A combination of orange essence and cream cheese make these Christmas Tree Lollipop Cookies soft and cakey, and festive. They make the perfect food gift as well!
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time18 minutesmins
Total Time43 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas cookies, christmas tree lollipop cookies, food gift
Heat oven to 350°F and place rack in center. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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.
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.
Whisk together confectioners' sugar and juice. Drizzle over each tree; sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Notes
Store in an airtight container at room temperature, in single layers, up to 2 days.)