Description
Festive red velvet Christmas tree cookies bring holiday cheer with their rich cocoa flavor and elegant green frosting. Delicate and merry, these sweet treats will delight guests and make your celebration sparkle with seasonal joy.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp red food coloring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Decorating Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3–4 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Green food coloring
- Edible pearl sprinkles
- White sugar pearls
Instructions
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until uniformly combined.
- Cream butter and sugar in a separate large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
- Incorporate egg, red food coloring, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, blending until smooth and vibrant red.
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, mixing until a cohesive dough forms without overmixing.
- Wrap dough in plastic film and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut out christmas tree shapes using festive cookie cutters.
- Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are slightly firm and bottoms are light golden.
- Cool cookies completely on wire racks.
- Prepare glaze by whisking powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Tint a portion of glaze with green food coloring for tree decorating.
- Drizzle green glaze over cookies in tree-like patterns.
- Embellish with white and pearl sprinkles while glaze is still wet.
- Allow decorated cookies to set for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Ensure cocoa powder is fresh and unsweetened for authentic red velvet flavor depth.
- Chill dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and maintain crisp tree shapes during baking.
- Use gel food coloring for more vibrant red color without altering dough consistency.
- Gluten-free option works by substituting all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 175
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg