These Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls make for the perfect holiday treat! Not only are they picture perfect, but they're super simple to make too!
In this Article:
All you need are some premade cinnamon roll dough from the store, icing, and sprinkles! Just bake the cinnamon rolls - shaped into a Christmas tree - and then decorate! It's that simple!
Buy premade icing or make your own cream cheese icing (homemade is always better!) for these delicious holiday cinnamon rolls. Either way, these will make for the perfect Christmas breakfast!
This Christmas tree cinnamon rolls recipe is...
- Christmas-themed
- ready in 20 minutes
- a quick holiday breakfast
How to Make Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
- Unroll the cinnamon rolls and ribbon them into the shape of a tree. See the pictures!
- Bake.
- Top them with homemade cream cheese frosting.
- Spread green cream cheese icing over the warm cinnamon rolls and sprinkle them with Christmas sprinkles.
- Serve and enjoy!
Scroll down for the full recipe with measurements and detailed instructions.
Tips & Tricks
Let the Rolls Cool Before Icing
When the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, if you can wait for a bit, let them cool slightly before putting the icing on. Putting cream cheese frosting on the cinnamon rolls right after they've left the oven will melt the icing.
Though it will taste just the same, your Christmas trees won't come out looking as nice. So, let the cinnamon rolls cool before adding the icing.
Liquid vs. Gel Food Coloring
You can either use liquid food coloring or gel-based food coloring for the icing. If you want a richer and darker color, then use the gel-based food coloring because adding too much liquid food coloring will change the consistency of the frosting. I use these Wilton gel food colorings!
Variations
Make One Big Christmas Tree Instead!
If you want to make one giant cinnamon roll tree rather than small individual trees, then keep the cinnamon rolls rolled. Just arrange them into the shape of a tree with one roll at the bottom as a tree trunk.
Then, make sure that you keep enough white icing for two rolls. Put this white icing on the tree trunk cinnamon roll and the one at the top of the tree. Cover the "tree trunk roll" with chocolate sprinkles and the roll at the top of the tree in yellow sprinkles (like a star).
Cover the rest of the tree in green icing and some red candies, like Red Hots, or red sprinkles. If you don't have green food coloring, you can cover all the rolls with white frosting and cover the rest of the tree in green sprinkles.
Pipe on the Icing
You can use a knife or spatula to cover the Christmas tree cinnamon rolls in green cream cheese frosting. But if you want a cleaner look, you can put the icing into a piping bag and pipe it on with various piping tips.
Make Them from Scratch
Though cinnamon roll dough can take longer to make, you can definitely make it for this recipe! Homemade rolls take about 1 to 2 hours to rise, so that increases the wait time.
When you make your cinnamon rolls from scratch, you can make flavor variations too. Like pumpkin or lemon flavor. You can also add extra filling, like adding a layer of Nutella.
You could even make a vegan version of these Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls using this vegan cinnamon roll recipe.
More Holiday Recipes
If you love these Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls, be sure to check out my Christmas recipe collection and these other holiday ideas:
Recipe
Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tube premade cinnamon rolls
- ½ cup cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter or margarine softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- green food coloring
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Open Cinnamon rolls, unroll and ribbon into a tree shape. Bake according to package.
- While those bake, prepare cream cheese icing. Cream together, cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract. Gradually mix in powdered sugar until spreading consistency.
- Add two drops of green food coloring and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Once cinnamon rolls are done baking, remove to serving tray. Spread green cream cheese icing over warm cinnamon rolls and sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
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