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 did my no bake cookies not 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.

Why are my no bake cookies dry and crumbly? ›

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 original Christmas cookie? ›

Modern Christmas cookies can trace their history to recipes from Medieval Europe biscuits, when many modern ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds and dried fruit were introduced into the west.

What is the favorite Christmas cookie poll? ›

Speaking of holiday baking, nearly half of the country has a favorite Christmas cookie. Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three.

How to fix no bakes that didn't set? ›

  1. Most no-bake cookies have some sticky ingredient to hold it together.
  2. If you used something sticky like butter, peanut butter, melted marshmallows or melted chocolate I would pop them in the fridge, so they firm up.
  3. If that doesn't help, I would completely dip them in melted chocolate and let them harden in the fridge.
Oct 29, 2016

What causes cookies to get too 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 do you fix dry crumbly cookies? ›

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

What can cause a cookie to be not moist enough? ›

Eggs bind the ingredients and make for moist, chewy cookies. Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies. Beat each one in separately and thoroughly.

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.

What is America's favorite Christmas cookies? ›

#1 Iced Sugar Cookie

The Iced Sugar Cookie takes the top spot, stealing the show as the most favorite Christmas cookie with classic sweetness and festive decorations.

Why are they called Jesus cookies? ›

She found a delicious recipe for gluten-free “Jesus cookies.” My daughters call those really puffy, soft sugar cookies with lots of icing and sprinkles you find in the grocery store “Jesus cookies” because they seemed to get them during Sunday School A LOT.

What is the number one cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

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.

What does Santa eat instead of cookies? ›

In the United States, many children leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa. Some families deviate from the norm by leaving Santa and his reindeer carrots, pizza, or even celery.

Why are my cookies never crunchy? ›

Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough.

Why didn't my cookies come out soft? ›

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.

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.

How long does it take for cookies to harden? ›

It is important to note that, most of the time, a cookie isn't completely done cooking until up to 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven: as it cools it firms up, sets, and finishes baking.

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