Description
Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies are buttery, crispy sugar cookies perfect for holiday celebrations. Featuring a classic sugar cookie recipe with vanilla and almond extracts, these cookies have a delightful texture that holds up well to festive decorations, making them ideal for decorating with ugly sweater designs to impress family and friends during the holidays.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks or 340g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Eggs: With the mixer on low speed, add in the eggs and egg yolks, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Scrape Bowl: Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Extracts: Turn the mixer back on low and add the vanilla and almond extracts to the mixture.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder to ensure an even distribution.
- Combine Dry and Wet Mixtures: Gradually mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture about a cup at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition.
- Chill the Dough: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to make rolling easier and improve texture.
- Preheat Oven: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Roll Out Dough: On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to your desired thickness.
- Cut Cookie Shapes: Use a sweater-shaped cookie cutter or freehand cut your dough into sweater shapes, approximately the size of your hand.
- Bake Cookies: Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning the edges.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to transfer, then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate and Enjoy: Have fun decorating your Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies with icing, sprinkles, and other festive toppings for your holiday gatherings.
Notes
- This is an exceptional sugar cookie recipe that balances flavor and texture perfectly.
- The cookies hold their shape well, making them ideal for intricate decorating.
- Refrigerating the dough helps prevent spreading during baking.
- You can substitute almond extract with more vanilla if preferred.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 396 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
