How long do vegan Christmas tree cookies keep?

Stored cool and dry in an airtight tin, the stacked trees keep for about 1 week. The aquafaba snow draws in moisture from humid air and softens, so keep them in their own tin, away from gingerbread and other soft cookies. The stars without snow keep much longer.

Can you make them ahead or freeze them?

Yes, best in two steps: the baked stars keep in a tin for a few days and can also be frozen without the snow. Whip the aquafaba snow fresh, stack the stars and give them the short second bake at 100 °C (210 °F). Don't freeze finished trees with snow, because the snow turns soft as it thaws.

Why won't my aquafaba snow get stiff?

Usually it simply hasn't been whipped long enough: in a stand mixer aquafaba with powdered sugar needs 5 to 7 minutes, with a hand mixer often a little longer. The bowl and whisk must be completely grease-free, since even a trace of fat stops a firm foam. If your aquafaba is very thin, reduce it by about a third in a pot first and let it cool.

Which cookie cutters do you need for Christmas tree cookies?

You need star cutters in at least two, ideally three or more sizes, for example from about 8 to 4 cm (3 to 1.5 inches). Stack them from large to small and turn each star slightly so the points sit offset. Graduated star cutter sets are made exactly for this.

Can you make them gluten-free?

Not as written, because spelt contains gluten. Since the dough is mostly ground almonds, you can simply replace the 100 g (3.5 oz.) spelt flour with a gluten-free flour blend. The aquafaba snow is gluten-free anyway.

30 SEPTEMBER 2026

Vegan Christmas Tree Cookies with Aquafaba Snow

By Verena Frei

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Prep: 45 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 1 hr 50 min
Servings: 16 trees

What can I cook tonight?Tap what you have at home and I will show you what fits.e.g. withground almondspowdered sugarvegan butter

Hello lovelies,

these little vegan Christmas tree cookies are my favorite proof that Christmas cookies can look truly festive without any eggs or butter. In our family it has always been a tradition to try new kinds every year instead of baking the same ones again and again, and these snowy stars came out of exactly one of those baking days. If you want to know which other classics work without eggs and butter, I have gathered them in my guide to which Christmas cookie classics work vegan.

The idea is simple: you cut stars in several sizes from a spiced almond dough with cinnamon and gingerbread spice, and once they are baked you stack them from large to small. The trees look prettiest with three sizes, so a graduated set of star cutters is well worth having. A dollop of snow sits between every layer and holds everything together.

Close-up of stacked almond stars with aquafaba snow and chopped pistachios

Aquafaba instead of egg whites

I have been a fan of aquafaba, the cooking water of chickpeas, for a long time. Whipped with powdered sugar it turns into a firm, glossy meringue just like beaten egg white, and you cannot taste the chickpeas at all. It may sound strange at first to use the liquid from a jar of chickpeas for something sweet, but trust me and give it a try. How aquafaba replaces egg whites in other bakes is explained in my guide on how to replace whipped egg whites.

Almonds, cinnamon and gingerbread spice

The dough is a little like German cinnamon stars: lots of ground almonds, cinnamon and a good pinch of gingerbread spice. A bit of spelt flour lets you roll it thin and cut clean shapes, and vegan butter makes it tender and crumbly. Powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar keeps the dough fine, so the stars get a smooth surface.

Baked almond cinnamon stars in two sizes on a baking sheet lined with parchment

Aquafaba snow being spooned onto a large star cookie

Stacked star cookies with aquafaba snow on the baking sheet before the second bake

These trees are one of three recipes from my little cookie series, and you will find all three together in my post vegan Christmas cookies with 3 recipes. When you stack them, turn each star slightly so that its points sit between the points of the star below, and your little trees will look like real firs. After the second bake at 100 °C (210 °F) the snow is firm and the trees stand steady on the cookie plate.

Star cookie trees dusted with powdered sugar next to a small bowl of chopped pistachios

If you want to fill the cookie plate with several kinds, my vegan poppy seed crescent cookies come from the same baking round. They were our girls' big favorite back then, and you shape them by hand, no cutter needed.

Anyone who loves chocolate and caramel should also try the chocolate cookies with date caramel. I wish you lots of fun stacking and a cozy Advent season! Let me know in the comments how your trees turned out.

Yours, Verena

TIPS

Verena's notes

You can bake the stars up to 5 days ahead and keep them in an airtight tin; stack them with snow shortly before serving. If the aquafaba snow won't stiffen, simply keep whipping, a hand mixer often takes a few minutes longer than a stand mixer, and make sure the bowl and whisk are completely free of grease. Roll the dough on a silicone mat or between two sheets of parchment and you will hardly need any flour. Spelt contains gluten; for gluten-free trees replace the 100 g (3.5 oz.) spelt flour with a gluten-free flour blend, the almonds are naturally gluten-free. Stored cool and dry in a tin, the finished trees keep for about 1 week.

Vegan Christmas Tree Cookies with Aquafaba Snow

Vegan Christmas tree cookies from almond cinnamon stars, stacked with aquafaba snow, no eggs or butter.

Course:Dessert, Cake, Sweet
Prep:45 min
Cook:25 min
Servings:16 trees

Vegan

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EQUIPMENT

Mixing bowl
Rolling pin
Star cookie cutters in 3 sizes
Baking sheet with parchment
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Cooling rack

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

200g (7 oz.)ground almonds
100g (3.5 oz.)powdered sugar
100g (3.5 oz.)spelt flour
1tspvanilla extract or paste
1tspcinnamon
2tspgingerbread spice
130g (4.6 oz.)cold vegan butter (block, e.g. Alsan)

Snow:

85ml (1/3 cup)aquafaba (liquid from 1 jar of chickpeas)
80g (2.8 oz.)powdered sugar

To decorate:

2Tbspchopped pistachios (about 20 g / 0.7 oz.)
Powdered sugar for dusting

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INSTRUCTIONS

Quickly knead the almonds, powdered sugar, spelt flour, vanilla, cinnamon, gingerbread spice and vegan butter into a smooth dough. Flatten it and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm (1/8 inch) and cut out stars in three sizes. Knead the scraps together, roll them out again and keep cutting.
Place the stars on the sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Keep an eye on them, thin stars darken quickly. Let them cool completely and turn the oven down to 100 °C (210 °F).
For the snow, whip the aquafaba with the powdered sugar in a stand mixer for 5 to 7 minutes until firm and it holds peaks like beaten egg white.
Put a dollop of snow on each star and stack the stars from large to small into little trees. Turn each star slightly so the points sit offset.
Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and bake the trees at 100 °C (210 °F) for 12 to 15 minutes until the snow is set.
Let them cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

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Calories: 210 kcal
Protein: 4 g

GOOD TO KNOW

Frequently asked questions

Stored cool and dry in an airtight tin, the stacked trees keep for about 1 week. The aquafaba snow draws in moisture from humid air and softens, so keep them in their own tin, away from gingerbread and other soft cookies. The stars without snow keep much longer.
Yes, best in two steps: the baked stars keep in a tin for a few days and can also be frozen without the snow. Whip the aquafaba snow fresh, stack the stars and give them the short second bake at 100 °C (210 °F). Don't freeze finished trees with snow, because the snow turns soft as it thaws.
Usually it simply hasn't been whipped long enough: in a stand mixer aquafaba with powdered sugar needs 5 to 7 minutes, with a hand mixer often a little longer. The bowl and whisk must be completely grease-free, since even a trace of fat stops a firm foam. If your aquafaba is very thin, reduce it by about a third in a pot first and let it cool.
You need star cutters in at least two, ideally three or more sizes, for example from about 8 to 4 cm (3 to 1.5 inches). Stack them from large to small and turn each star slightly so the points sit offset. Graduated star cutter sets are made exactly for this.
Not as written, because spelt contains gluten. Since the dough is mostly ground almonds, you can simply replace the 100 g (3.5 oz.) spelt flour with a gluten-free flour blend. The aquafaba snow is gluten-free anyway.

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TAGS:CHRISTMASXMAS COOKIESXMAS BAKINGCOOKIESVEGAN COOKIESVEGAN BAKINGVEGANAQUAFABA

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