Pillsbury Copy-Cat Christmas Tree Cookies: A Festive Holiday Favorite
Love Pillsbury’s classic Christmas tree cookies? You’ll enjoy making these homemade Pillsbury Copy-Cat Christmas Tree Cookies. They’re soft, buttery, and shaped into festive circles with a green Christmas tree baked right into the center. Instead of cutting out shapes, you’ll dye part of the dough green, shape it into a tree, and wrap it in plain shortbread dough. Once sliced, each cookie reveals a fun holiday design.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
These cookies capture the charm of Pillsbury’s iconic Christmas treats, but you get to bake them from scratch. The soft, buttery flavor and festive tree design make them perfect for cookie swaps, holiday parties, or family treats. They look just as good as they taste, bringing holiday cheer with every bite.
How the Tree Appears in Each Cookie
The tree design is baked right into the dough. After dyeing a portion of the dough green, shape it into a tree, then wrap it in the plain dough. When sliced, each cookie reveals a vibrant green tree at the center. No need for extra frosting or sprinkles—the festive design is built in!
Simple Recipe, Stunning Results
Don’t be fooled by the intricate design—this recipe is simple. You only need basic ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Form the dough, add the green tree, wrap it, slice, and bake. These cookies give you a show-stopping look without the hassle of detailed decorating.
Why You’ll Love These Pillsbury Copy-Cat Christmas Tree Cookies
- Nostalgic flavor: These cookies replicate the classic Pillsbury taste with a homemade twist, offering soft, buttery shortbread in every bite.
- Festive design: The Christmas tree in the middle of each cookie adds a fun, seasonal touch that’s sure to impress at any holiday gathering.
- Easy to make: While the cookies look impressive, the process of creating the tree log is simple and perfect for bakers of all levels.
- Perfect for gifting: These cookies make great homemade gifts, especially since the design is built right into the cookie. Wrap them in festive boxes or tins, and you have a thoughtful, homemade treat that anyone will love.
Tips for Perfect Christmas Tree Cookies
- Chill the dough: To ensure clean, sharp edges when slicing the log, chill the dough before cutting.
- Use gel food coloring: Gel food dye provides a vibrant green without adding too much moisture to the dough.
- Don’t overbake: Keep an eye on the cookies as they bake, removing them when they are just starting to turn golden at the edges to keep them soft and buttery.
Bring the Holidays Home with These Festive Cookies
Baking these Pillsbury Copy-Cat Christmas Tree Cookies will become a holiday tradition you’ll look forward to every year. The fun tree design, combined with the classic shortbread flavor, makes them a delightful addition to any cookie platter. Whether you’re sharing them with friends or indulging in a cozy treat by the fire, these cookies bring the magic of the season into every bite.
Christmas Tree Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup salted butter; softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 5-10 drops of green food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the ⅔ cup salted butter; softened and ½ cup powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.⅔ cup salted butter; softened, ½ cup powdered sugar
- Add in the ½ tsp vanilla extract and ½ tsp almond extract and mix till combined.½ tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp almond extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1 ¼ cup flour and 1 tsp salt. Add the flour mixture to the rest of the ingredients and beat on medium-low speed until a dough forms.1 ¼ cup flour, 1 tsp salt
- Roll the dough into a log and split into three even sections. Combine two of the sections into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Add the remaining third of dough back to the mixer and add 5 drops of green food coloring. Mix on low until the color is even throughout, add more food coloring if you desire a deeper color. Form the green dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.5-10 drops of green food coloring
- Remove both doughs from the fridge. Roll into a 1/2 inch thick round. Use a knife to cut out about 14 tree shapes, 2 inches tall and 1 inches wide. Stack the trees into a log, shape as necessary to always maintain the tree shape.
- Roll two thin strips of the non-colored dough, about the length of the tree log. Press the strips into the sides of the trunk. Use the rest of the dough to slowly fill in the area around the tree until it resembles a cylinder.
- Lightly roll the cylinder on a flat surface so that the edges are smooth and it is an even log about 3 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and slice into 18 even slices. Place the slices 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before enjoying.
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