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Desserts / Recipes

Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies with Royal Icing

December 14, 2016

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

Ugly sweaters aren’t just for wearing to holiday parties—they also make really cute cookies! I came across this sweater-shaped cookie cutter and rolling stamp at World Market and thought it would be so cute for the holiday season. I tried it out last weekend and shared a tutorial on my Snaphat and Instagram story (treatsandtrends on both). It was really fun to use and not too difficult, either. My only complaint is that the stamped patterns weren’t as pronounced after they baked. But that wasn’t a big problem since I just filled them in with icing. Overall they turned out really well and would be a fun holiday party recipe! Not only are these ugly Christmas sweater cookies cute, but they taste amazing if I do say so myself! Plus I got a lot of positive feedback from my coworkers who are now my baking guinea pigs :) it’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it!

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

I used the cookie recipe on the back of the cookie cutter package, which was really tasty and had a great texture! The only change I made was using almond extract instead lemon. For the frosting I made a basic royal icing recipe, which was a first for me. One of my goals for the new year is to challenge myself when it comes to baking. I love learning and feel so accomplished when I have mastered something new! As I grow my baking repertoire, I want to share my experiences (both positive and negative) with you, my lovely readers! I’m guessing if I’m unsure about a subject some of you might be, too! Like royal icing.

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

Shop this cookie cutter and my other favorite baking utensils:

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

Before settling on a royal icing recipe I did a lot of research and looked through different websites and reviews. I found this article from The Pioneer Woman to be really helpful since she explains exactly how to make it and also talks about pasteurized eggs. I kept seeing recipes that called for those and I wasn’t exactly sure what they were or where to get them (hopefully I’m not the only one?). Turns out they are eggs that have been heated in their shells to kill any bacteria or viruses. They can also be used for ice cream, Caesar dressing or cookie dough (so you can safely eat it raw!). I couldn’t find a regular carton of a dozen pasteurized eggs at our grocery store, but I did find liquid egg whites that had been pasteurized and they worked perfectly! I was worried about the icing hardening too quickly, but the consistency was easy to work with and didn’t dry up before decorating. I separated the icing into a few bowls and added pink and green food coloring to two of them. Then I placed them in pastry bags and used a small round tip (Wilton #2) to create the patterns. They aren’t perfect, but ugly Christmas sweater cookies aren’t supposed to be, right? ;)

ugly Christmas sweater cookies, baking, food blog, Treats and Trends, holiday recipe, holiday dessert idea, royal icing recipe

Print Recipe
 Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies
Servings
8 cookies
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES
FOR THE ROYAL ICING
Servings
8 cookies
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES
FOR THE ROYAL ICING
Instructions
FOR THE COOKIES
  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, egg and cream cheese, mixing until combined.
  3. Gradually add flour mixture and stir until combined. Divide dough in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 350F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Lightly dust your work surface with powdered sugar. Roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies into ugly Christmas sweater shape and place on prepared baking sheet, about one inch apart. If you have a stamp roller, use it to make patterns before baking. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are golden.
  6. Remove from oven and let cook on baking sheet for a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to let cool.
FOR THE ROYAL ICING
  1. Sift powdered sugar into the bowl of a standing mixer and then lightly whisk in the cream of tartar (I do this by hand, not with the electric whisk). Add egg whites and mix with the paddle attachment for 3 – 5 minutes, until it is thick enough to hold its shape.
  2. If you want to add food coloring, separate icing into a few smaller bowls and mix in the color. Then spoon each color into a separate pastry bag with a small round tip (I used Wilton #2).
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I’m a photographer, content creator, blogger, business owner, military wife, mom of two, and dessert lover living by the beach in Destin, Florida.

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