Vanilla Spice Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 1/2 tsp Ginger

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg
  • 3 Pasteurized egg whites

• Condiments

  • 1 tsp Lemon juice, fresh

• Baking & Spices

  • 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp Allspice
  • 1/2 tsp Anise extract
  • 1/2 cup Brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Cloves
  • 1 Gel food coloring
  • 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 lb Powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

• Dairy

  • 3 sticks Butter

Found on parsnipsandpastries.com

Description

Ingredients

• 3 sticks butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon anise extract
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 pasteurized egg whites
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
• Gel food coloring

Directions

• Using the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter with both the white and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and all of the spices. Set aside.
• Add the egg and both the extracts to the mixer. Mix until combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl.
• Add in your flour/spice mixture in a few additions, beating until just combined and being careful not to over-mix. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl in between additions.
• Form the dough into two square disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.
• Let the chilled dough sit out at room temperature for a bit. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to your desired thickness (usually about ¼ to ½). Cut out your cookies using a cutter. (If you dont have a sweater cutter, see notes below.*)
• Place your cookies on parchment-lined cookie sheets** and bake until lightly golden brown around the edges, about 17-18 minutes. Let cool.
• With a paddle attachment, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar in additions until all of the sugar is added and the mixture is combined. Beat the royal icing on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the icing is a bright, crisp white, about 5-7 minutes.
• Transfer the icing into individual bowls to color using gel food coloring. Make sure whatever icing you are not working with is covered with plastic wrap (placed directly on top of the icing, touching), as stiff royal icing dries very, very quickly. Transfer the icing into piping bags.
• To thin the icing to make flooding icing, add water to the stiff icing, teaspoon by teaspoon, and stir until you have a nice consistency. The icing should not be too thin, but it should flow easily.
• See the notes for more decorating tips.