Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies are delicious, buttery, crispy sugar cookies decorated with ugly sweater designs that are sure to be winners at all your holiday gatherings! Try my Sugar Cookie Recipe for another cookie recipe easy to bake and decorate!
Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookie
This is the home of the ORIGINAL Ugly Sweater Christmas Cookie!! If you are looking for THAT sugar cookie… the one that is the perfect combination of sweetness, buttery crispness, and that goes perfectly with piping glaze… this is that cookie. It has won awards and been a part of more cookie exchanges than I can count! It never fails to get praise and folks are always asking for the recipe!
Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookie Recipe
It all started when my church’s youth group was having an ugly sweater party, complete with a Baking Contest. Since I am a local celebrity and all (you know, the kind of celebrity that you see late at night on the weather channel being filmed during a massive tornado saying something like, “It’s like, windy out.” Yeah. That’s me.) I was asked to be a judge!
Ingredients (full recipe below)
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Egg yolks
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
How to Make Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies
The image above is my ‘busy” ugly Christmas sweater. I am most certainly not saying it is based on anything in my closet…But, to get decorating, you have to get the cookies made first! The design is up to you.
To make the cookies, get out your stand mixer to get started. Do not preheat the oven right away; the dough has to chill for at least an hour before baking the cookies.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined (about 2 minutes).
- With the mixer on low, add in the eggs and egg yolks.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer back on low, add the vanilla and almond extract.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Mix in the flour mixture about a cup at a time until fully incorporated.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (This might be a good time to check your closet for any ‘ugly sweater’ ideas or designs!)
Below is my ‘weird-eyed Rudolf with a red nose that sticks out way too far and is covered with gravy and mashed potatoes by the end of the night’ ugly Christmas sweater. Again, these are not similar to anything that might currently reside in my home…
Baking and Decorating the Cookies
After the dough has chilled for at least an hour, preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Cut out the dough into your sweater shape (I made mine as large as my hand, but you could also use a sweater cookie cutter). Bake for 6-8 minutes, watching them carefully so you don’t burn the edges.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet until they are firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack. When you are ready to decorate the cookies, I recommend using my favorite glaze icing to decorate them. It’s so much better than royal icing! Have fun using your imagination, and Merry Christmas!
Looking for More Sugar Cookie Recipes?
Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Filling
Raspberry Cheesecake Chocolate Sugar Cookies
The BEST sugar cookie recipe ever! Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies are delicious, buttery, crispy sugar cookies decorated with ugly sweater designs that are sure to be winners at all your holiday gatherings!
- 1 1/2 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
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined (about 2 minutes).
-
With the mixer on low, add in the eggs and egg yolks, mixing until well incorporated.
-
Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl.
-
With the mixer back on low, add the vanilla and almond extract.
-
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
-
Mix the flour mixture in with the butter mixture about a cup at a time until fully incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
-
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
-
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface.
-
Cut out the dough into your sweater shape (I made mine as large as my hand, but you could also use a sweater cookie cutter).
-
Bake for 6-8 minutes, watching them carefully so you don't burn the edges.
-
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet until they are firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack. Have fun decorating!
Amanda! Thanks for making these cookies for us! They were a huge it! The winner of the festive ones was SO EXCITED! thanks again! I owe you big time! You can take credit for the cookies but i think it ws a good idea right!
I just wouldn’t be able to eat them they are so pretty.
What happened to the couple in the last photo? Such strange faces. Really cute cookies though.
So funny! Loved the cookies.
Hahahaha. One of the most funny Christmas posts I’ve ever read.
THANK YOU. You made me smile.
LOL you are soooo funny Amanda!!
Merry Christma!
Yes, I agree, genius and hilarious!
These are SO CUTE, Amanda. Wherever did you find a “sweater” cookie cutter?
I had the red sweater, but it was in blue. Really, actually your red one is for more tastful then the blue sweater I had. The blue sweater’s eyes were tiny beads, and the deer was as wide as the sweater. It was a gift.
HIGH-LAIR-EEEE-USSSS Amanda!!!
your talent never ceases to amaze me!!!!!
These are so cute!! What a great idea. I’m doing a bit of a baking round-up post on my blog tonight and am featuring these – http://essbeevee.blogspot.com (it’ll be going up in an hour or so) 🙂
Dear Amanda Merry Christmas to you ^_^
what a fun theme, and you executed it so well! very nice work, amanda, and happy holidays!
I adore these! Such a good idea.
Thanks for this. I really enjoyed it. It was time for a laugh.
Great job! I featured this today on my blog – Today’s Top 20! Feel free to stop by and grab a button!
Amanda
todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com
Dang, you’re talented!
Cutest cookies ever! Great post!
SO FUN! Love it!
these are too funny. i saw these right before christmas and was determined to make them. however, i couldn’t find a good cookie cutter. where did you get yours?
Oh my gosh! My son and I are cracking up laughing! this is such an awesome idea. He says, the cookies are cute, the sweaters, not so much! Love your creativity!
Oh my gosh! I was googling ugly christmas sweater cookies to maybe find some to make for my own ugly sweater party and came across your page… Holy geeez the ones you made are Uh.Maze.Ing !!!! What did you use to get the detailed icing on the ‘busy’ Christmas sweater? Thanks!
Casey
casey.d.kramer@gmail.com
Thanks Casey! I just used my #1 and #2 wilton tips. They make light work of little details! 🙂
Wayyyyyyy funny, Amanda!! 🙂 Ugly, yet so beautiful!