Sweet winter trees are nutty, soft, chew, and so so good! They are the perfect addition to any winter or holiday party and look super cute with some “snow” sprinkled on top.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups walnuts (unchopped)
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk, cooked (cooking instructions)
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
How to Bake Winter Tree Desserts
*Sweetened condensed milk should already be cooked and cooled down. The link to cooking the condensed milk can be found here.
These winter tree desserts are made with 1 egg, milk, sugar, flour powdered sugar, walnuts, and a can of condensed sweetened milk that has been cooked and chilled, also known as dulce de leche.
Can I use a Different kind of Nut?
You could use almonds or pecans, and this recipe will still have the nutty and crunchy taste, but know that it won’t be the same taste, because walnuts have a smooth and buttery consistency. Besides, walnuts are great for your memory!
To Make This Winter Tree Dessert
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
1: Whisk together 1 large egg and 4 Tablespoons sugar until well combined.
2. In a saucepan or microwave, melt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. Add melted butter to whisked egg and sugar.
3. Whisk in 1/4 cup of milk and 2 cups of flour. Incorporate all together well, then form into a ball. Put in the freezer for 1 hour.
4. Grate the dough. Most likely you will need to bake the dough in a few batches because the dough needs to be spaced out on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, but check on them while baking so they don’t burn (ovens vary, so yours could be faster or slower.) The finished dough should look golden brown.
6. After all of the dough has been baked, combine it with 2 cups of chopped walnuts in a large bowl, along with a can of dulce de leche. Mix well.
- Shape them into little trees. You can use your hands or a tulip glass. You can make them big or small.
(In order for the trees to not fall apart, press on them hard, making it all stick well, as you would when making rice krispy treats with marshmallows.)
8. Give them time to set. To do so, you can place them in the refrigerator or just leave them out on the counter.
9. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Other Individual Desserts You May Want to Try:
Equipment I Used
Sweet Winter Trees
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- parchment paper
- whisk
- grater
- oven mitt
- small strainer
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 cups walnuts chopped
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk cooked and cooled
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together 1 large egg and 4 Tablespoons sugar until well combined.
- In a saucepan or microwave melt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. Add melted butter to whisked egg and sugar.
- Whisk in 1/4 cup of milk and 2 cups of flour. Incorporate all together well, then form into a ball. Put in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Grate the dough. You will need to do a few batches. The grated dough should be spread evenly on the baking sheet without layering.
- Bake for 10 minutes, and check them while baking so they don’t burn.
- After you have grated and baked all the dough, add into a bowl with 2 cups of chopped walnuts.
- Add 1 can of cooked sweetened condensed milk.
- Mix well.
- You can just use your hands to shape into trees, or you can use a tulip glass.
- In order for the trees to not fall apart, push hard making it all stick well. (Like rice crispies with marshmallows.)
- You can make them big or bite size.
- Dust with powdered sugar (optional).
- Give them time to set, then enjoy!
Nutrition
Hi!
A few questions:
1) When using a glass to form cones, will it come out easily without breaking its shape?
2) How long will it take for them to set, approximately?
Thank you!
They do come out, my mom uses a plastic cone glass I just didn’t have one. You can easily fix the shape if it doesn’t work well in a glass. I use to the glass for all the cones to be the same size.
They set pretty fast if you put them in the fridge. I waited an hour before I serve them, my kids eat them right away. Cover them so they don’t harden to much the next day.