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These buttery shortbread Christmas tree cookies look as good as they taste. They are simple, delicious and perfect for the festive season. This recipe uses the classic 3:2:1 shortbread ratio (flour : butter : sugar) for maximum ease, blitzed together in the food processor. Delicious as they are or finish with a layer of white chocolate and a sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberries and pistachios for a decorative festive finish. They are perfect for parties, as an edible gift or just with an afternoon cup of tea.
This recipe for shortbread Christmas tree cookies is fooproof and the best part is: you can decorate them however you like (see below for ideas) so they look cute on any festive table. Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions, dough tips, variations and troubleshooting, and FAQs. You might also want to try my Nutella puff pastry tree or my jam tartlets for another mini sweet treat.
Why you will love this recipe:
- They have a perfect shortbread texture and use the easy-to-remember 3:2:1 ratio.
- They have a festive look, thanks to the white-chocolate dip and raspberry & pistachio sprinkle.
- Made quickly in a food processor so there is minimal hands-on time.
- These cookies keep their Christmas tree shape beautifully – perfect for gifts (like my hot chocolate bombs) and parties.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Plain flour – also known as ‘all-purpose flour’.
Caster sugar – also known as ‘superfine sugar’. You can use granulated if needed.
Substitutions and Variations:
Decoration ideas
- Use sparkles to add shimmer to these Christmas tree cookies.
- Chocolate stars can be placed at the top like a star on a real Christmas tree.
- Use icing instead of white chocolate. Mix icing (powdered) sugar with a spoonful of water and smooth that on the cookies. You can use food colouring in this instance to create different colours.
- Using a piping bag/freezer bag with the corner snipped off is an easy way to add detail.
- Smarties and M&Ms add a pop of colour.
- Swap white chocolate for milk or dark chocolate.
Here’s how to make Christmas tree cookies:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Add the soft butter and caster sugar to a food processor. Pulse until it just comes together. Tip in the flour and pulse again. As soon as the mixture resembles damp sand and is just starting to clump, stop the pulsing.
TWO: Tip the mixture onto the work surface and gently press it together into a smooth dough. Avoid kneading but just bring it together with your hands.
THREE: Shape into a disc, wrap, and chill for 20 minutes (this is optional) but it helps the biscuits keep their shape later on.
FOUR: Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1cm/0.5 inch thick.
FIVE: Cut out Christmas tree shapes using a Christmas tree cookie cutter and place them on a lined baking tray.
SIX: Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are just turning pale golden. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
FIVE: Melt the white chocolate. Dip each cookie face into the chocolate, place back down on a tray lined with parchment paper
SIX: Sprinkle with crushed freeze-dried raspberries and finely chopped pistachio before the chocolate sets.
Cooking Tips:
Keep Shapes Sharp: Chilling and Thickness
- To maintain the defined edges, chill the dough for 20 minutes before rolling.
- Rolling to 1cm / just shy of half an inch, prevents the shape from changing, so don’t go too thick.
Avoid Tough Shortbread
- Overworking the shortbread dough develops the gluten. You just want the flour mixed in, until it just comes together.
Baking Times & Colour Cues
- You can take the cookies from the oven when they are still pale. Shortbread continues to firm as it cools, so don’t worry if they seem a little soft still.
White Chocolate Dipping Tips
- Melt gently: either over a bain-marie or in short microwave bursts.
- You can either dip straight in to cover the cookie or use a piping bag/freezer bag with the end snipped off to drizzle the cookies with white chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions
To keep the Christmas cookie shape, chill the dough before rolling out, avoid over mixing the dough, and roll to no more than 1cm thickness.
Resting the cut cookies on a chilled tray before baking also helps prevent spreading.
To freeze shortbread dough, freeze the dough as a wrapped disc for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then roll and cut. Or you could freeze the baked cookies before dipping in chocolate.
For the dough, it’s just a classic shortbread recipe, so any cookie cutter you have would work. You could even use a round cutter and decorate the cookies as baubles for a festive look that doesn’t require a Christmas tree shaped cutter.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you would like more festive recipes, you might like to try my Christmas pavlova wreath, poached pear and chocolate pavlova or my chocolate brownie trifle.
Easy Baking Recipes
Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
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Tiramisu Cookies
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Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chipless Cookies
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Chocolate Brownie Cookies
If you tried this Christmas Tree Cookies or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Simple Christmas Tree Cookies
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter, softened, softened (7 oz)
- 100 g caster sugar, (3½ oz)
- 300 g plain flour, (10½ oz)
- 150 g white chocolate, melted, (5 oz)
- A handful of freeze-dried raspberries, crushed
- A handful of pistachios, very finely chopped
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Add the soft butter and caster sugar to a food processor. Pulse until it just comes together and is creamy.
- Tip in the flour and pulse again. As soon as the mixture resembles damp sand and is just starting to clump, stop the pulsing. (Over-mixing once the flour goes in can make the biscuits tough.)
- Tip the mixture onto the work surface and gently press it together into a smooth dough. Avoid kneading but just bring it together with your hands.
- Shape into a disc, wrap, and chill for 20 minutes (this is optional) but it helps the biscuits keep their shape later on.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1cm/0.5 inch thick.
- Cut out Christmas tree shapes using a Christmas tree cookie cutter and place them on a lined baking tray.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are just turning pale golden. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To decorate:
- Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (or in short bursts in the microwave).
- Dip each cookie face into the chocolate, place back down on a tray lined with parchment paper, and sprinkle with crushed freeze-dried raspberries and finely chopped pistachio before the chocolate sets.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These Christmas tree cookies are simple and so festive – perfect for little hands to get involved.