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so last year my daughter Sarah came home from school crying because someone had the Little Debbie Christmas trees in their lunch. We never buy them because of all the food dye stuff. Made these on December 18th and she literally screamed when she saw them. Worth it.
My husband thinks I’m crazy making copycat snack cakes. But these are actually better than the ones from the store. No weird aftertaste.
Why This Works
- Tastes way better than store bought. No chemical taste.
- You know what’s in them. Real ingredients.
- Makes like 13-15 trees depending how you cut them.
- Kids go absolutely nuts for these lol.
- Easier than you think. Just has a few steps.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need:
For the cake:
- 1 box white cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup melted butter
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk (whole milk works best)
- ¼ cup sugar (yes extra sugar trust me)
- 2 tablespoons flour
For the filling:
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 jar marshmallow fluff (7 oz jar from Walmart)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For coating:
- 24 oz white almond bark or candy melts (I get the Ghirardelli ones from Target)
- 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening (the plain kind not butter flavored)
- Green sanding sugar
- Red cookie icing (those tubes from the baking aisle)
Instructions
Step 1: Heat oven to 350. Spray two half sheet pans with cooking spray and line with parchment. Spray the parchment too.
Step 2: Beat eggs with a mixer on high for like 6 minutes. They’ll get really thick and pale yellow. Don’t skip this part.
Step 3: Add cake mix, powdered sugar, melted butter, sour cream, milk, regular sugar, and flour. Beat on low for 30 seconds then medium for 1 minute.
Step 4: Pour about 2 cups batter into each pan. Spread it thin. Really thin. That’s the secret to getting them right.
Step 5: Bake 10-12 minutes. They’re done when they spring back if you touch them. Don’t overbake or they’ll be dry.
Step 6: Let cool completely in the pans. I usually make mine the night before and leave them covered on the counter.
Step 7: Make filling by beating softened butter and marshmallow fluff together. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat till fluffy.
Step 8: Use a tree cookie cutter (mine’s 3 inches) to cut out shapes. Spray the cutter with cooking spray so it doesn’t stick. Cut as many as you can.
Step 9: Spread filling on half the trees. Top with another tree to make sandwiches. Press down gently.
Step 10: Freeze the sandwiches for at least an hour. This is important or they’ll fall apart when you dip them.
Step 11: Melt almond bark in microwave 20 seconds at a time. Stir between each time. Add the Crisco and stir till smooth.
Step 12: Dip each frozen cake into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to lift it out and let extra drip off. Put on parchment paper.
Step 13: Sprinkle green sugar on top immediately before chocolate sets. Work fast.
Step 14: Once chocolate is totally set (maybe 30 minutes) pipe red lines across each tree with the cookie icing.
Tips and Variations
If your cakes are too thick: You didn’t spread the batter thin enough. They should be like a quarter inch thick before baking. Super thin.
Make them vanilla: Use yellow cake mix instead of white. Still tastes amazing. My mom actually likes this version better.
No tree cutter: You can use any cookie cutter shape. I made stars for 4th of July once. Same recipe just different shape.
Chocolate version: Use chocolate cake mix and dip in milk chocolate instead of white. My son requests these all the time now.
Storage
Keep these in a container with a lid at room temp for like 3-4 days. They’ll get a little soft but still good.
Fridge works too if you want them to last longer. Maybe a week in there. Just let them sit out for 20 minutes before eating so the chocolate isn’t hard.
I’ve frozen them before and they lasted 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition Info
Per tree:
- 420 calories
- 19g fat
- 61g carbs
- 3g protein
Makes about 13-15 trees depending how you cut them. Mine are usually on the bigger side.
FAQs
Can I make these without the freezer step?
Nope. They’ll fall apart when you try to dip them. Learned this on my first batch when I tried to rush it. Total disaster.
Why is my chocolate too thick?
Add more Crisco. Like a tablespoon at a time till it’s thin enough to easily coat the cakes. The Crisco is what makes it smooth.
Can I use store bought frosting for the filling?
I haven’t tried it but I don’t think it would taste right. The marshmallow fluff is what makes them taste like the real thing.
Do these really taste like Little Debbie?
My kids say they’re better. I think they taste pretty close. Maybe a tiny bit less sweet which is fine by me.
