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If you’re looking to make a festive Christmas treat to wow friends and family this year, look no further than a Christmas tree dessert. It’s sweet, recognizable, and fairly easy to execute. The shape is a giant green triangle after all. So we dug into our archives to find 15 Christmas tree dessert recipes to fit the bill. They range from cookies and cakes to fruit and candy, with varying levels of culinary aptitudes in mind.
For an absolute showstopper, consider making a tiered red velvet Christmas tree cake with green icing trim. For a last-minute dessert, throw together a kiwi-focused fruit plate, arranged in the shape of a tree. There are options galore that can be pulled off with or without a tree-shaped cookie cutter. So what are you waiting for? Trim those dessert trees!
Red Velvet Christmas Tree Cake
The more tiers you bake, the more impressive this red velvet Christmas tree cake will be when you bring it out after the big meal. Or better yet, make the lofty cake the table centerpiece until you’re ready to dig in.
Get the Red Velvet Christmas Tree Cake recipe.
Mike Garten
Reindeer and Tree Cookies
What sets these festive sugar cookies apart, other than their beautiful decoration is the use of royal icing, a runny icing that hardens to solidify the maker’s design. While still runny, use a toothpick to spread the icing to create flocked trees and reindeer collars.
Get the Reindeer and Tree Cookies recipe.
RELATED: Best Christmas Desserts for a Holly Jolly Party
mike garten
Peppermint Ornaments
Talk about easy! All you need for this simple recipe is peppermint candies, nonstick cooking spray, metal cookie cutters, and a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once cool you can decide if they’ll be making their way onto the tree or into your belly.
Get the Peppermint Ornaments recipe.
Con Poulos; Prop stylist: Megan Hedpeth
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Cupcakes
It’s all about the candy melt tree in this cupcake dessert. Make your favorite cupcake recipe, and top it with a pretzel and sprinkle topper. If cupcakes aren’t your jam, add the topper to a slice of pie or cheesecake.
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Get the Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Cupcakes recipe.
Steve Giralt
Cream Cheese Spritzes
Created in the 16th century with the invention of the cookie press, these Scandinavian and German butter cookies are a perfect bite-sized treat to snack on throughout the day. All you need is a cookie press and a tree-shaped disk pattern to execute.
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Get the Cream Cheese Spritzes recipe.
RELATED: Best Christmas Cookies to Put Out for Santa
Steve Giralt
Cookie Tree
Here’s a dessert idea so simple, you might’ve thought of it yourself. Stack gingerbread cookies in varying star-shaped sizes to create a holiday tree. Best of all, guests can simply grab a cookie, starting from the top, for easy dispersal.
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Get the Cookie Tree recipe.
Steve Giralt
Winter Trees
Create a holiday scene by pairing this winter tree recipe with our polar bear cupcake recipe. The simpler of the two, the winter tree recipe calls for only four ingredients: ice cream cones, chocolate wafers, royal icing, and sprinkles. The trees also make for great gingerbread house decor.
Get the Winter Trees recipe.
Steve Giralt
Peppermint-Chocolate Layer Cake
Catering to a chocolate lover? This is the recipe to go for. It’s a chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache. For the tree, arrange peppermint sticks in a triangle shape, embellishing with sprinkles for the ornaments.
Get the Peppermint-Chocolate Layer Cake recipe.
Yunhee Kim
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Don’t worry! It’s not all icing underneath that heap of green piping. It’s a sugar cone that provides the perfect conical shape for frosting an evergreen lookalike.
Get the Christmas Tree Cupcakes recipe.
Alexandra Rowley
‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Take inspiration from Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree and make a sparse tree topper for your vanilla cupcakes. Kids are sure to get a hoot out of these cartoon-inspired treats.
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Get the ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas Tree Cupcakes recipe.
RELATED: Easy Christmas Treat Ideas for Every Holiday Event
mike garten
Shortbread Trees
Celebrate Christmas and citrus with this tree-shaped shortbread cookie filled with dried fruit. This treat is sure to be a hit among your panettone-loving family members.
Get the Shortbread Trees recipe.
Dasha Wright
Linzer Tart Christmas Tree
Similar to the spritz cookie, Linzer tarts are derived from Europe — more specifically, Linz, Austria. Whip up a batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough, adding almonds, and shape them into trees and stars using cookie cutters. Before you finish, remember to sandwich a raspberry preserve between two cookies for a festive pop of red (and fruit flavor)!
Get the Linzer Tart Christmas Tree recipe.
Christopher Baker
Kiwi Christmas Tree
For those without a sweet tooth, opt for this festive fruit plate that centers kiwi as the star — or should we say the pineapple? This is a great last-minute dessert that can be thrown together in minutes while still packing a treeful of holiday cheer.
Get the Kiwi Christmas Tree recipe.
Christopher Testani. Food Stylist: Christine Albano. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Retro Christmas Tree Cake
Inspired by ceramic trees that first started donning tables in the 1940s, this vanilla cake recipe garners its vintage charm from its decoration. Make your own multi-colored lights out of fondant or buy pre-made light bulb candies to adorn.
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Get the Retro Christmas Tree Cake recipe at Country Living.
Brian Woodcock
Sugar Cookie Trees
Take a page out of the rock-a-stack toy book, and fashion a tree out of round cookies in varying sizes. “Glue” the layers together with a dab of royal icing, and soon enough, you’ll have a whole cupcake orchard.
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Get the Sugar Cookie Trees recipe at Good Housekeeping.
mike garten
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