Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Perfect for holiday cookie trays, Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies have warm gingerbread spices, honey, cocoa, and colorful mini M&M’s for a festive and easy-to-decorate treat.
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
- ½ cup pure honey
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted, plus more if needed
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 – 3 tsp. ground spices such as cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves
- 1 cup colored mini M&M’s
Instructions
Make the Gingerbread Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the butter and powdered sugar for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk the egg lightly into the butter mixture. The mixture will separate slightly but will come together when the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the honey into the mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Mix half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Stop the mixer and replace the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
- Mix until the dough forms one large ball and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Note: The dough should be tough but pliable. If it’s still sticking to the sides of the mixer bowl, add more all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it doesn’t stick.
- Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Shape and Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once chilled, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to about ⅛ inch thick, or thicker if desired. Use dough measuring strips for even thickness.
- Lightly dip the cookie cutter in flour, then cut out the dough using a Christmas tree cookie cutter.
- Lightly press green and red M&M’s onto the cookies.
- Transfer the cutouts to the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.
- Bake at 325°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned.
Notes
- Measure the flour accurately because too much flour can make the cookies dry.
- Use room-temperature butter to help it blend evenly with the confectioners’ sugar and create a smoother dough.
Nutrition
Serving: 24g | Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 148IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg