Name: Plaid Christmas Sweater Cookies
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT2H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT3H10M0.000S
Yield: 10 to 12 cookies
Ingredients: 9 tablespoons (130 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 large egg, beaten; 1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon (240 grams) all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note); 2 drops burgundy gel food coloring; 2 drops forest green gel food coloring; 2 drops peach gel food coloring; 2 drops mustard yellow gel food coloring; 1/2 cup dark green candy melting wafers

Directions

Special equipment:

4 disposable piping bags; a ruler; a 3-inch sweater cookie cutter; 1 piping bag fitted with a small round tip (such as a #2); 1 1/4-inch-wide and 1-3/4-inch-tall Christmas tree cookie cutter

Cream the butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla paste and salt in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula until smooth and well combined. Whisk the beaten egg into the butter mixture in 3 additions, whisking until fully incorporated. Sift the flour over the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
Remove four 50-gram (1.75-ounce, or about 3-tablespoon) portions of the dough and place each in a separate small bowl. Color one bowl with the burgundy food coloring, mixing until the dough is evenly colored. Repeat with the remaining portions and the forest green, peach and yellow food colorings. Fill 4 separate disposable piping bags each with a colored dough and cut about 1/4-inch diameter openings from the tips. Set aside.
Roll out the remaining uncolored dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it is 1/8-inch thick. Place in the freezer until solid, about 15 minutes.
Remove the top layer of parchment and create a plaid pattern on the dough with the colored dough from the piping bags: Using a ruler as a guide, pipe alternating vertical and horizontal stripes spaced about 1/2 inch to 1 inch apart, alternating colors to form a checkered plaid pattern. Reserve some of the green dough for making the tree decorations for the sweaters and set it aside.
Once the plaid pattern is complete, place a clean sheet of parchment paper over the dough and gently press with a rolling pin to adhere the pattern to the base dough. Freeze the dough until firm, about 15 minutes.
Cut out cookies using a 3-inch-wide sweater-shaped cookie cutter with the pattern aligned vertically. Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Roll out the remaining forest green dough to 1/8-inch-thick between 2 sheets of parchment paper and freeze until solid, about 15 minutes. Use a small Christmas tree cutter (about 1 1/4-inch wide and 1 3/4-inch tall) to cut out trees from the chilled green dough. Place one tree in the center of each cookie, pressing gently to adhere. Chill the assembled cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the cookies until the edges are just golden, 15 to 20 minutes, being careful not to let them brown too much to preserve the vibrant colors. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melt the dark green candy wafers in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth, about 60 seconds. Transfer the melted candy to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe along the cuffs, hems and necklines of the sweaters for contrast; pipe in fine lines for a ribbed effect. Leave at room temperature until the candy sets, about 10 minutes. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)