Little Debbie tree cookies are a sugar cookie twist on the original snack cake. Dipped in frosting, they are easy to make!
You might also like our stacked snowman sugar cookies, our gingerbread cookie boxes, or our bakery-style sugar cookies.
Sugar cookies, but they look like Little Debbie Christmas trees! These are in no way a substitute for the classic snack cakes; they are just a fun way to decorate Christmas sugar cookies.
This recipe makes 30 tree cookies, each dipped in melty soft buttercream, sprinkled with green sugar, then decorated with red buttercream. I used my classic sugar cookie recipe for delicious cookies that are buttery and soft. This is the only cut-out sugar cookie recipe that I use.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Best sugar cookie recipe. These tree cookies start out with a sugar cookie base. You can use whatever kind of sugar cookie dough you want, but my no-chill sugar cookie recipe is pretty darn good and my most popular recipe this time of year. The cookies are bakery-style soft and loaded with vanilla and almond extract flavoring.
- Easiest frosting. My hack for frosting these cookies is one that we've done for years and years. You'll love how easy it is!
- They look just like the original. These cookies look just like the original snack cakes, only in sugar cookie form. So buttery and yummy with bright red swirls and green sugar sprinkles.
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Tips and Tricks
- How to dip sugar cookies in frosting. What's easier than spreading frosting over cookies? Dipping the cookies in melted frosting! Dipping the cookies in frosting is what gives them a smooth finish. You can do this trick with store-bought frosting or homemade buttercream. I used homemade buttercream this time, but have used store-bought frosting with great results in the past.
- Warm up the frosting in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, stir.
- Dip the tops of the cookies in the warm frosting.
- Let the excess frosting drip off, then turn the cookies over and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set up.
- Red stripes. The red details are red buttercream frosting that has NOT been melted. I spooned it into a piping bag and piped the lines onto the cookies. The red buttercream will also set up enough to package or transport cookies but does not set up quite as hard as royal icing.
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- Butter and Shortening: I use a combination of butter and shortening for the best texture and flavor. If you don't want to use shortening you can use all butter, but I highly recommend trying the recipe as written first.
- Sugar: There are only two types of cookies that I don't use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar for: sugar cookies and snickerdoodles. White sugar is best for sugar cookies. It gives them great flavor and texture.
- Egg: For richness and texture.
- Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract: Extracts are where you can get creative when making cookies. Vanilla and almond are my favorites to use and are a wonderful flavor combination.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is a great option for baking cookies.
- Cornstarch: This recipe requires a substantial amount of cornstarch. Trust me, it makes a soft and tender cookie.
- Baking powder: Baking powder gives sugar cookies life and a light texture.
Easy Buttercream Frosting
- Butter: For the best flavor and texture, always use butter in your frosting.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar gives the frosting a fluffy and smooth texture.
- Milk or Heavy Cream: A bit of milk or cream helps thin the frosting out to a spreadable consistency.
- Vanilla: For flavoring.
- Green sugar sprinkles
- Red food coloring
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Little Debbie Inspired Tree Cookies
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer*), combine butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat until fluffy.
Step 2: Turn the electric mixer to a low speed and add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add baking powder. Stir in the flour and cornstarch, and mix until a soft dough forms.
Step 3: Roll the dough out to the desired thickness using a rolling pin (I usually do ¼- ⅜″) and cut into tree shapes.
Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes on ungreased baking sheets.
Cookies will be soft. Let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully moving to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Step 4: Beat frosting ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Spoon out a heaping ½ cup of frosting into a small bowl and add food coloring to tint it red. Set the red frosting aside.
Step 5: Heat the remaining white frosting in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir.
It should be smooth and thin.
Step 6: Hold onto the edges of the cookie and dip the top into the warm frosting. Allow excess to drip off.
Note: the frosting will begin to thicken as it cools. When that happens, simply reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir. It'll be thin and ready for dipping again.
Step 7: Place dipped cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle immediately with green sugar sprinkles.
Step 8: Once all of the sugar cookies have been dipped and sprinkled, fit a frosting bag with a small round tip and spoon the red frosting into the bag.
Decorate the tops of the tree cookies with red lines of frosting.
Store the cookies wrapped in plastic on the baking sheet or in an airtight container.
Little Debbie Tree Cookies FAQs
These are sugar cookies inspired by the look of the Little Debbie tree cakes. They taste like a sugar cookie and have a cookie consistency.
The cookies will harden slightly as they set. Enough to transport or package up. I don't recommend stacking cookies decorated with buttercream frosting more than 2 cookies tall because buttercream will never be as hard as royal icing.
Dip the tops of the cookies in the warm frosting (warmed in the microwave).
Let the excess frosting drip off, then turn the cookies over and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set up.
Some recipes call for refrigeration, but this one doesn’t. If you’d like to make it ahead of time you can wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and then use it later, but this is a great last-minute recipe because refrigeration is not necessary.
Corn starch softens the dough making it feel like a cloud. It also makes for a softer sugar cookie.
More Snack Cake Inspired Recipes To Make
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Little Debbie Tree Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 1 cup butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 cup flour
- ½ cup corn starch
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 Tbsp. milk
Instructions
Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl combine butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat until fluffy. Turn the mixer down and add egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Add baking powder. Add flour* and cornstarch and mix thoroughly. *Start with 3 ½ cups of flour and add the last ½ cup at the end if the dough seems too soft (I always use the full amount of flour).
- Lightly flour your working surface and shape dough into a large ball. No refrigeration necessary.
- Roll dough out to desired thickness using a rolling pin (I usually do ¼- ⅜″) and cut into tree shapes. Add flour to dough if it feels too sticky but a nice soft dough is what you want. Carefully transfer the cut-out cookie shapes with a spatula to a baking sheet.
- Bake on baking sheets at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. Cookies will be soft. Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully moving to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
- Beat frosting ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spoon out a heaping ½ cup of frosting into a small bowl and add food coloring to tint it red. Set the bowl of red frosting to the side.
- Heat the remaining white frosting in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir.It should be smooth and thin.
- Hold onto the edges of the cookie and dip the top of the cookie into the warm frosting. Allow excess to drip off.Note: the frosting will begin to thicken as it cools. When that happens, simply reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir. It'll be thin and ready for dipping again.
- Place dipped cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle immediately with green sugar sprinkles.
- Once all of the sugar cookies have been dipped and sprinkled, fit a frosting bag with a small round tip and spoon the red frosting into the bag. Decorate the tops of the tree cookies with red lines of frosting.
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