There’s something truly magical about a bite-sized holiday treat that looks as festive as it tastes. This Christmas Tree Cake Balls Recipe brings together creamy, sweet, and crunchy layers into adorable little bites that everyone will love. Trust me, these cake balls make holiday celebrations a little brighter and a lot tastier!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
I can’t tell you how many times these Christmas Tree Cake Balls have been the star of the holiday dessert table in my family! Not only are they festive and fun, but they’re surprisingly easy to make, even for holiday beginners. Plus, everyone loves that creamy, rich center disguised beneath sparkly green sugar and red drizzle. It’s like the perfect Christmas treat in one little ball.
- Super Simple: No baking required, just a bit of mixing, rolling, and dipping.
- Festive Fun: The green sanding sugar with red candy drizzle perfectly mimics Christmas trees on your tray.
- Kid-Friendly: Rolling the cake balls is a fun activity to do with kids or friends.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can prep these days in advance, which is a lifesaver during the holidays.
Ingredients & Why They Work
This Christmas Tree Cake Balls Recipe balances soft, creamy, and crunchy textures with festive colors that make every bite feel special. I love how each ingredient plays a role—from the moist cake to the smooth cream cheese, and the crisp white chocolate coating that holds it all together.
- Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes: The base, packed with holiday flavors and ready-to-go cake makes this recipe incredibly easy.
- Cream Cheese: Adds that creamy tang to balance the sweetness and helps bind the cake together into perfect balls.
- White Almond Bark: Melts smoothly to create the crisp, clean coating that’s perfect for decorating.
- Red Candy Melts: These bring the eye-catching festive drizzle — a little goes a long way!
- Green Sanding Sugar: Gives the whole thing that magical, sparkly Christmas tree look and a fun crunch.
Make It Your Way
I love how versatile this Christmas Tree Cake Balls Recipe is—you can switch up the cake base or the decorations without losing that festive spirit. For me, adding a little peppermint extract to the cream cheese mixture once was a fun twist!
- Variation: Swap the Christmas Tree Cakes for chocolate cupcakes or zebra cakes for a different flavor profile and texture.
- Dietary tweak: Use dairy-free cream cheese and candy melts to make these allergy-friendly.
- Color swap: Use different colored sanding sugar or candy melts to match any holiday theme, like blue and silver for a winter wonderland vibe.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Tree Cake Balls Recipe
Step 1: Creamy Base Mixing
Start by beating the cream cheese in a large bowl until it's nice and smooth—this ensures your cake mixture will bind evenly. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature; that really helps it blend smoothly without lumps.
Step 2: Incorporate the Cake
Next, crumble the Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes into the cream cheese and beat again until everything is fully combined. You’ll want the mixture moist and blended but not too mushy—think soft dough consistency so you can roll it easily.
Step 3: Roll and Chill
Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the mixture and roll it into balls. The trick I’ve learned is to lightly grease your hands with a little oil so the sticky mix doesn’t cling to your fingers. Lay these on parchment paper and pop them in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight to get nice and firm before dipping.
Step 4: Dip in White Chocolate Coating
Once chilled, melt your white almond bark carefully in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds to avoid scorching. Dip each chilled cake ball into the smooth coating using two forks or a fork and skewer method, letting the excess drip off. Return them to the parchment to set.
Step 5: Add the Festive Touch
While the coating is still wet, sprinkle green sanding sugar generously on the cake balls—this is what creates that sparkling Christmas tree effect! Then melt the red candy melts (thin with a bit of coconut oil if needed) and drizzle over top with a piping bag or cut corner of a plastic bag.
Step 6: Let Cool and Enjoy
Let those red candy melts set, either at room temp or in the fridge, then store your Christmas Tree Cake Balls in an airtight container in the fridge. Give yourself a pat on the back—you’ve just created some seriously festive treats!
Top Tip
Having made this Christmas Tree Cake Balls Recipe a handful of times, I’ve learned a few tricks that really help get those perfect, professional-looking bites.
Side Dishes
Serve these alongside a warm cup of cocoa, peppermint bark, or gingerbread cookies for a full festive dessert spread that’s sure to impress your guests.
Creative Ways to Present
I’ve had a lot of fun arranging these cake balls on a tiered dessert stand surrounded by fresh pine sprigs and fairy lights. Another favorite is placing them on a cake pop stand and adding red and green ribbons tied around each stick for gifting.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Once you’ve finished decorating, store your Christmas Tree Cake Balls in an airtight container in the fridge. They keep beautifully for up to a week, making it easy to enjoy the holidays without rushing to eat them all at once.
Freezing
I've frozen leftovers before by placing them in a freezer-safe container with parchment between layers. They keep well for a few months. Just note, the white chocolate coating might crack slightly during freezing and thawing, but the flavor and texture remain perfect.
Reheating
Since these are cold treats, I usually just thaw frozen cake balls in the fridge overnight. If you want that fresh-out-of-the-fridge chill, grab straight from the freezer for a firmer bite. No reheating needed—I think that’s part of the charm!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! While the classic Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes are convenient and festive, you can experiment with chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cake, or even zebra cakes. Just make sure the cake is moist and fresh for the best results.
Make sure the cake balls are well chilled or frozen before dipping. Cold cake balls hold together better when coated with melted almond bark or chocolate. Also, avoid dipping them for too long to keep the coating from getting too soft.
Yes, these cake balls store well in the fridge for up to a week, making them perfect for holiday prepping. You can also freeze them for longer storage and thaw them in the fridge overnight before serving.
The classic decoration is green sanding sugar sprinkled over the white chocolate coating and a drizzle of red candy melts for that festive look. You can also add edible glitter, sprinkles, or small candy pearls as ornaments to make them more playful.
Final Thoughts
For me, these Christmas Tree Cake Balls aren’t just a recipe—they’re a festive little tradition that makes holiday prep sweeter and more fun. They’re simple enough for anyone to make but feel special enough to impress guests. So go ahead, try this Christmas Tree Cake Balls Recipe—you might just find yourself making them every year!
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Christmas Tree Cake Balls Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cake balls
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Balls are a festive and delicious holiday treat combining creamy cheesecake, moist cake, and sweet white chocolate with a festive red candy drizzle and green sanding sugar perfect for celebrating the season.
Ingredients
Cake Balls
- 10 Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes (two 5-count boxes)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Coatings
- 16 ounces white almond bark
- 1 cup red candy melts
- Green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture: In a large bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Cake: Crumble the Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes into the bowl and beat together with the cream cheese until well combined, forming a cohesive mixture.
- Form Truffles: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out and roll 24 truffle-sized balls from the cake mixture. Lightly grease hands with vegetable or canola oil if the mixture sticks while rolling.
- Freeze Truffles: Place the truffles on the parchment-lined tray and freeze for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, to firm up completely for easier dipping.
- Melt White Almond Bark: Place the white almond bark in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the almond bark is smooth and fully melted.
- Dip Truffles: Using two forks or a fork with a wooden skewer, dip each chilled truffle into the melted almond bark. Scoop out gently with one fork to remove excess coating and place back onto the parchment-lined tray using the second fork or skewer.
- Add Green Sugar: Immediately sprinkle green sanding sugar over the white chocolate coating while still wet to decorate the truffles.
- Melt Red Candy Melts: In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the red candy melts by microwaving in 30-second intervals, stirring after each until smooth. If too thick, melt 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil separately and gradually add to the candy melts until desired drizzle consistency is achieved.
- Drizzle Red Candy: Transfer melted red candy melts to a storage bag and cut a very small corner off. Drizzle the red candy melt over the truffles back and forth to create a festive pattern.
- Set Drizzle: Allow the red candy drizzle to firm up at room temperature or place the truffles in the fridge for 10 minutes to speed up setting.
- Store: Store finished cake balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days.
Notes
- Christmas Tree Cakes: You can substitute chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes or Zebra Cakes if preferred for a different flavor.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Freezing: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for 2 to 4 months. Eat straight from the freezer or thaw in the fridge overnight. Note that chocolate coating may crack after freezing and thawing.
- Greasing Hands: Lightly greasing hands with vegetable or canola oil helps prevent the cake mixture from sticking when rolling truffles.
- Thinning Candy Melts: Add melted refined coconut oil slowly to avoid thinning the candy melts too much.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake ball
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
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