Homemade Cream Cheese Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies will be Santa’s favorite! Delicious, tender and so cute when decorated. A perfect holiday treat!
Cream Cheese Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
We all know that Santa loves a good cookie or two or three. This year I decided to up our offerings for dear old Saint Nick and serve something a bit more fun alongside his glass of milk. Join me on my cookie journey, I think you’ll love what I’m serving up today.
Cast your eyes upon the cutest homemade Cream Cheese Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies. Now before you scroll on by let me assure you that these are completely manageable, you can make them trust me.
What I will say is that the cookie portion is absolutely 100% from scratch, homemade deliciousness. As for the “royal icing”, now that’s where a little semi-homemade amazingness happens, I’ll share more on that below.
Be sure to try our Cream Cheese Reindeer Sugar Cookies too! Santa approves!!!
I simply adore a tender sugar cookie, I traditionally make a huge batch one a year at Christmas. This particular recipe is ultra-tender and tasty with the addition of cream cheese.
Even if you are a novice baker, I think you should give these a whirl. There are step-by-step instructions listed below and once you’ve made sugar cookies from scratch I think you’ll find it’s not that terribly difficult.
What ingredients are needed to make these cookies?
- Sugar
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Egg
- Almond & vanilla extracts
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Frosting
- Decorations
Some tips that will help along the way:
- Give yourself enough time to make these, the process is not super quick.
- Refrigerate overnight optimally, 8 hours is good in a pinch.
- Flour your surface and rollign pin prior to rolling out the dough.
- “Royal icing” for these cookies comes from store-bought frosting. Directions are in the recipe card below.
- Be sure to add any decor you’d like when the frosting is still wet.
- Allow frosting to harden prior to storing in an air-tight container.
Simple steps for making this recipe (complete instructions are found in the recipe card below):
Cream together butter and cream cheese using an electric mixer. Add in the sugar, egg, and extracts, mix to combine.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into the cream cheese mixture. Mix to combine.
Refrigerate dough overnight. Flour the surface you will be rolling dough onto. Roll dough to 1/2″ thickness.
Use cookie cutters, transfer shapes onto a prepared pan.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Cool thoroughly prior to decorating.
Frost and decorate. Allow frosting to harden prior to storing.
Other amazing holiday treats to serve:
- Eggnog Jello Shots
- Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Jingle Balls (no bake sugar cookies)
- Gingerbread Man Cupcakes
- Christmas Pretzel Bites
We have so many great drinks to go alongside:
- Gingerbread Latte (Starbucks copycat)
- Peppermint Mudslide
- Naughty Rudolph Cocktail
- Eggnog Amaretto Cocktail
- Season’s Greetings Holiday Sangria
Cream Cheese Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
Homemade Cream Cheese Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies will be Santa's favorite! Delicious, tender and so cute when decorated. A perfect holiday treat!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat the butter and cream cheese until thoroughly mixed and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Gradually add in the sugar, mixing until combined.
- Add in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Beat again until smooth and creamy.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour to the creamed butter mixture 1/2 a cup at a time until all incorporated.
- Shape the dough into a rectangle and wrap securely in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 8 hours.
- When ready to bake preheat the oven to 375° F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Flour a surface for rolling the dough. Roll the dough in 1/2 inch thickness.
- Cut with a cookie cutter and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set. Remove from oven and allow to sit on baking sheet 2-3 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely prior to decorating.
Notes
Making "Royal Icing" from canned frosting:
- Open a can of frosting and completely remove foil lining,
- Place in microwave and heat for 3 seconds. Stir well, repeat in 15-second intervals if needed.
- Allow the icing to cool slightly before frosting the cookies.
To frost cookies:
- Apply frosting as desired to completely cooled cookies.
- While the frosting is still wet add desired sprinkles, candy, and decorations.
- Allow icing to cool completely dry before storing in an airtight container.
