Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookie Decorating Ideas

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Ugly sweaters have become as synonymous with Christmas as mistletoe and stockings. But it's even more fun to eat them (in gingerbread form) than wear them! So grab your piping bag, royal icing, and ugly sweater for inspiration and get to piping!

Let me introduce you to my favorite cookie to exchange with friends over the holidays…the ugly sweater cookie. The ugly sweater gingerbread cookie to be exact. It's a firm, but not overly crisp, well-spiced gingerbread cookie, cut into sweater shapes, and decorated as minimally or over-the-top as your tacky holiday taste permits.

Mine runs the gamut of bright colors, holiday shapes, cheesy vests, and lumpy cardigans. The possibilities are infinite…snowflakes, a string of lights, candy canes, and snowmen. They're pure silliness and a great opportunity to hone those piping skills since imperfection is welcome.

So even if you're a costume/theme party scrooge (like me), you can still get in on the ugly sweater fun with these cookies. But the cookie fun does not stop here my friends (said in my best 90's infomercial announcer voice). Nope, because if you've got your baking pants on, you're gonna want to check out more holiday faves:

Nutty Thumbprint Cookies

Walnut Snowball Cookies

Snowflake Cookies

Chocolate Coconut Rugelach

Italian Cookies

I hope you'll join in the cookie fun by checking out these tasty recipes, or maybe piping your own ugly sweater cookie, or sharing your favorite cookie recipe in the comments. Now, get out of here…we've got baking to do!

Tips for success

• Search for ugly sweater patterns online (or in your closet). Trace a sweater pattern on a sheet of paper and pencil in the design. Make sure it isn't too challenging for your piping skills.
• Decide what colors you will need in advance, separate and color. Once you've reached your desired colors, separate some of the royal icing to thin with water for flood icing. I label each design with specific colors so I have enough of each.
• Great news! These cookies can be made well in advance and keep for a good week or so in an air-tight container.

Ugly sweaters have become as synonymous with Christmas as mistletoe and stockings. But it's even more fun to eat them (in gingerbread form) than wear them! So grab your piping bag, royal icing, and ugly sweater for inspiration and get to piping!

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ugly sweater cookies

Servings: 24 cookies

Calories: 290 kcal

Ugly Sweater Gingerbread Cookies

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 12 oz unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses

Royal Icing

• 1 pound confectioners sugar - SIFTED
• ¼ cup meringue powder
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tsp clear vanilla
• Red gel food coloring

Gingerbread Cookies

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

2. In another bowl, cream the the butter and sugars together with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 mins.

3. Add the egg and molasses and mix until well blended.

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.

5. Divide the dough into two balls and wrap them in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

6. Roll out the dough between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper and cut out cookies using a 3 inch sweater cookie cutters. Gather and re-roll the scraps for remaining cookies.

7. Place the cookies on baking trays lined with parchment paper and put in freezer for about 10 minutes before baking.

8. Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are set, about 10-12 minutes (depending on the shape/size of the cookie). Cool on wire racks before icing.

Royal Icing

1. Combine confectioners sugar, meringue powder and cream of tarter in large mixing bowl. Add water and clear vanilla and beat on high speed with paddle attachment until stiff peaks form, but the mixture is not dry. Add water to reach desired piping consistency (tsp or two at a time), mixing after each addition of water.

Decorate the Cookies

1. Separate the icing into bowls (for flood and piping) and add drops of colored gel food coloring to the bowls to reach the desired color, but keep in mind the color will deepen and darken as the icing dries. Be sure to keep icing covered so it doesn't dry out.

2. Fill piping bags fitted with round metal #2 tips and flood the cookies.

3. Let completed cookies dry for several hours before piping ugly sweater designs and decorations. Store the cookies in an air-tight container. They will keep for several days stored at room temperature.

Special equipment: 3 inch gingerbread man cookie cutter, piping bags and tips

• Search for ugly sweater patterns online (or in your closet). Trace a sweater pattern on a sheet of paper and pencil in the design. Make sure it isn't too challenging for your piping skills.
• Decide what colors you will need in advance, separate and color. Once you've reached your desired colors, separate some of the royal icing to thin with water for flood icing. I label each design with specific colors so I have enough of each.
• Great news! These cookies can be made well in advance and keep for a good week or so in an air-tight container.

Nutrition Facts

Ugly Sweater Gingerbread Cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 290 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g 17%

Saturated Fat 7g 44%

Cholesterol 37mg 12%

Sodium 114mg 5%

Potassium 168mg 5%

Carbohydrates 42g 14%

Sugar 30g 33%

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 365IU 7%

Calcium 26mg 3%

Iron 1.2mg 7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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About Cathy Roma

My food philosophy is simple: everything in moderation. Sweet, savory, healthy, decadent…food, like life, is all about balance. I rely on my background as a trained chef/mom to create family-friendly recipes that will inspire you to cook, not complicate your life.

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Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookie Decorating Ideas

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