Christmas cookies are an essential part of the holiday, and this year, we’re reaching for these Christmas tree cookies decorated with a super-simple marbling technique that’s totally Tik Tok-worthy. It’s a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen—holiday dessert prepping has never been so fun. While these cookies may look show-stopping, they’re fairly easy to create (and experiment with!). Keep reading on for all of our top tips on how to make them the best they can be:
How to create the icing:
You’ll use meringue powder to make the icing for these cookies. It’s made mostly of dried egg whites (rather than raw egg white, which isn’t super food-safe) and is a great shortcut product for whisking up cookie icing. If you’d rather a more classic sugar cookie decoration for the trees, check our guide to perfect sugar cookie decorating. (Or, if you’d rather a buttercream icing instead of a royal icing, check out our classic buttercream recipe.
Tip: If you want to make the trees red and green instead, divide the icing in half and use red in one bowl and green in the other.
Christmas cookie variations:
The marbling technique we use here goes well beyond these trees. Use it on countless other holiday cookie shapes and decorations: candy canes done with a red and white marble, or snowflake shapes done in blue and white…the possibilities are endless as long as you stick to the simple white plus one color scheme. If you go beyond that, then the colors will start to mix.
Storage:
If you have any leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for around 1 week.
Made these cookies? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Christmas cookies are an essential part of the holiday, and this year, we’re reaching for these Christmas tree cookies decorated with a super-simple marbling technique that’s totally Tik Tok-worthy. It’s a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen—holiday dessert prepping has never been so fun. While these cookies may look show-stopping, they’re fairly easy to create (and experiment with!). Keep reading on for all of our top tips on how to make them the best they can be:
How to create the icing:
You’ll use meringue powder to make the icing for these cookies. It’s made mostly of dried egg whites (rather than raw egg white, which isn’t super food-safe) and is a great shortcut product for whisking up cookie icing. If you’d rather a more classic sugar cookie decoration for the trees, check our guide to perfect sugar cookie decorating. (Or, if you’d rather a buttercream icing instead of a royal icing, check out our classic buttercream recipe.
Tip: If you want to make the trees red and green instead, divide the icing in half and use red in one bowl and green in the other.
Christmas cookie variations:
The marbling technique we use here goes well beyond these trees. Use it on countless other holiday cookie shapes and decorations: candy canes done with a red and white marble, or snowflake shapes done in blue and white…the possibilities are endless as long as you stick to the simple white plus one color scheme. If you go beyond that, then the colors will start to mix.
Storage:
If you have any leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for around 1 week.
Made these cookies? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
- Yields:
-
28
serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 2 hrs
Directions
-
Cookies
- Step 1
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.
- Step 2Divide 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.
- Step 3Preheat 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.
- Step 4Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Step 1
-
Icing & Assembly
- Step 1In 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.
- Step 2Add a few drops of food coloring to icing and use a toothpick to swirl a few times to create a marbled effect.
- Step 3Working 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.
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