Whether for Santa, the neighbors or your own family at home, baking Christmas cookies is a timeless tradition. Make this fun family activity even more exciting by going 3D! No red and blue glasses required for these clever cookie constructions, just follow these simple steps for making cookie bases for your chosen cookie shapes, then bake as usual, decorate and assemble. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3D!

1. Find a Christmas tree cookie cutter with a trunk approximately ½ inch tall and ½ inch wide.
2. Use a circle cutter with a diameter that is ⅓–½ the height of the tree to make the base/stand.
3. Using a small knife, cut a square out of the center of the circle cookie that is approximately ¼ inch bigger than the width of the trunk. (As the cookies bake, the trunk will broaden slightly and the hole will shrink.)
4. Bake tree and base cookies per recipe instructions.
5. When the cookies are baked and cooled, test to see if the trunk will fit in the hole in the base. If the trunk is too large after baking, carefully scrape away enough of the edge of the trunk until it fits in the base.
6. Decorate your Christmas tree cookies as desired, and make sure the decorations are completely dry before assembling.
7. Once decorations are dry, place the cookie bases on wax paper or a silicone baking sheet, then fill the hole in the base with royal icing.
8. Place a decorated tree cookie in a base with icing and hold it until the icing is set enough to keep the tree upright.
9. Let icing dry completely, approximately 30 minutes, then carefully peel the assembled Christmas tree from the wax paper and transfer to a serving or display platter.

Pro Tip: Try using this same technique to make bases for other fun cookie shapes like stars or reindeer!

Wondering what kind of cookies to bake? Try our recipe for Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing!