Royal icingfor decorating, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
In a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar. Mix until fluffy and well incorporated, about 1 minute.
Add egg, salt, and extracts. Mix until combined.
Add flour to the butter mixture in 3 additions, mixing until just combined after each addition. After the dough is all mixed it should be non-greasy to the touch.
Separate the dough into two or three balls and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Once the dough is chilled and hard to the touch, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness, cut out shapes, and place them on a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet. (If you feel the dough has gotten too soft once it has been rolled out you can chill it in the fridge some more.)
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven before the edges turn brown. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then transfer cookies to a cooling rack for a few hours to cool completely before decorating. (These cookies can last several days on a wire rack so if you can't decorate them right away you don't need to worry!)
To Decorate:
Divide royal icing into bowls and color as desired. Using a piping bag and #2 or #3 decorating tip, pipe sweater outline and fill in. Allow icing to dry completely. Then pipe bottom hem of the sweater, sleeve cuffs, and neckline with a contrasting color. Sprinkle sanding sugar over the hem and cuffs.
Allow to dry completely. Use a stencil, or free-hand draw, your decoration of choice on the center of the sweater. Gingerbread men, Christmas trees, snowflakes, and other 80's-esque designs are always a good choice.