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Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Cookies

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Buttery sandwich cookies inspired by Little Debbie’s iconic Christmas tree cakes, filled with fluffy vanilla buttercream and decorated with festive red stripes and green sugar sprinkles.

Ingredients

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  • For the Cookies:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Red gel food coloring
  • Green sugar sprinkles
  • For the Vanilla Buttercream Filling:
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3–5 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • Optional: white food coloring
  • 1–2 drops red food gel

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  5. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to 1/4″ thickness. Transfer to a baking sheet and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  6. Using a 5-inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible. Then use a 2-inch Christmas tree cookie cutter to cut the center out of half the cookies.
  7. Place cookies 1.5 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Let cool completely.
  8. To make the buttercream, beat butter and powdered sugar, adding heavy cream gradually until smooth and fluffy.
  9. Mix in salt and vanilla. (Optional: add white food coloring to brighten the frosting.)
  10. Remove about 1/4 cup of the buttercream and color it with red gel food dye. Transfer both white and red frostings into separate piping bags.
  11. Pipe white buttercream onto the full round cookies.
  12. Use red buttercream to pipe signature tree cake stripes.
  13. Sprinkle with green sugar sprinkles.
  14. Top with a cookie that has the Christmas tree cut-out, aligning it to sandwich perfectly.
  15. Repeat for all cookies and serve or store in an airtight container.

Notes

  • Chilling the dough ensures clean cuts and prevents spreading.
  • Use a toothpick or small piping tip for precise red buttercream stripes.
  • Cookies can be made a day ahead and assembled later.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://yumfoodusa.com/little-debbie-christmas-tree-cake-cookies/