Oh Christmas Tree Lollipop Cookies, Oh Christmas Tree Lollipop Cookies, bring to us such joy and glee!
Not only are these adorable cookies, snowy and charming, but they are delicious. A combination of orange essence and cream cheese make them soft and cakey, and festive. They make the perfect food gift as well!
What better way to eat your cookies than on a stick. Isn’t everything better on a stick? It’s much more fun to eat for sure.
I colored half of the dough green after mixing it together. I wanted a tree cookie that was a little classy and a little fun, so I opted not to have a completely green cookie. While still kid friendly with that pop of color, these cookies are elegant enough for an adult party favor or cookie swap!
I used a large disposable piping bag and a 1/2-inch plain tip to pipe the soft dough onto the baking sheets. Just add the green and the white dough to the bag side by side and it will create that unique swirl pattern when you pipe. Insert a standard lollipop stick before you bake!
To gift these little darlings, or give them out as party favors, I wrapped them in cellophane bags with a festive twist tie. They’ll keep for several days!
Christmas Tree Lollipop Cookies, wrapped in cellophane, make perfect food gifts!
Adding cream cheese to cookies gives them a light, cakey texture, not dry at all. It also enriches the flavor and helps to bring out the orange essence from the zest. I drizzled an orange juice icing on the trees to take them over the top. The crystal sugar makes them sparkly and pretty with a fun, sugary crunch.
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp finely grated orange zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- Green food coloring
- 20 lollipop sticks
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 2 tbsp white sanding sugar
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Heat oven to 350°F and place rack in center. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a large mixer bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and zest until combined well. Stir in flour and salt until a dough forms.
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Halve dough; stir a few drops of food coloring into one half. Transfer some of each dough color, side by side, to a decorating bag fitted with a ½-inch plain tip or coupler. Pipe 4-inch-long tree shapes, 1 inch apart, on prepared sheets, tree bottoms facing 3-to-4 inches from outer edge. Insert sticks halfway through bottoms. Bake, one sheet at a time, until just golden around edges, 15 to 18 min. Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let cool completely.
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Whisk together confectioners' sugar and juice. Drizzle over each tree; sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature, in single layers, up to 2 days.)
Holidays are the perfect time for food gifts. I love spending time in the kitchen creating tasty treats for my friends and loved ones. I make my Vanilla Bean Salted Caramels every year, and my mom’s famous Black Licorice Caramels for my favorite people! LOL They are the best!
Check out the how-to video for the caramels here.
Speaking of caramel, this Gingerbread Caramel is my go-to neighbor and coworker gift. Plus I make extra for myself!
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Recipe & Food Styling Tara Bench
Photographer Ellie Miller
Prop Styling Renata Chaplynsky
Originally published Ladies’ Home Journal Dec 2007
Great little favors for a party!
Great treat to give friends for Christmas!