Christmas Tie Dye Sweater Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the almond and vanilla extracts and egg and mix until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour and salt and mix until just combined.
• Remove a quarter of the dough (about 1/2 cup) to a flour-dusted surface and reserve. Add the sprinkles to the dough left in the mixer and mix on low until just combined. Remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and gently fold until it comes together.
• Add the reserved dough back to the mixer bowl and add enough green gel food coloring to color it a vibrant green like a wreath, about 6 drops. Mix on low until the dough is completely green. Remove to a flour-dusted surface and fold with your hands until it comes together.
• Tear off 2 Ping-Pong ball-size pieces of the white dough and add to the barrel of a cookie press; add 1 marble-size piece of the green dough. Repeat this pattern until the barrel is filled (you will not use all of the dough). Place a wreath disc onto the cookie press barrel according to the manufacturer's instructions. Press the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet and set aside. Repeat 2 more times in the same pattern with the remaining dough.
• Bake 2 of the batches until the cookies are firm but not yet browning on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool the cookies for 1 minute on the baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Bake the third batch and let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Steps:

• Divide the frosting evenly among three medium bowls. Add 1 shade of food coloring to each and stir to make three different colors of frosting.
• Transfer each frosting to a piping or resealable plastic bag with one corner snipped. Starting along the outside edge of a cookie, pipe concentric circles of frosting, alternating colors for each circle, until the surface is covered. Drag a skewer from the center of the cookie outward to make lines through the frosting, making sure to clean the tip of the skewer between drags. Continue to drag lines through the circles until a star shape is formed. Repeat the process on each cookie.

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and beat in the flour mixture in 2 batches until just combined. Divide the dough between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten into disks and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut out sweaters using a 3- to 3 1/2-inch cutter. Gather the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies. (If the dough becomes too soft, refrigerate 15 minutes.) Arrange the cutouts 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350˚. Bake the cookies, switching the pans halfway through, until lightly browned around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then remove the cookies to racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Beat in 5 tablespoons water with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft, glossy peaks form, adding the remaining tablespoon water if needed. You'll need 2 consistencies of icing: a thicker icing for outlining and a thinner, runnier icing for filling (flooding). Adjust the consistency with water as needed. Tint with food coloring, if desired. Transfer to resealable plastic bags, snip the corners and decorate the cookies. Sprinkle with coconut, if desired. Let set, at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• To heat the flour, place it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until an instant read thermometer stuck into a few different spots of the flour reaches 180 degrees F. Let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the applesauce and mix until combined. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Divide the dough among 3 bowls and add food coloring, keeping the colors separate. Wearing disposable gloves, knead in the color by hand, or stir it in with a spatula, until homogenous. If you don't have gloves, you can use a zip-top plastic bag.
• You can play with and bake the dough now (dust with a little more flour if it gets sticky) or you can put it in an airtight container and refrigerate for an hour or overnight to play with and bake later.
• Roll each batch of dough into a log about 2 1/2 feet long and 1 inch wide. Line up the three logs of dough and cut each into 6 equal portions. Twist one portion of each of the colored doughs together and roll into a ball to create the desired tie-dye pattern. Roll in sanding sugar, place on the prepared baking sheet and gently press down using your hand. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the finished cookies an inch apart. Bake until very lightly browned on the bottom but still gooey on the inside, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Turn the mixer to low, add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.
• Remove the dough from the mixer and divide into 4 equal pieces. Add 1 piece back into the mixer. Turn the mixer to low speed and color the dough with the purple gel food coloring, about 4 drops, until completely incorporated. Wipe the bowl and the paddle clean and repeat with the remaining 3 pieces, coloring one neon green, one black and one orange.
• Starting with the purple dough, tear half of it into teaspoon-size pieces and scatter them on top of a piece of parchment. Repeat with the remaining colors, tearing half of each color into teaspoon-size pieces and filling in all the spaces so that you have an oval shape with barely any of the parchment showing underneath. Top with another piece of parchment and use a rolling pin to roll the colors together until it is one big piece of dough about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate both parchment-covered pieces of dough until chilled, about 1 hour.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Remove the top piece of parchment from one piece of dough and cut out circles with a 2-inch circle cookie cutter. Place on one of the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Repeat with the other piece of dough and baking sheet. Bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Spread a small amount of frosting onto the edge of the cookies and roll them in the orange and black sanding sugar until completely coated.