These Christmas Sprinkle Cookies are sweet, vanilla butter cookies that make a fun and festive addition to any Christmas cookie tray. They are easy cookies to make and are a great way to get the whole family involved in your holiday baking.
What we love about these Sprinkle Cookies
I love the vanilla butter base of these cookies. These are sweet, buttery cookies that give you a sweet and crisp crunch when you bite into the sprinkles. They are easy to makea; nd are a fun way to get the kids involved with holiday baking by rolling the dough in sprinkles. You can use all of the same type of sprinkles or use a variety of red and green sprinkles if desired.
I just love how colorful and festive they are. If you’re looking to add a little Christmas cheer to a Christmas cookie tray, these are a lovely choice,
Looking for other Christmas treats? Try our Ginger Crinkle Cookies, Kitchen Sink Cookies, Cherry Bars with Almond Glaze, our Orange Cranberry Cookies with Icing, Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Bark, Peppermint Bark Pretzels, Cranberry Walnut Cookies, Pecan Tassies with Honey, or our Chocolate Butter Toffee with Pecans
What you need to make this Sprinkle Cookie Recipe
You will need the following ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Christmas colored sprinkles and/or sanding sugar
Christmas Sprinkle Cookies Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You could substitute 1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla extract for almond extract.
- You can use whatever Christmas sprinkles you have on hand; we like sanding sugar and Christmas mixes with jimmies the best. You can use a variety of Christmas sprinkle mixes or different types of sprinkles and sugars, or all the same color and type of sprinkle.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, at medium speed, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly mixed. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
Step 2. Using a small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon), scoop the dough and roll into 1-inch balls, then roll the balls in sprinkles or sanding sugar. Space the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Using the bottom of a cup, flatten each ball into a 1 ½ inch circle.
Step 3. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-9 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are just turning golden brown. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool for 1 minute, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips
- I recommend keeping parchment paper on hand; it is especially helpful when baking cookies. Lining your pan with parchment paper helps prevent cookies from spreading when baking, which in turn helps prevent your cookies from becoming too thin and crispy. The cookies won’t stick to your pan, and pans are much easier to clean up. Also, the parchment paper creates a thin layer between the cookies and the pan, which helps promote even browning and prevents hot spots on your pan that may cause cookies to burn.
- I love using a cookie scoop when making cookies so that the cookies are a uniform size and shape. I use a small cookie scoop for this recipe, which makes a scoop of about 1 tablespoon. This scoop from Amazon works well.
- I love USA baking pans and use these pans when making cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can the cookie dough be made in advance? |
| The USDA says that cookie dough is safe in the fridge for 2-4 days. You can make this dough the day before, store it covered in the fridge, and roll and bake the cookies the next day. Before rolling and baking, keep the dough out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or the dough will be hard to scoop. |
| How do I store Christmas sprinkle cookies? |
| a. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like them best fresh within the first 24 hours. Refrigerating the cookies can slightly dry out the cookies, so room temperature storage is best. I use a Tupperware container and use parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking, so the cookies don’t stick together. The cookies freeze well, but the jimmie sprinkles slightly soften after thawing. |
Christmas Sprinkle Cookies
These Christmas Sprinkle Cookies are sweet, vanilla butter cookies that make a fun and festive addition to any Christmas cookie tray. They are easy cookies to make and a great way to get the whole family involved in your holiday baking.
25
minutes36
minutes38-42
cookiesIngredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, using the spoon-and-level method for measuring
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks), softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Christmas-colored sprinkles (you may need more if the sprinkles are larger). We like using a variety and always include red and green sanding/coarse sugar.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, at medium speed, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the mixture to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Using a small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon), scoop the dough and roll into 1-inch balls, then roll the balls in sprinkles or sanding sugar. Space the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Using the bottom of a cup, flatten each ball into a 1 ½ inch circle.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-9 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are just turning golden brown. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool for 1 minute, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- We use whatever Christmas sprinkles we have on hand, like sanding sugar and Christmas mixes with jimmies the best. You can use a variety of Christmas sprinkle mixes or different types of sprinkles and sugars.
- To measure your flour, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level off the top using a knife or straight-edged utensil for best results.
- Flattening a cookie dough ball with a glass creates a crisper, thinner cookie, ensures they bake more uniformly, and gives it a classic, uniform look. This method prevents thick, puffy centers by encouraging wider, flatter baking. When you don’t flatten the cookies, they really don’t spread and will need a little longer baking time.
- Cover the dough that is not being used as you make the cookies so the dough doesn’t dry out. Coarse sugar or sanding sugar easily adheres to the dough. Jimmies or other larger sprinkles may need to be slightly pressed into the dough as you roll it to stick to the dough better.
