Sprinkle Covered Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy, vanilla flavored cookies. Change the color of the sprinkles to make them perfect for any holiday or event!
This is the last recipe in my series of Easter treats - Sprinkle Covered Sugar Cookies. If you haven't made any delicious treats for Easter yet, now is your chance. You can have a batch of these ready for the Easter baskets within a couple of hours!
I really like a good, old-fashioned sugar cookie. I know, they're plain and white, and don't have 5 different kinds of chocolate bars or whatever mixed in, as seems to be all the rage these days.
But I only like a certain kind of sugar cookie. They need to be thick, soft, and chewy. I don't like the paper-thin, cardboardy ones that end up getting slathered in icing.
These ones have a secret ingredient: almond extract. I love the flavor of it! I also use a generous dose of vanilla for extra flavor. The other ingredients are standard for cookies: flour, butter, egg, baking soda, salt, and of course, sugar. The little bit of brown sugar adds a bit more richness and helps keep the cookies soft.
How to make Sprinkle Covered Sugar Cookies:
The method for making these sugar cookies is the same as for most cookies: cream the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and extracts. Once the butter mixture is soft and fluffy, stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Voila! You have cookie dough.
How do you make sugar cookies soft and chewy?
This recipe uses a secret ingredient to help keep these sugar cookies soft and chewy: Brown sugar. There's not a lot of it - not enough to give them a brown sugar/molasses flavor, but enough that it helps keep them soft.
This recipe also relies on chilling the dough before baking to prevent spreading in the oven, which keeps the cookies thick and chewy.
This is where we change things up a little bit. Normally, when you make sugar cookies, you roll dough balls in sugar (hence the name...). But, to make things just a little extra special and pretty, we're going to roll them in SPRINKLES!
Now, sprinkles are not all created equally. The good ones don't have much of a taste (just a bit of sweetness and crunch), but some are bad (mealy texture, taste like food coloring). So. If you don't want bad sprinkles to ruin your delicious cookies, taste them first. If you don't like them, don't use them.
Once you've got all your cookie balls rolled, slightly flatten them with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass. Then let the prepared cookie dough chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to make sure they don't spread too much in the oven.
You can even freeze them at this point to bake later. Once you're ready to get baking, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature on the baking sheet while the oven heats up.
Sprinkle Covered Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract: skip if making these cookies for someone with a nut allergy.
- Sprinkles (either non-pareil, jimmies, or colored sugar)
Don't these look so much cuter than regular sugar cookies? And there are so many colors (even pearlized!) and shapes of sprinkles available, the possibilities are endless...
You could make them themed for any holiday, or even use them as color-coordinated favors for showers or weddings! So much fun!
Want more recipes that use sprinkles?
Sprinkle Covered Sugar Cookies Nutrition Notes:
Because this recipe uses almond extract, it is not safe for anyone with a tree nut allergy. Skip the almond extract to make it safe for people that may be allergic to nuts.
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one cookie, if you make 24 small cookies from the recipe.
Like most cookies, sugar cookies aren't exactly a nutritious snack. Eat in moderation.
Sprinkle Covered Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer optional
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon almond extract (see note)
- 1 cup Sprinkles (either non-pareil, jimmies or colored sugar)
Instructions
- Stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the softened butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup light brown sugar together using a stand mixer, or by hand. Add 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ¼-1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix until well combined. Stir in flour mixture at low speed until dough forms.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon portions of dough and form into balls. Roll dough balls into sprinkles until fully covered. Slightly flatten balls with the ball of your hand or bottom of a drinking glass. Chill cookies completely, at least 2 hours in the fridge, or 30 minutes in the freezer.
- Heat oven to 375°F, with the racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place chilled cookie dough on the sheets, spaced roughly 1.5 inches apart.
- Bake both sheets at the same time, for 15-17 minutes, until edges are just starting to brown (see note). Don't overbake.
- Remove sheets from oven, and let cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze. Sprinkle coated dough balls could also be frozen and baked later.
Notes
Nutrition
Lois says
These look so good, and are small. I will make them for a sweet snack for Grandma Kuhl
Rebecca Baker says
Why do I need to bake both sheets at the same time? I wanted to make the dough and put it in the fridge until the next day. It would save me time tomorrow. But I hesitate to do that because it says to bake both sheets at once. Is the dough not supposed to be allowed to sit?
Carissa says
You can absolutely let the dough sit in the fridge overnight if it works better for you. I've done it myself and the cookies still turn out great. And you don't have to cook both sheets at the same time either, it's just to save time. I hope you like them! I make these every Christmas.
Rebecca Baker says
Awesome! I am going to make them right now. Thank you so much. 🙂
Rebecca Baker says
They turned out wonderful! Thank you.
Carissa says
I'm glad you liked them. It's one of my favorite cookie recipes ever!