together 2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons half & half. The mixture should have the consistency of school glue. If it’s too thick, add a little more half & half.
- Use the icing to glue the 1 1/2-inch circles to the bottoms of the largest stars. Then glue a small round "connector" cookie in the middle of the stars and add the second large star on top, shifting the cookie so the points are offset. Continue to stack and shift the points until you have eight star cookies stacked from largest to smallest, to form a tree. Allow them to dry before decorating. (See images above for guidance.)
- To decorate: Drizzle the remaining icing over the trees and sprinkle with sugar sprinkles. You could also dip larger candies into the icing and set them on the points. Dry completely before wrapping as gifts.
I LOVED this idea – my husband loves gingerbread with cinnamon imperials on them and this was fun alternative to gingerbread men. I made these out of gingerbread and used the imperials as decoration and drizzled the icing like snow. For the ones I gave away I put green sprinkles for sparkle.
I really wanted to try this recipe but I dont understand why it doesn’t call for any baking soda. Does it not need it?
Hi Tiffany,
You don’t need it. These cookies are meant to stay nice and flat, not rise. :)
Love!
Sommer, these are adorable ! I think I would be more comfortable if there was a video regarding the assembly . can’t wait to try this .
So simple yet so impressive!
These are positively darling!!