Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies (Vegan Gluten-Free)

These Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies are the best festive cookie and they are so delicious. Crisp, golden and nutty sugar cookies (without the “sugar”) cut out as stars, decorated with green buttercream and stacked as a cookie Christmas tree – plus they are naturally vegan and gluten-free, too.

I have been really excited about this recipe and it has been a long time coming. I think I wrote down this recipe idea back in the summer, waiting until it was close enough to December to test it out and here it is. The “sugar” cookies are crisp and golden and it’s such a versatile, easy recipe that works every time. stack them high to make the most delicious Christmas tree!

What do these Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies taste like?

These cookies are pretty special for a few reasons:

• Nutty and sweet
• Golden and crisp
• Slightly tender in the middle
• No “sugar” or butter
• Naturally vegan and gluten-free
• Easy to make the dough in 5 minutes
• Delicious to make all year long
• Great to make and decorate with little ones

Whether you choose to create a cookie stack or you enjoyed these cookies as they are, they are pretty delicious. Skip ahead to the recipe card to make them now, or let’s see what goes into these cookies.

What ingredients do we need?

The base for this cookie dough is so easy and much simpler than most butter and sugar mixes:

• Nut butter: almond or cashew butter are the best as the taste is naturally sweeter and cookie-like but any nut or seed butter will work. Make sure it’s runny and smooth for the best cookies (I like the cashew butter from Koro – save with code Nourishing5)
• Maple syrup: this is the sugar in these sugar cookies. It means the dough is refined sugar free and so easy to stir together. Other sticky syrups like agave, date, vegan honey or golden syrup will also work.
• Vanilla essence: for the cookie flavour.
• Plain or GF plain flour: simple is best so plain flour works a treat for these cookies. If you are using gluten-free flour, make sure it is a blend that has xantham gum in and one you usually bake with.
• Salt: to bring together all the flavours.

As for the method, these Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies are very easy to make in a few steps. Simply whisk together the nut or seed butter, syrup and vanilla and then stir in the flour and salt to a sticky, smooth dough. Chill the dough so it firms up and then roll out the dough like other sugar cookies. Cut out your shapes and you’re ready to bake.

How do we make the Christmas tree shape?

Once your cookie dough is rolled out, have a few different shapes of star cutters to hand. 8 or 10 is a good number to make a taller tree but use whatever you have.

• Cut out the star shapes: in a few different sizes.
• Bake until golden: the smaller stars will bake more quickly, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the trays and bake the smaller cookies together and then the larger cookies which will take longer.
• Allow to cool: before you can frost them they must be cool.
• Make the buttercream: just like a normal buttercream mix and colour it green.
• Pipe onto the cookies: pipe all over with whatever shaped nozzle you like, I used a star-shaped one.
• Decorate with sprinkles: these acts as the baubles on the tree (Baking Time Club has a great range of vegan and gluten-free sprinkles – AMY20 saves you 20%).
• Allow the buttercream to rest: pop the iced cookies in the fridge to set the buttercream so the cookie stack won’t collapse on itself.
• Stack the cookies: from largest to smallest at the top.

Your Christmas tree is now ready to wow your guests and it’s so delicious.

Can I make other shapes using this recipe?

Yes, this is my go-to sugar cookie dough this year as it’s so easy and requires less effort than regular butter-sugar mixes (I also have gingerbread and eggnog versions coming soon). You can cut out any shapes and decorate them with plain icing sugar glaze or other coloured buttercream. Or dip them in chocolate, too.

Are these gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes, these cookies are gluten-free when using your favourite GF flour blend and to make them nut-free, make sure you use a seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter instead of the almond/cashew butter.

How long will the cookies last?

Once iced and stacked, they will last up to 1 week in the fridge in a sealed container, but you can keep un-frosted cookies at room temperature for 1 week also in a sealed container.

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make this cookie tree, I would love to see so please tag me in your bakes – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With Christmas tree cookie love x