These sugar cone Christmas trees are what happens when you hand me a box of ice cream cones, a bowl of royal icing, and the faint hope that the grandkids won't redecorate the entire house.
Frost them up, fill them with candy, and suddenly you've got the cutest little edible trees this side of a Hallmark movie… minus the fake snow and bad acting.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Why these Christmas treats earn their spot at the holiday table
- 🧾 Ingredients you'll for sugar cone Christmas trees
- 📖 Recipe
- 🔪 How to make ice cream cone Christmas trees
- 👩🍳 Questions people always ask about these no bake christmas treats
- 📚 More Christmas treats to keep the holiday magic rolling
- 💬 Comments
🗝️ Why these Christmas treats earn their spot at the holiday table
These sugar cone Christmas trees may look simple (and they are), but don't be fooled-they're the candy-covered peacekeepers of December. They keep the kids occupied, the dessert table adorable, and your sanity mostly intact. They're quick, cheap, candy-filled, and dangerously fun to decorate… which means everyone suddenly thinks you're some kind of Christmas angel. Let 'em. You deserve the applause.
🧾 Ingredients you'll for sugar cone Christmas trees
Everything you need for these cute little Christmas trees is lurking in the pantry. Some simple pantry staples, a pile of candy, and enough royal icing to make the North Pole jealous. Nothing fancy, nothing fussy, just the good stuff that turns a plain sugar cone into edible holiday decor.
- Sugar cones - the humble little pine trees of our edible forest
- Sprinkles - the glitter therapy we all deserve
- Big ol' round cookies for the base - sturdy enough to hold your ambitions
- Candy - whatever you won't eat before it hits the cone
- Powdered sugar - winter wonderland in a bag
- Egg whites - room temp, because we're civilized
- A pinch of cream of tartar - the secret handshake of good royal icing
- A splash of lemon juice - keeps things bright, unlike your relatives
- Green paste food coloring - because these trees aren't going to tint themselves
Download the free sugar cone Christmas tree kitchen cheat sheet for extra tips, variations, faqs, and more!
📖 Recipe
Sugar Cone Christmas Trees
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- pinch cream of tartar
- 1-2 tsp. green gel food coloring
- 6 ice cream sugar cones
- 6 cookies, I used store-bought snickerdoodles
- m& m's candies
- Assorted candies or sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare the royal icing. Rinse mixing bowl with lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until they are foamy.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice, and green food coloring.
- Beat at high speed until thick and fluffy.
- Transfer royal icing to a piping bag that has been fitted with a star tip. Set aside.
- Fill each ice cream cone with M & m's.
- Pipe around the open edge of the sugar cone, and gently place a cookie (upside-down) over the icing.
- Carefully and slowly flip the cone and cookie to create the tree base.
- Pipe the "leaves". Beginning at the base of the tree, add small dollops of the green royal icing over the cone by squeezing the bag, releasing a small amount of icing, then lifting straight up off the dollop. Continue this technique until the entire surface of the cone is covered.
- Decorate the tree using star candies for the tops, licorice rope as a garland, and assorted candies or sprinkles as ornaments.
- Allow the trees to set and harden at room temperature for an hour.
Notes
-
- Pour the powdered sugar through a sifter or sieve to remove any clumps. This step isn't necessary, but it makes a really smooth icing.
-
- Your egg whites must be at room temperature in order for them to whip up properly! Let 'em sit out for an hour or so before you get started.
-
- Make sure to thoroughly wipe your stand mixer or large bowl with lemon juice/white vinegar to remove any oily residue.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪 How to make ice cream cone Christmas trees
.These little trees come together fast-just mix, fill, frost, and try not to eat all the candy decorations before they make it onto the cones. Follow these step by step images showing how to make sugar cone Christmas trees and you'll have a whole forest of sugary show-offs ready to steal the spotlight on your holiday table.
👩🍳 Questions people always ask about these no bake christmas treats
Everyone's got questions the minute these little Christmas trees hit the table-usually with a mouth full of candy. Here's everything you need to know so you can smile sweetly, answer like the holiday oracle you are, and get right back to frosting your forest. Have more questions? Don't forget to download the kitchen cheat sheet.
You can! Although your ice cream cone Christmas trees won't look as realistic without the star tip and a piping bag, icing the sugar cones with the royal icing and a knife works fine too.
Absolutely! Use your favorite candy. Any small, bite-sized treat'll do, like Reese's Pieces or mini cups, Skittles, sprinkles, peppermints, candy cane bits, white chocolate chips, gumdrops, jelly beans, sugar pearls, tiny edible hearts-the possibilities are endless!
Sure! Sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, gingerbread snaps, and molasses crinkle cookies also work really well. Just make sure the cookies have a flat surface and are large enough to completely cover the bottom of the cone.
📚 More Christmas treats to keep the holiday magic rolling
If these sugar cone Christmas trees sparked a little joy (or a sprinkle-fueled frenzy), you'll love diving into more of my holiday classics. Build your own graham cracker gingerbread house, or bake a sturdy, delicious base for your trees with my Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodle Cookies or those big, bakery-style sugar cookies everybody always grabs first. Your dessert table is about to look downright enchanted.
They are so festive and so much fun to make! Keep the ingredients on hand and you'll have a great family project when it's too icky to be outside.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Comments
No Comments