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The holidays are all about treats and having fun. Many of the activities include the whole family, so why not organizing a cookie decorating session.
Nowadays, remote holiday cookie decorating events are happening all over the country. Using a cookie kit to keep the cookie decoration tradition going on is the way to go.
Decorating ugly sweater holiday cookies is fun!
Every year I organize a gingerbread house decorating tea party with the family but this year we are sending the cookie kits and joining online with them to keep our gathering tradition.
I bought four ugly sweater holiday cookie sets from Amazon, and all arrived on time for our virtual party. Of course, there is always the option of making homemade cookie kits and add them to your holiday baking list.
You can find our sugar cookie recipe by searching “sugar cookies” on this site. We like to use this cookie cutter for making the ugly sweater shapes.
Remote parties are not the same as in-person, but getting together virtually is a great way to reconnect and have a fun time. Besides, cookie decorating and ugly sweater parties are so entertaining and fun.
The gathering can turn competitive, too, because everyone wants to impress and show their creative skills and ugly sweater expertise. I know this well because my family is like that. They all compete for the best decorations.
Tips on how to use a commercial cookie kit successfully for decorating ugly sweater holiday cookies.
Find the ugly sweater cookie kit of your choice or make one homemade. If choosing the homemade route, you will need to bake enough cookies for the DIY kits, plus include royal icing, piping bags, tips, sprinkles, and sugar motifs.
If using a commercial cookie kit for making ugly sweater holiday cookies, make sure to have additional royal icing. These sets do not include enough of the white base for decorating the cookies.
Having enough white royal icing makes the cookie decorating experience more enjoyable. Keep the royal icing in piping bags, cookie icing bottles, or covered with a damp cloth to avoid drying.
The royal icing you can prepare at home or buy a ready-made option. Sometimes I opt for buying the royal icing mix as it only requires adding water.
The ugly sweater holiday cookies require a good amount of white royal icing. When ordering your cookie kits, include a bag of royal icing mix and an assortment of holiday sprinkles.
The cookie kits include limited options in terms of sprinkles and sugar motifs. It is nice to have an assortment of those for making many different ugly sweater cookie designs. If you are an avid baker, you might have holiday sprinkles in your cupboard.
When decorating the ugly sweater cookies, certain tools are good, having to achieve a semi-professional look.
I have watched many cookie decorating tutorials, and professionals use a pointy tool (Sugar Stir Needle or Cookie Scriber) to make fine finishes.
If you do not want to buy the tool, there is the option of using wooden toothpicks instead. Another little thing the cookie kit won’t include. So make sure to add those too.
The cookie decorating set will include applicator tubes with colored royal icing. Those applicators are enough for the decorating job; however, the additional white color is important, as we mentioned earlier.
There are cookie icing bottles that work very well too. We find it easier to use the bottles rather than to use the piping bags. But it depends on what is more comfortable for everyone to use.
Place the cookies on a flat surface or a cooling rack. Start by outlining the ugly sweater shape with the white royal icing. Then flood the cookie and use the needle or toothpick to even out the icing.
Immediately add drops of color and use the needle to make the designs. Finish adding the sprinkles and let them dry.
The royal icing mix has the quality to dry fast, so the cookies will be ready to enjoy within a few minutes after decorating them.
If the ugly sweater design didn’t come as expected, remove the icing and start again.
Tips on how to decorate ugly sweater holiday cookies
Sharing tips on how to use a commercial cookie kit successfully for decorating ugly sweater holiday cookies.
Decorating 1 hour
Servings 16 pieces
Author Chef Adriana Martin
Equipment
Sugar Stir Needle or Cookie Scriber
Piping bags
Round piping tip for making dots
Cookie icing bottles
Cooling rack for baking
Mixing bowl
A whisk
Ingredients
1 kit ugly sweater cookies including colored royal icing and the baked cookies
2 cups white royal icing homemade or premade mix
1 cup sprinkles holiday-themed motifs
Instructions
Take the cookies out of the box and place them in a rack or a plate.
Using a cookie icing bottle or a piping bag with a round tip, outline the cookie with the white royal icing.
Flood the cookie and use either a needle/scriber or a toothpick for leveling the icing.
Immediately add the desired color, and with the scriber or a toothpick, draw a design. This has to be done before the royal icing dries.
Finish the cookie by adding sugar motifs to recreate the ugly sweater.
Allow the cookie to dry for a few minutes.
Notes
The ugly sweater holiday cookies require a good amount of white royal icing. When ordering your cookie kits, include a bag of royal icing mix and an assortment of holiday sprinkles.
The cookie kits include limited options in terms of sprinkles and sugar motifs. It is nice to have an assortment of those for making many different ugly sweater cookie designs.
This is the recipe for the sugar cookies and the royal icing if you decide to make a homemade version.
#DIY #DessertsAndBaking
