No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 17 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 24 cookies

Jump to Recipe

Last updated on October 22, 2023

These No Bake Christmas Tree Cookies are an easy no bake Christmas cookie that the whole family loves! Made with just a few ingredients and fun to decorate.

You might also like these 35+ Easy Christmas Treats (no bake!), 31 Best Christmas Cookies Recipes or these Christmas Desserts!

So I was determined this year to get a really good amount of Christmas baking done.

In fact, I started Christmas baking in July.

Last year, I didn’t do any Christmas baking. I didn’t even get a Christmas tree or any decorations.

We moved into our new house December 28 last year, so we were pretty much living out of boxes by that point, and things were pretty crazy.

I was determined to do better this year. Get a good early start and just go all out.

But this year, I’m expecting our second child right around December 15. Which really means probably sometime between December 1 and December 31 I’ll have a baby. That makes things a little hard to plan for.

However, it’s been just the push I needed this year to get a good early start, because I definitely wanted to have some recipes to share with you guys throughout December, regardless of when baby decides to make his or her appearance.

So just because you haven’t been seeing them until now doesn’t mean I have been baking all things red and green and peppermint/white chocolate/gingerbread/cranberry – I’ve just been hiding them on you until the time was right.

That is, I’ve been saving them for you so that when the rest of the world starts Christmas baking, I’ll be ready with some awesome treats for you guys.

My mom made these for Christmas when we were still at home (though she tells me only once), and I knew I wanted to recreate them. I’ve been seriously lacking in the cute-and-seasonal category for pretty much every holiday up until now, and I wanted to fix that.

Plus, I really, really like Christmas.

The original recipe didn’t have the mini M&M’s, but I thought it might add more of a Christmas touch to my snow-capped trees.

Plus, chocolate.

When I was decorating them my husband came in and I told him I was only going to put the M&M’s on enough for my daughter’s day care friends, as a little farewell gift before I was at home with 2 kids.

He says to me, ” you’re only putting the M&M’s on those ones??”

I could hear his disappointment.

I explained to him that it was a little fussy and time-consuming, with the gooey chocolate getting on your fingers and then making it difficult to get the M&M’s on the trees…. etc., etc., etc..

And after he left I added M&M’s to all of them. Because baking for men is a lot like baking for children, I find. They get kind of excited about bright colors and such.

And plus, chocolate.

So they might not look super fancy, or even neat, but you should see the way my husband’s girl’s eyes lit up when she saw them. I have a feeling I’ll be making a few batches!

See how easy they are to make and follow me on YouTube!

More Christmas Cookies you’ll love!

  • Christmas Sugar Cookies
  • The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe
  • Soft Molasses Cookies Recipe
  • Peppermint Bark

No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies - The Recipe Rebel (5)

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No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 17 votes

No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies: SO easy, just a few ingredients! Perfect for decorating with the kids. www.thereciperebel.com

No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies - The Recipe Rebel (7)

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Course Dessert

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 162cal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 2 cups powdered icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 3 cups shredded coconut I used sweetened, but unsweetened would work fine
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla or mint extract
  • green food coloring
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp butter or margarine
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • mini M&Ms

Instructions

  • In a large pot, melt butter. Remove from heat.

  • Stir in icing sugar and milk. Stir in coconut, vanilla/mint and enough food coloring to make the mixture green.

  • Shape into small balls, and using the tips of your fingers gently squeeze one side of the ball until it takes on a cone shape. It might take a few tries to get them how you like them, but if the mixture gets too cool to work with you can always heat on low a minute or 2.

  • If you see any later you want to reshape, they are easily reshaped at room temperature.

  • Put uncovered on a baking sheet to set either in the fridge for 2-3 hours or the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

  • In a small pot, melt chocolate, 1 tsp butter and 1 tbsp milk over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Dip the tops of the cookies in the white chocolate to look like snow. Add mini M&M’s if desired.

  • Set in the fridge or freezer to set before storing in an air tight container.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 162cal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 55mg | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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Recipe from Company’s Coming for Christmas cookbook.

No-Bake Christmas Tree Cookies - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

Why won't my no bake cookies get hard? ›

Why Didn't My No-Bake Cookies Set? Likely, you didn't boil the mixture long enough. You want the butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa mixture to boil for 2-3 full minutes and reach between 190°F-200°F. If you don't boil them for long enough, they will turn out gooey and will not set.

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

Peanut Butter Blossoms are America's favorite Christmas cookie, based both on total number of pageviews from the U.S. population as a whole, and number of states that ranked it as their top cookie (which is six, by the way).

Why are my no bake cookies always dry? ›

Boiling too long will cause the cookies to be dry and crumbly. However, if you don't boil long enough the cookies will not set and will be runny. Some folks say bring the mixture to a rolling boil and then count to 60, while others swear by counting to 90.

What is the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

Why are my no bake cookies dry and crumbly? ›

A: Chances are if the no-bakes turned out dry and crumbly it was because you overcooked them. While we call them cookies, oatmeal no-bakes are really more of a confection or fudge with oats stirred in. When it comes to candy, the longer it is cooked, the drier and harder it becomes.

How do you make cookies soft and not hard? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

What is Santa Claus's favorite cookie? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

What is in cowboy cookies? ›

As with most things in Texas, Bush's Cowboy Cookies are enormous and wholly stuffed with so many mix-ins: oats, coconut, pecans, and of course, chocolate chips. They're sure to win over any crowd.

What is the #1 cookie in the United States? ›

The chocolate chip cookie is far and away America's favorite cookie This should come as no surprise to anyone who enjoys the tasty treat. More than 53% of American adults prefer the cookies over the next most popular kind, peanut butter.

Why are my no bake cookies grainy? ›

Why are my no bake cookies grainy? One common reason is overcooking or undercooking the mixture when boiling the ingredients. Make sure to boil the mixture for precisely one minute. Overboiling can lead to a grainy texture, as can using granulated sugar that hasn't completely dissolved.

What ingredient makes cookies less dry? ›

Add more fat

If your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly, you can try adding more fat to it. This could mean adding more butter, shortening, or oil to the dough. If you're using a recipe that calls for melted butter, you could also try using cold butter and grating it into the dough.

What are the most Googled Christmas cookies? ›

Italian Christmas Cookies grow as top cookie

Zoom in: Italian Christmas Cookies were the top cookie in 13 states, more than double the six states from 2022, Google Trends curator Katie Seaton told Axios. Seaton said the Italian cookies dominated the East Coast both this year and last year.

Which Christmas cookies last the longest? ›

Shortbread and spritz cookies are longer-lasting cookies, which means they are perfect for holidays when there is some competition on the table. After all, Christmas in many homes is celebrated with a variety of dishes and sweet treats.

What makes cookies get hard? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

How long does it take for no bakes to set up? ›

Shaping and storing no-bake cookies

Scoop the finished cookie batter into spoon-sized rounds onto parchment paper, then let the cookies cool and set for 25 to 30 minutes. You can enjoy them right away, or store for up to five days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Why are my cookies flimsy? ›

Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

Why are my cookies thin and hard? ›

One of the most common explanations is that the dough was overmixed, resulting in too much air being incorporated into the batter. Another possibility is that the oven temperature was too high. This can cause the butter in the dough to melt faster than the cookie can set, resulting in a thin and flat cookie.

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