Name: Candy Cane Forest Sugar Cookie Trees for Elf Movie Night
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 1 h 33 min
Yield: 15
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, softened; ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg, room temperature; 2 cups all-purpose flour + extra for rolling; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp salt; 1 Christmas tree cookie cutter - we used one that’s about 4 inches at its widest and 3 inches in height; ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup confectioners’ sugar; 1 tbsp milk; 3-4 candy canes or 8-10 peppermint candies, crushed

Jump to Recipe

Don’t be a cotton-headed ninny muggins — try out these Candy Cane Forest Sugar Cookie Trees for your next Elf movie night! Your family is going to love these frosted peppermint sugar cookies, and they fit into one of the of the main food food groups – candy canes!!

Christmas Movie Night Candy Cane Cookies

We love the movie Elf and just how sweet Buddy is! We created these candy cane sugar cookie trees because he “passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest” before walking through the Lincoln Tunnel.

For tonight’s movie night, take a note from Buddy’s book, lets “make ginger bread houses, and eat cookie dough, and go ice skating, and maybe even hold hands.”

While you wait the cookies to bake, try out these Ultimate Elf Movie Trivia Questions and Answers on your family!

What You’ll Need

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour + extra for rolling
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 Christmas tree cookie cutter – we used one that’s about 4 inches at its widest and 3 inches in height

You’ll need to make the frosting or pick up white icing and candy canes at the store.

For the topping, you’ll need:

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp milk
3-4 candy canes or 8-10 peppermint candies, crushed

How to Make Candy Cane Forest Sugar Cookie Trees

First, you’ll want to cream together softened butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Then, add in your egg and mix together.

Next, you’ll add in your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until crumbles of a cookie dough form.

Now, use your hands to knead it into a cookie dough, and then wrap the cookie dough in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Once the time is up, remove from the refrigerator, sprinkle a smooth working surface with flour, and add flour on a rolling pin as well.

Once you have the space ready, roll out the cookie dough so that it’s about ¼ of an inch in size.

Now it’s cookie cutter time! Use cookie cutter to cut out 15 to 18 cookies. Line them up on a baking sheet (you will most likely have to cook in two batches – one standard baking sheet can fit about 12 cookies, comfortably).

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Then – you’re ready to decorate!

In a large bowl, mix together softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, and milk with an electric mixer. Start on low and gradually increase to high speed.

Once the buttercream is formed, scoop into a piping bag with Wilton icing round tip #8.

Frost the cookies and use an offset spatula to smooth it out.

The last step is sprinkle with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies!

We also made a Buddy the Elf Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board which was so much fun! These cookies are perfect for hot chocolate as well!!

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