These mini Christmas Tree Cake Cookies are bite-sized, soft and buttery sugar cookies that are filled with Christmas Tree Cake buttercream and then decorated to match your favorite holiday snack cake!

Sugar cookies stuffed christmas tree cake buttercream.

Small Christmas Tree Cake Cookies

I don’t want to speak for Debbie, but honestly? She would be more than a little proud of these. These are the catering (mini) size of my new Christmas Tree Cake Cookies! They take a soft, buttery sugar cookie and fill it with Christmas Tree Cake Buttercream. As in, the buttercream literally has mashed up Christmas Tree Cakes in it. And woof, it’s so freaking good. Then, in case it wasn’t obvious, the cookie is frosted with the iconic white chocolate coating, red trim, and green sanding sugars so it looks like the treat we all know and love.

A christmas cookie cut in half to reveal christmas tree cake buttercream.

Ingredients

*Consider this your quick reference list. Exact quantities and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Sugar Cookie:

Salted butter softened – I always, always use salted butter. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Butter flavoring – If you do not have butter extract, you can sub in vanilla extract BUT you will be missing that buttery yellow cake flavor.
Vanilla extract – This is the perfect supporting cast member. It adds a subtle hint of flavor without distracting from the other elements of the cookie.
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
White candy melts – I like the Ghirardelli brand! I highly suggest sticking with the white candy melts vs using white chocolate. The white chocolate has a stronger flavor and takes away from the star of the show, the buttercream.
Red candy melts
Green sanding sugar

Christmas Tree Cake Buttercream:

Salted butter, softened – Again, I use salted butter but unsalted will also work.
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
Heavy cream
Christmas Tree Cakes – Yes, THE Little Debbie’s Christmas Tree Cakes.
Red and green sprinkles

Sugar cookies decorated to look like Christmas Tree Cakes.

Instructions for Mini Christmas Tree Cake Cookies

Making the Buttercream

Start by making the buttercream. Begin by whipping the butter until smooth.
Next, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
To the frosting, add 5 whole Christmas Tree Cakes, and mix until incorporated. Be careful to not over mix! You still want a little bit of the texture from the cakes in your buttercream. This will be a thick buttercream. Add in red + green sprinkles and fold until incorporated.
Scoop 2 tsp dollops of buttercream and flatten slightly. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer to harden while making the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Dough + Assembly

Make the cookie dough by creaming together the butter and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture. I like to use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer for this.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs, vanilla, and butter extract. Mix until well combined.
Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms.
Scoop out your dough using a #48 scoop (about 1 heaping Tbsp). Flatten each dough ball into a disk.
Remove buttercream dollops from the freezer and place one in the center of each dough disk.
Close the cookie dough around the frosting dollop and seal any cracks the best you can. Place filled dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet, placing the sealed side of the dough up.
Bake at 350° F for 11-13 minutes, or until the cookies no longer look wet and glossy on the top.
Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet.
After your cookies have cooled, melt your white candy melts according to package instructions until smooth (typically in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between).
Drizzle the top of each cooled cookie with the melted white candy melts. Sprinkle with green sanding sugar.
Melt the red candy melts according to package instructions and pour into a piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
Pipe lines similar to those on the Christmas Tree Cakes on each cookie.
Let the candy melts finish setting up before serving, you can speed this process up in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

A filled sugar cookie decorated like a christmas tree cake.

Storage

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 4 days.

These cookies will also freeze well. Allow the candy melts to set up completely and then place on a cookie sheet close together. Place the entire cookie sheet into the freezer and ‘flash freeze’ until they’re beginning to harden. Place cookies into a ziptop bag and freeze. Use within 3 months!

Karli’s Kitchen Faves

Here are a few of my favorite kitchen tools that I used to make this recipe!

Cookie Sheet – These cookie sheets have put in WORK in my kitchen. If you’re looking for a brand that will stand the test of time (and cookies), this is my recommendation.
Silicone baking mat – I love using this or parchment paper to line my cookie sheets to make it easy-peasy to get cookies off of the pan without sticking.
Piping bag – These are disposable, meaning you do not have to clean them ha. They are durable and won’t burst and leak your frosting. Use this (or just a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off) to pipe the red candy melts onto the cookie.
Kitchenaid Mixer – I really love this thing. It’s not necessary for making good cookies, but I love the size of the bowl and the power. It saves me a lot of arm aches.

Little debbie inspired Christmas Tree Cake Christmas cookies.

Christmas Cookie Faves

A mini sugar cookie filled with christmas tree cake buttercream.

Mini Christmas Tree Cake Cookie

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Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 9

Servings: small cookies

Ingredients

Christmas Tree Cake Buttercream:

½ cup (111g) salted butter, softened
2 cups (214g) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp heavy cream
5 Christmas Tree Cakes
1/4 cup Red + green sprinkles

Sugar Cookie:

1 ½ cups (333g) salted butter, softened
1 ½ cups (345g) granulated sugar
3 eggs
3/4 tsp butter extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 ½ cups (684g) all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
10 oz white candy melts (I like Ghirardelli)
4 oz red candy melts
Green sanding sugar

Instructions

Start by making the buttercream. Begin by whipping the butter until smooth.
½ cup (111g) salted butter, softened
Next, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
2 cups (214g) powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 tbsp heavy cream
To the frosting, add 5 whole Christmas Tree Cakes, and mix until incorporated. Be careful to not over mix! You still want a little bit of the texture from the cakes in your buttercream. This will be a thick buttercream. Add in red + green sprinkles and fold until incorporated.
5 Christmas Tree Cakes
Scoop 2 tsp dollops of buttercream and flatten slightly. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer to harden while making the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make the cookie dough by creaming together the butter and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture. I like to use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer for this.
1 ½ cups (333g) salted butter, softened, 1 ½ cups (345g) granulated sugar
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs, vanilla, and butter extract. Mix until well combined.
3 eggs, 3/4 tsp butter extract , 1 tsp vanilla extract
Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms.
4 ½ cups (684g) all-purpose flour, 3 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
Scoop out your dough using a #48 scoop (about 1 heaping Tbsp). Flatten each dough ball into a disk.
Remove buttercream dollops from the freezer and place one in the center of each dough disk.
Close the cookie dough around the frosting dollop and seal any cracks the best you can. Place filled dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet, placing the sealed side of the dough up.
Bake at 350° F for 11-13 minutes, or until the cookies no longer look wet and glossy on the top.
Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet.
After your cookies have cooled, melt your white candy melts according to package instructions until smooth (typically in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between).
10 oz white candy melts
Drizzle the top of each cooled cookie with the melted white candy melts. Sprinkle with green sanding sugar.
Green sanding sugar
Melt the red candy melts according to package instructions and pour into a piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
4 oz red candy melts
Pipe lines similar to those on the Christmas Tree Cakes on each cookie.
Let the candy melts finish setting up before serving, you can speed this process up in the refrigerator. Enjoy!