Every winter, I’m obsessed with staying warm so adding sweaters to my cookies was a natural complement to the layers I was wearing myself when I made these Christmas goodies. Sweaters, hats, scarves...every cookie (even the alpaca) had to have at least one cozy item of apparel. The cats were the least successful but I refuse to take the blame for that. Like real cats, the cookie cats refused to cooperate.
“All creatures great and small...
the Lord God made them all.” Cecil F. Alexander
These Christmas Sweater Cookies were destined to travel across the country, so they had to withstand all kinds of cold weather. I know they’re just cookies, but once I add eyes to them, they come alive. A warm sweater seemed like the kind thing to do in order to make their trip as comfortable as possible.
Cookie specifics
Shortbread. The combination of European butter and vanilla bean makes this shortbread cookie one of the yummiest cookies I make. It’s buttery, crumbly and light. The short list of simple ingredients means that I always have everything on hand to whip up a batch. For the sweaters I used my thick vanilla bean glaze. It wouldn’t be Christmas without shortbread!
Shapes
sitting fox, standing alpaca, grizzly bear, sitting cat, leaping reindeer, little boy
Sizes
Sizes range from small (2½ inches) to large (4-5 inches). 2½ to 3 inches is my favorite size for decorating and eating!
My Own Family Recipes
I developed this Shortbread recipe over the course of several months in my quest to duplicate the taste and texture of a shortbread cookie from a now-closed bakery in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Once I perfected the recipe, it became a cookie that I now bake for many occasions throughout the year.
Icing & Frostings
Glaze for Piping: This glaze/icing dries hard enough that you can stack or package the cookies without damaging the embellishments. I often use it exclusively or in combination with Royal Icing.
Glaze for Piping Recipe
Cookies
Shortbread: flour, butter, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, salt
Icing & Decorative Embellishments
Chocolate Royal Icing (for the eyes, claws, & antlers): confectioners’ sugar, Hersey’s Special Dark Cocoa, meringue powder, corn syrup, almond extract, food coloring
Glaze for Piping: sugar, water, corn syrup, food coloring (white for the sweaters, scarves, and caps; pink for the cheeks), vanilla extract.
Sprinkles: I used small white stars for the little boy’s knit cap and big-crystal sugar for the fuzzy tails, eyebrows, and other accents.
Plate, Box or Bag?
Bags. All of these cookies were wrapped individually in clear, food-safe bags and secured with a twist tie. This ensured that no harm came to the decorations during their trip. Then I put the little bags into airtight freezer bags and packaged them for mailing.
Mailing. I mailed these Christmas Sweater Cookies to my family and friends throughout the U.S., via Priority Mail through the U.S. Post Office. I use the boxes provided by the Post Office and lots of bubble wrap. I think they all arrived undamaged because I received no complaints, just texts with a lot of smiling faces.
What I’ve learned...
These cookies were made with the best ingredients I could find and baked in a small batch of two dozen. I’ve experimented with less expensive ingredients, but have come to the conclusion that flavor is best when I use the best. Why spend all this time baking and decorating if taste and texture are just so-so? Decorating the cookies takes time, but it’s an enjoyable process for me and I know that those who receive them appreciate that. Life is just better when you can share something you love with someone you love. Don’t you agree?
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