Easy Christmas Tree Cookies

Sure, everyone loves Christmas cookies that are wicked detailed and finished with ever-so-perfectly hand painted gold accents, but sometimes that’s not realistic. There isn’t always a spare ten hours in the day to make that kind of magic happen, you know? For the occasions that call for super easy decorated cookies that will totally impress a crowd, here are some easy Christmas tree cookies.

Things on hand:
• Piping bags
• Piping tips and couplers: Ateco #1 & #30 piping tips are used here, but any plain tip and closed star tip will work
• Jumbo sprinkles

Things you’ll need to make:
• Christmas tree sugar cookies
• White royal icing in a medium consistency
• Black royal icing in a medium consistency
• White royal icing in a stiff consistency
• Mint green royal icing in a stiff consistency

If needed, the royal icing recipe I use is here as well.

Now, I say you need white, black and mint green royal icing, but those are just the colors I wanted to use. Mix it up to what suits your taste. Forrest green, brown, teal, hot pink… whatever! And if you do happen make some teal and hot pink Christmas trees, I gotta say, that sounds totally rad and please send me photos.

Anyway, the stiff icing you make will be for the tree and the medium icing is for the tree trunks.

Once your Christmas tree cookies are baked and completely cooled, it’s time to decorate.

With the medium royal icing, decorate the tree trunk area. I used a standard Ateco #1 piping tip for this step and made white and black tree trunks. Make sure the top of the trunk goes into the tree higher than you’ll need it. The top will disappear beneath the icing in the next step.

Then on to the main part of the tree. The stiff icing you make for this step should hold its shape when you pipe it. Not break-your-wrist stiff, but stiff enough that those piped details stay in place.

With an Ateco #30 tip (or the star tip you have on hand), layer on the branches of the tree, from bottom to top, overlapping each layer. Like so….

The sprinkles you have on hand are your finishing details.

Let the cookies dry overnight and just like that they’re ready to party.