Surprise your family this holiday season when you take ordinary cinnamon rolls to a whole new level with these festive Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls. They are super easy to make, and the kids will just love them.
These little cinnamon roll Christmas trees are so much fun. They start off with using canned cinnamon rolls that you’ll fold into the shape of a tree. A delicious green vanilla icing and bright and cheery sprinkles decorate each tree. They are the perfect addition to your holiday breakfast table.
Christmas Tree Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
There is nothing like the smell of cinnamon rolls as they’re baking in the oven. This Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole and these Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls are a sure way to get everyone gathered in kitchen without even having to call for them.
But, just imagine the look on their faces when they see these cinnamon rolls all dressed up like Christmas trees, complete with sprinkles, a trunk and a star adorning the top of each tree.
For this simple recipe I used Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls. They taste amazing and are a huge time saver. You won’t be disappointed! For a fun family activity, get the whole family involved by dividing up the icing and candies, then let everyone have fun decorating their own trees.
Ingredients for this Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls Recipe:
- 1 package (17.5 oz) refrigerator cinnamon rolls like, Pillsbury Grands
- ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
- ½ tsp water
- 3 drops of green food coloring (gel works best)
- Christmas sprinkles
- 5 yellow M&Ms
- 5 miniature peanut butter cups or Rolo candies, unwrapped
How to Make Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat liners
- Separate dough into 5 rolls that come in the package. Unroll each cinnamon roll.
- Using a tiered zig zag pattern, place each strip of dough back and forth into a tree shape getting smaller at the top, with dough touching each other.
- Place cinnamon roll trees 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
- Bake according to package instructions, about 13-15 minutes or until bottoms are light golden brown. Remove the warm cinnamon rolls from the sheet pan and transfer them to wire racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- While the cinnamon trees are cooking make the cream cheese frosting.
- In a small mixing bowl combine sugar and water and mix to combine. Add this to the premade cream cheese frosting that came in the cinnamon rolls package. Mix until combined and add green food coloring.
When cinnamon rolls are cool, frost the cinnamon rolls with the green icing and add sprinkles. Put one Yellow M&M at the top of the tree as a star. Using a small amount of frosting, secure a peanut butter cup or Rolo to the bottom of the tree to make a tree trunk.
Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a warm cup of hot chocolate!
Can I Use Homemade Cinnamon Rolls?
If you have a quick and easy favorite recipe, you can certainly use your own cinnamon roll dough. But trust me when I tell you, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls are delicious!
Plus, with all the baking that is going Christmas eve morning, it’s super nice to use a can of cinnamon rolls as a short cut without compromising the flavor. The best part is, there’s no yeast mixture, proofing, or kneading necessary! Pop open the can and your dough is ready to go!
Can I Make This Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree Recipe in Advance?
If you’re wanting to make these for Christmas morning and need to save a little time, you can form up the trees the night before and cover the dough with plastic wrap until morning.
Also, you can go ahead and mix up the cream cheese frosting and powdered sugar in small bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Set the frosting out on the counter while the cinnamon rolls bake to help make it more spreadable.
Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Roll Tree
- To get a thick coat of frosting, be sure the Christmas trees have cooled to room temperature. This ensures the frosting doesn’t slide off.
- Decorate these trees with any of your favorite festive candies. You can use red hots, mini white chocolate chips, edible glitter, star shaped sprinkles or add the look of pinecones to your trees by using chocolate sprinkles.
- If you have leftovers, you want to store them in an airtight container in a single layer. Because of the frosting, it would be best to store them in the fridge after a few hours.
- To keep the layers of the tree from separating while they bake, pinch the dough together in a couple of small places on each layer.
Want More Fun and Festive Recipes?
- Gum Drop Cookies
- Green Jello Salad
- Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats
- Ooey Gooey Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
- Layered Jello For Christmas
- Santa Nutter Butter Cookies
Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 package 17.5 oz refrigerator cinnamon rolls like, Pillsbury Grands
- ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
- ½ tsp water
- 3 drops Green gel food color
- Christmas sprinkles
- 5 yellow M&Ms
- 5 miniature peanut butter cups or Rolo candies unwrapped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silpat liners.
- Separate dough into 5 rolls that come in the package. Unroll each cinnamon roll.
- Zig zag each strip of dough back and forth into a tree shape getting smaller at the top, with dough touching each other.
- Place cinnamon roll trees 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
- Bake according to package instructions, about 13-15 minutes or until bottoms are light golden brown. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- While the cinnamon trees are cooking make the cream cheese frosting.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the powdered sugar and water and mix to combine. Add this to the premade cream cheese frosting that came in the cinnamon rolls package. Mix until combined and add green food coloring.
- When cinnamon rolls are cool, frost and add sprinkles. Put one Yellow M&M at the top as a star. Using a small amount of frosting, secure a peanut butter cup or Rolo to the bottom of the tree to make a tree trunk.
Nutrition
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