Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies (best sugar cookie recipe) (2024)

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 Cookies (best sugar cookie recipe) (1)

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 has 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 Cookies (best sugar cookie recipe) (2)

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.

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined (about 2 minutes).
  2. With the mixer on low, add in the eggs and egg yolks.
  3. Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl.
  4. With the mixer back on low, add the vanilla and almond extract.
  5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
  6. Mix in the flour mixture about a cup at a time until fully incorporated.
  7. 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…

Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies (best sugar cookie recipe) (3)

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!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies (best sugar cookie recipe) (4)

5 from 1 vote

Ugly Christmas Sweater 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!

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Ingredients

  • 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

  • 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!

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcal

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies

Servings: 15 cookies

Calories: 396

Author: Amanda Rettke–iambaker.net

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Categorized in: Sugar Cookies

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies (best sugar cookie recipe) (2024)

FAQs

How do you win the ugly Christmas sweater contest? ›

How To Win an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest
  1. How to Win an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest. Sure, Christmas is the season of giving. ...
  2. Consider Your Audience. What's ugly to one group might be charming to another. ...
  3. Go Full on Ugly. ...
  4. Consider an Interactive Sweater. ...
  5. Think Outside the Sweater. ...
  6. Bribe the Judge.
Jan 13, 2022

What to add to ugly Christmas sweater? ›

Transform yourself into a Christmas tree with plenty of tulle and tinsel. You can even add real lights to make your look really shine! Plus, a tinsel hat will really take your ugly Christmas sweater to new heights.

Why don t sugar cookies keep their shape? ›

Too much sugar and butter can make sugar cookies spread and lose their shape when baked. This one requires a little patience because once you roll out your dough, you are ready to bake. Be patient and bake your cookies when the dough is really cold.

How to decorate Christmas sweater cookies? ›

Create an icing outline on the sugar cookies first. If using the pattern tool, fill in patterns with royal icing. Add zig zags, polka dots, and stripes. Make sure to add hems and collars to the ugly sweater cookies for a finished look.

What does ugliest Christmas sweater mean? ›

But first, what is an ugly Christmas sweater? An ugly Christmas sweater is a holiday-themed garment that looks like it was made for your grandma. It's usually a knit, but these days some people wear them as regular sweaters, too (for those bold enough to be fashion-forward).

What is the most expensive ugly Christmas sweater? ›

“Proceeds of this sweater will go to charity.” 2 Chainz promoted his five-figure sweater in a tweet, in which he wrote, “$90,000 cash. 50 carats of diamonds and 250 grams of gold on the worlds most expensivest ugly Christmas sweater.

What pants go best with ugly Christmas sweater? ›

It's best to keep your pants on the simpler side to ground that sweater of yours. If you want to keep the fun going, go for a pair of red or green chinos! Otherwise, some neutral trousers or a pair of dark wash denim will suffice.

Why are they called ugly sweaters? ›

The term "ugly" in the context of ugly Christmas sweaters refers more to their kitschy and over-the-top design elements rather than their actual appearance. These sweaters often feature whimsical patterns, bold color combinations, and quirky embellishments.

How do I get my sugar cookies to keep their shape? ›

Sandwich your dough between two sheets of parchment, roll, then freeze; it makes cut-out cookies a breeze! If you plan to store it for only a few hours or days, there's no need to overwrap the baking sheet; for longer storage, wrap the entire baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap before freezing.

Should you refrigerate cut out cookies before baking? ›

Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps to make the cookie dough firmer. Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies.

Does baking powder make sugar cookies spread? ›

Baking powder simply adds carbon dioxide to the equation, providing a more forceful pressure that encourages a dough to spread up and out. Without the well-developed elasticity of a bread dough, the strands of gluten in cookies would sooner snap than stretch, cracking along the surface.

Do you decorate Christmas cookies before or after baking? ›

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. I like to decorate cookies directly on baking sheets so I can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help set the icing. So place the cooled cookies back on baking sheets.

Do you decorate Christmas cookies before baking? ›

If you're making unfrosted cookies like shortbread or drop cookies, sprinkle the sugar on before baking. If you're icing the cookies, bake them, then decorate, and then shake the sugar on while the icing is still wet.

How does an ugly sweater contest work? ›

The Winners will receive the coveted Ugliest Christmas Sweater Title, Bragging Rights and Trophy. No other prizes will be awarded. What about contestants voting? Contestants will also have the opportunity to vote for other person with the overall “Best” and “Worst” Ugly Christmas Sweaters.

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