Ugly Christmas Sweater Gingerbread Cookies

No Christmas cookie decorating skills? No worries! The uglier, the better with these ugly Christmas sweater gingerbread cookies!

Ugly Christmas sweaters – do you love them or hate them?

I’m not going to lie; my cookie-decorating skills are not the best, especially when it comes to piping royal icing. I can do fine detail, as you can see in my Shetland Peperkakehus recipe, but when it comes to colours and designs, well, I’m more for the keeping it simple camp.

Hence, the Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookie was born! The uglier, the better when it comes to these cookies, and you don’t have to worry if your flooded royal icing is perfect—it gives the sweaters that worn, comfy look. Simply bake your gingerbread men (or women!), allow to cool, pipe a solid-coloured Christmas sweater shape, and leave to harden. Then, decorate as desired!

Christmas sprinkles and simple designs work well with these cookies, but feel free to get creative! I’d love to see your favourite Ugly Christmas Sweater cookie designs, if you make this recipe, do share a photo on social media and tag me!

Ingredients you’ll need

↓ Jump to the full, printable recipe. ↓

How to make gingerbread cookie dough

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
2. Cream together butter and sugar using the Breville HeatSoft™ hand mixer, pressing the HeatSoft™ button once. Mix at speed setting 1 for 45 seconds, or until there are no more large chunks of butter, then turn to speed 5-7 for another 15-45 seconds, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add the treacle, golden syrup and egg and mix with the HeatSoft™ button off.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
5. Divide the dough into two pieces, flattening each one slightly and wrap in cling film. Chill for two hours, or overnight.
6. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated 350F/180C/160C fan oven.

Are gingerbread cookies soft or hard?

Gingerbread cookies are supposed to be soft, so soft that if you pressed onto the cookie your finger would leave a slight indentation. 

Can I use honey instead of golden syrup in gingerbread?

Honey has a very distinct flavour and does not make a good replacement for golden syrup in gingerbread recipes. It also changes the texture of the bake.

If you need to replace the golden syrup, you could replace both the treacle and golden syrup in this recipe with an equal, combined weight of North American-style molasses, which is a cross between treacle and golden syrup.

How long will gingerbread cookies last?

These cookies can be kept for about a week in an airtight container. However, because they are softer and cakier gingerbread, they don’t last as long as the harder ones.

What sprinkles can I use to decorate my gingerbread?

You can buy a variety of Christmas-themed sprinkles to decorate your ugly Christmas jumpers with. I’ve used green Christmas trees and white snowflakes to keep things simple.

Tips for rolling out gingerbread dough

• Divide your dough into two and form into flat discs about 7 inches in diameter before wrapping in clingfilm and refrigerating.
• The dough is easier to work with if you leave it overnight to chill.
• Take the dough out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before rolling.
• Lightly flour your work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness using a lightly floured rolling pin.
• Keep any scraps, knead them together and re-roll.

Tips for making Royal Icing for decorating cookies

You want two different consistencies of Royal icing to decorate your Ugly Christmas Sweater gingerbread cookies.

1. Flooding/outlining icing: this has a medium consistency like ketchup. It is perfect for filling a solid block of colour for the ugly Christmas sweater backgrounds.
2. Piping icing: this has a thicker consistency, like toothpaste. It is ideal for piping on detail and attaching sprinkles. 

How long does Royal Icing take to dry?

• Depending on how warm your house is, your base coat of Royal Icing should dry in about 30 minutes. You can then decorate as desired.

Can I freeze Royal Iced cookies?

• Yes! Simply make sure your icing is completely hard and then freeze the cookies in a single layer. When the cookies are completely frozen, wrap them well and transfer to a freezer-proof container.
• Allow the decorated cookies to come to room temperature in their wrappings for at least an hour when defrosting.

Gingerbread Christmas tree cookies

For a bit of variety, I used a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut out some Christmas trees from my gingerbread cookie dough. I used green Royal Icing mixed with a little extra water to make it runnier to pipe layers of ‘tree branches’, starting at the bottom of the cookie and finishing at the top. 

Then, I used white Royal Icing to pipe an outside edge, a garland, and to stick on Christmas lights, which are little chocolate beans. I think they look rather impressive, don’t you?

Pin these easy Christmas cookies for later!

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