Buttery shortbread cookies dipped in melting chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. These shortbread Christmas tree cookies are so fun and festive! This recipe contains an affiliate link.
You might also like our reindeer caramels, our hot chocolate sticks, or our peppermint bark cups!
Watch our step by step video!
Shortbread Christmas Tree Cookies
I love how simple shortbread cookies are. 3 ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, and flour. No eggs, leavening, or flavor add-ins, although you can add a splash of vanilla if you’d like. The melt-in-your-mouth texture can’t be beat and they are so fun to customize.
You can use any size tree cookie cutter that you’d like, but I find that the smaller the cookie, the easier it is to dip. My trees are 1 1/2″. That’s right—itty bitty! The perfect bite-sized cookie. This recipe made 6 dozen mini tree cookies. Obviously, if you use a larger cookie cutter or roll them out thicker it’ll change the number of cookies per batch.
I have a set of mini Christmas cookie cutters and LOVE them. They work great for so many kitchen treats this time of year!
SHORTBREAD Christmas Tree COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup butter (salted butter)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 2 cups flour
- 24 oz. (2 bags) green melting wafers
- Christmas sprinkles
HOW TO MAKE Christmas SHORTBREAD COOKIES
Combine butter, powdered sugar, and flour in a large bowl using an electric mixer (I use my stand mixer with a paddle attachment). The dough may appear crumbly, but keep mixing and it will turn into a soft dough. Trust me! You can also form the dough with your hands.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. The dough should be thin, about 1/4″ thick.
Cut out using a small tree cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 325 degrees for 14 minutes*. Let cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely.
*The edges and bottoms of the cookies should be a light golden brown. I cook these cookies a little longer than normal so that they are nice and set up. Perfect for dipping.
While the cookies cool, go ahead and get your melted chocolate ready.
Heat green melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl. I recommend heating them one bag at a time. The melting chocolate begins to cool and it’s easier to dip them in batches. When you run out of one bag heat the second one.
Heat melting wafers for 60 seconds, and stir. Repeat heating in 15-second intervals until melted and smooth.
Dip cookies into the melted chocolate. Flip over with a fork and cover the cookie completely. Lift the cookie out of the melted chocolate with a fork, tapping the fork against the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
Place dipped cookies back on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with holiday sprinkles. Let the cookies set up.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Shortbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter salted butter, room temp.
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 24 oz. green melting wafers 2 bags
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine butter, powdered sugar, and flour in a large bowl using an electric mixer (I use my stand mixer with a paddle attachment). The dough may appear crumbly, but keep mixing and it will turn into a soft dough. Trust me! You can also form the dough with your hands.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. The dough should be thin, about 1/4″ thick.
- Cut out using a small tree cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 14 minutes*. Let cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely.*The edges and bottoms of the cookies should be a light golden brown. I cook these cookies a little longer than normal so that they are nice and set up. Perfect for dipping.
- While the cookies cool, go ahead and get your melted chocolate ready.
- Heat green melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl. I recommend heating them one bag at a time. The melting chocolate begins to cool and it's easier to dip them in batches. When you run out of one bag heat the second one.
- Heat melting wafers for 45-60 seconds, and stir. Repeat heating in 15-second intervals until melted and smooth.
- Dip cookies into the melted chocolate. Flip over with a fork and cover the cookie completely. Lift the cookie out of the melted chocolate with a fork, tapping the fork against the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
- Place dipped cookies back on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with holiday sprinkles. Let the cookies set up.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
Hi Brandy! I’m wondering where you get your tiny cookie cutters?
Hi Karen! I purchased them from Walmart last year. Here’s a link to the ones that I have: https://shopstyle.it/l/b4YGt