Easy Sprinkle Cookies
Sprinkle cookies are soft, buttery sugar cookies with crisp edges and a crunchy coat of rainbow nonpareils. A splash of almond extract gives them that bakery flavor. There’s no chilling the dough, so they’re an easy one to bake for a birthday party or a holiday cookie exchange. Ready in about 55 minutes and makes 36 cookies.
Every cookie tray needs one cookie nobody has to ask questions about. This is that cookie.
It’s a basic sugar cookie rolled in sprinkles. That’s it. And pretty much everybody likes them, which is exactly why I keep bringing them.
I’ve got friends with tree nut allergies, so when I’m picking a cookie to take somewhere, I look for ones without nuts. There aren’t any nuts in this dough, but the almond extract can still be a problem for some people with tree nut allergies. If they’re on the guest list, use vanilla extract instead. (More on that in the ingredient notes.)
I’ve got a few more easy sugar cookies right here, too.
More Easy Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Sugar Cookie Bars – a sugar cookie base with thick frosting and sprinkles, no scooping
- 3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies – butter, sugar and flour, and that’s the whole list
- Snickerdoodles – soft cinnamon sugar rolled cookies with crispy edges
- Basic Cookie Dough Recipe – one sugar cookie dough you can turn into whatever you’re craving
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Salted Butter – I use salted. If you only have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt with the flour.
Almond Extract – This is where that bakery flavor comes from. If you’re baking for anyone with a tree nut allergy, use the same amount of vanilla extract instead, and read your labels on the sprinkles too.
Nonpareils – The tiny round sprinkles give these their crunch and that classic look. Jimmies work too (see Variations).
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How To Make Sprinkle Cookies
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick spray.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set it aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, letting each one mix in before adding the next. Mix in the almond extract.
- Add the flour mixture in batches and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix.
- Scoop the dough by the tablespoon, roll it into balls and flatten each one slightly with your hand or the bottom of a glass.
- Pour the sprinkles into a small bowl. Press each flattened cookie into the sprinkles until it’s coated on all sides.
- Set the cookies on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until the bottoms are just lightly browned. You’ll get about 3 pans out of the dough, so bake in batches.
- Let them cool on the baking sheet before moving them.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage and Freezing
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Tuck half a slice of bread in the container and the cookies will pull moisture from it and stay soft and chewy.
Make Ahead – Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, put it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let it come back to room temperature before you shape it, or it won’t roll into balls.
Freeze the Dough – Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer bag. It’ll keep for up to 2 months. Let it thaw overnight, then shape, coat and bake.
Freeze Baked Cookies – They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Heads up, they can pick up a little condensation as they thaw, and that can make the sprinkle colors run.
Variations
Vanilla Extract – Use the same amount in place of the almond extract for a classic sugar cookie flavor.
Peppermint Extract – Great for a Christmas cookie tray. Peppermint is strong, so use ½ teaspoon in place of the almond extract and make up the other ½ teaspoon with vanilla extract or water.
Jimmies – Use the same amount in place of the nonpareils. They can melt a little in the oven, so expect softer edges on the sprinkles.
Colored Sprinkles – Match the colors to the birthday theme or the holiday. Red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before. Press the flattened dough into the sprinkles right after you shape it so they stick. The longer the dough sits, the harder it is to get them to stay put.
Coat the dough right after you roll and flatten it. Your hands warm up the outside of the dough a little, and that’s what grabs the sprinkles. Press every side into the bowl.
Nonpareils don’t melt, but their colors can run a little. Jimmies and other traditional sprinkles can melt a bit in the oven.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs in too much flour, and the cookies won’t turn out right.
- Pull them when the bottoms are lightly browned. The tops will look a little underdone, and that’s fine. They finish baking on the hot pan.
- Get the sprinkles on right after you flatten each cookie. Wait too long and they won’t stick.
- Use a tablespoon cookie scoop so every cookie is the same size and they bake evenly.
- Softened butter and room temperature eggs mix up smoother, so set them out ahead of time.
Cookies for the Cookie Exchange
- Stained Glass Cookies – buttery sugar cookies with melted candy centers
- Ginger Molasses Cookies – soft, chewy spiced cookies rolled in sugar
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies – light, buttery shortbread made with just four ingredients
- Chocolate Mint Cookies – soft chocolate cookies with cool mint, starting from a cake mix
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Sprinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup nonpareils sprinkles
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick spray.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in before adding the next. Mix in the almond extract.
- Add the flour mixture in batches and mix just until combined.
- Scoop the dough by the tablespoon, roll into balls and flatten each one slightly.
- Pour the sprinkles into a small bowl. Press each cookie into the sprinkles to coat all sides.
- Place the cookies on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. Bake in batches (about 3 pans).
- Cool on the baking sheet before moving.
Notes
- Make ahead: Dough keeps in the fridge up to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature before shaping.
- Storage: Airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. Half a slice of bread in the container keeps them soft.
- Freezing: Dough freezes up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before shaping. Baked cookies freeze up to 3 months, and colors can run a little as they thaw.
- Substitutions: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the almond. For peppermint, use ½ teaspoon peppermint extract plus ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or water. Jimmies for nonpareils. Unsalted butter plus ¼ teaspoon salt for salted.
- Tree nut allergies: Use vanilla extract instead of almond and read your labels on the sprinkles.
- Doneness: Pull them when the bottoms are lightly browned, even if the tops look soft.
Nutrition
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