Tree Sugar Cookies
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These Tree Sugar Cookies use ColorKitchen Natural Food Dyes for beautiful and vibrant Christmas cookies with no artificial colors. Try these organic holiday cookies this Christmas season!
If you're looking for more festive Christmas cookies, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like Holiday Sugar Cookies with Icing, Candy Cane Crunch Dark Chocolate Cookies, or Frosted Gingerbread Cookies.
Table of Contents
You'll love this recipe for organic holiday cookies because they are made with no artificial colors! The holidays can be full of red, green, and sprinkles with artificial colors. I always use natural food dyes and sprinkles and these Tree Sugar Cookies are no exception! You can achieve beautiful and colorful Christmas cookies with no artificial colors!
Not only are these Tree Sugar Cookies made into festive trees and decorated with beautiful colors, but they also taste amazing! I use a classic sugar cookie base with a little hint of cloves for a some holiday spice. This really makes these organic cookies taste just like Christmas! You have to make these organic holiday cookies this Christmas season.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
No Artificial Colors: The holidays can be full of artificial colors just to make things “festive”. But, you can make beautifully decorated Christmas cookies with no artificial colors when you bake with me!
Fun and Festive: If you're looking for fun organic cookies to decorate with your kids, then this recipe is it!
Soft and Spiced: These organic holiday cookies are classic sugar cookies that are soft and perfectly spiced with cloves for warm and cozy Christmas cookies.
Organic Cookies: Skip the store bought Christmas cookies this season and make these organic cookies instead. You'll feel good about enjoying and sharing these with family and friends.
Ingredients
- Butter: My favorite is Organic Valley Salted Butter.
- Cane Sugar: I use Wholesome here.
- Vanilla Extract: My favorite is Simply Organic Vanilla Extract as I think it has the most pure flavor.
- Eggs: I use Organic Valley Large Eggs.
- All Purpose Flour: My favorite is Cairnspring Mills!
- Cloves: I use organic ground cloves for a bit holiday spice. If you don't have cloves, you can use cinnamon.
- Baking Powder and Sea Salt: Necessary for cookies!
- Powdered Sugar: For this recipe, I used Wholesome.
- Cocoa Powder: I use NuNaturals Organic Dutch Cocoa Powder, it's the best!
- Plant Based Dyes: I use ColorKitchen Foods plant based dyes in these cookies!
- Sprinkles: I also use naturally colored sprinkles tree sprinkles.
- Coconut: I use organic unsweetened fine shredded coconut to mimic snow!
Tools Needed
- Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer for ease, but if you prefer to use a hand mixer you can also do that too.
- Baking Sheets: You'll need two half sheet pans to bake these organic cookies.
- Parchment Paper: I always use nontoxic parchment paper as I think cookies bake best with it.
- Rolling Pin: You'll need a rolling pin to roll out the cookie dough.
- Tree Cookie Cutter: I use a simple Tree Cookie Cutter.
- Piping Bags: You'll need a few piping bags for all the different colors of frosting.
- Decorating Tips: I use Ateco Decorating Tips #56, 30, 133, 96, 21, 34 for the trees.
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined and there’s no butter chunks. Add the eggs and mix just slightly.
In a separate bowl, add the flour, cloves, baking powder and salt and whisk together.Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until a cookie dough forms.
Flour a surface and roll out the cookie dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut out Christmas Trees with a Christmas tree cookie cutter. Place on prepared baking sheets, space at least 1 inch apart.
Bake for 11 minutes or until lightly browned on bottoms. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Step 2: Make the Icing
To make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar and water. Mix on low until combined and then speed up to mixer to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
Split the frosting in six bowls. Add 50 grams in one bowl and add the Dutch cocoa, stir to combine into a chocolate frosting. Transfer to a piping bag with with Ateco tip #56.
In two bowls, add 222 grams of frosting to each bowl. In one of the bowls add ½ teaspoon ColorKitchen Green Dye and in the other add 2 teaspoon ColorKitchen Green Dye. Stir both to combine completely. Transfer the light green frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #30. And transfer the dark green frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #133.
In the last three bowls, add 171 grams of frosting in each. In one of the bowls, add just a pinch of ColorKitchen Blue Dye and stir to combine completely. For another bowl add just a pinch ColorKitchen Pink Dye and stir to combine completely. You want these to be very light and pastel. Leave one frosting white.
Transfer the white frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #96. Transfer the blue frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #21. And transfer the pink frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #34.
Step 3: Decorate Cookies
Pipe different designs on each tree! Try doing all sorts of things to make them different and unique.
Sprinkle with ColorKitchen Christmas Tree Sprinkles or fine shredded coconut to make them look snowy!
FAQ's
Yes, just add ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt to the cookie dough.
Yes, feel free to use any holiday cutter you like!
Store in an airtight container so they don't dry out. These are best when eaten the day they are made, otherwise storing them could ruin their decoration. You can place parchment paper between each one if you need to store.
Craving More?
Tree Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 198 grams cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Icing
- 339 grams salted butter (softened)
- 708 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 ½ teaspoons ColorKitchen Green Dye
- 4 grams Dutch cocoa powder
- a pinch ColorKitchen Pink Dye
- a pinch ColorKitchen Blue Dye
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined and there’s no butter chunks. Add the eggs and mix just slightly.
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, cloves, baking powder and salt and whisk together.Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until a cookie dough forms.
- Flour a surface and roll out the cookie dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut out Christmas Trees with a Christmas Tree cookie cutter. Place on prepared baking sheets, space at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 11 minutes or until lightly browned on bottoms.
- To make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar and water. Mix on low until combined and then speed up to mixer to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
- Split the frosting in six bowls. Add 50 grams in one bowl and add the Dutch cocoa, stir to combine into a chocolate frosting. Transfer to a piping bag with with Ateco tip #56.
- In two bowls, add 222 grams of frosting to each bowl. In one of the bowls add ½ teaspoon ColorKitchen Green Dye and in the other add 2 teaspoon ColorKitchen Green Dye. Stir both to combine completely. Transfer the light green frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #30. And transfer the dark green frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #133.
- In the last three bowls, add 171 grams of frosting in each. In one of the bowls, add just a pinch of ColorKitchen Blue Dye and stir to combine completely. In another bowl add just a pinch ColorKitchen Pink Dye and stir to combine completely. You want these to be very light and pastel. Leave one frosting white.
- Transfer the white frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #96. Transfer the blue frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #21. And transfer the pink frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #34.
- Pipe different designs on each tree! Try doing all sorts of things to make them different and unique. Sprinkle with ColorKitchen Christmas Tree Sprinkles or fine shredded coconut to make them look snowy!
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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