Description
Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies are the ultimate festive treat featuring buttery, crispy sugar cookies shaped like cozy sweaters and perfect for holiday decorating fun. This recipe uses classic sugar cookie ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, combined with a hint of almond extract for extra flavor. These cookies bake quickly at 350°F, making them easy to prepare for your holiday celebrations and ideal for decorating with colorful icing or sprinkles.
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 unsalted butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Eggs: With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs and egg yolks and mix until fully incorporated into the creamed butter and sugar.
- 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, blending them into the wet ingredients.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder to ensure a smooth, clump-free mixture.
- Combine Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture about a cup at a time, mixing on low speed until the dough comes together completely.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour to firm up and make rolling easier.
- Preheat Oven: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Roll Out Dough: On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough to your desired thickness.
- Cut Out Cookies: Use a sweater-shaped cookie cutter or freehand cut your cookies as large as your hand for an adorable ugly Christmas sweater shape.
- Bake Cookies: Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning at the edges.
- Cool and Decorate: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to transfer, then move them to a cooling rack. Have fun decorating with your favorite icings and toppings!
Notes
- The BEST sugar cookie recipe ever—rich, buttery, and crisp with just the right texture for decorating.
- Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature for easy creaming.
- Chilling the dough is important to prevent spreading during baking and to make cutting shapes easier.
- Use a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking.
- Watch the cookies closely during baking as thinner edges can burn easily.
- Let the cookies cool completely before decorating to avoid melting your icing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 396 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
