Sugar Cone Christmas Trees Are Less Messy With A Cookie Base

Sugar cone Christmas trees covered in green frosting and assorted edible decorations are easy to make, fun to decorate, and simply full of holiday cheer. As cute as they are, it is easy to see how they can quickly create a huge mess. With no easy place to hold onto while you decorate, you are bound to get as much verdant frosting on your hands as you do on the ice cream cone. However, there is an easy (and tasty!) addition — use a cookie as a base.

Simply coat the opening of the cone in frosting, and "glue" it onto the cookie. Alternatively, just like you can melt granulated sugar for mess-free gingerbread houses, you can use the hack for your Christmas trees, too. Any kind of flat and firm cookie will work since a cookie that is too chewy or cakey will more easily break or soften. Classic sugar cookies, crisp gingersnaps, or sturdy gingerbread would all do well here. The cookie acts as a little handle and catches any frosting drips. You can pipe green frosting onto the cookie itself to extend the bottom of the tree, use different colors to create a Christmas tree skirt or cover it in white frosting and iridescent sprinkles for a snowy look.

Start by covering your table in a washable tablecloth or good old newspaper. Even with the cookie base, chances are high that there still may be an accident or two, especially if you are doing this activity with small children.

After attaching the cookies to the sugar cones, it is time for the pine needles. You can spread on the green frosting with a butter knife or offset spatula, or use a piping bag for a little more accuracy. You can do this step first, and then pass the frosted sugar cone Christmas tree to the kids for decorating. As long as your workspace doesn't run too warm, you can do this step about an hour ahead of time so that the unadorned trees are all ready to go.

As for the decorations, consider using a muffin tin, cupcake liners, ramekins, measuring cups, or small bowls, so you can put out limited portions of M&Ms, jelly beans, peppermints, licorice, miniature chocolate chips, and festive sprinkles. Give each decorator their own plate, so they can easily catch any bits and bobs that don't stick to the tree. Remember, activities like this are about having fun, so keep plenty of paper towels on hand, and kick back with a mini Christmas tree cocktail.