Sprinkle Sugar Cookies are an old-fashioned treat that never goes out of style! Just like the big, crunchy cookies so popular at bakeries, these treats are sure to become home baked favorites.
Whatever the occasion, these crisp sugar cookies show off in festive colors. Nothing says “celebration” better than a cookie covered in sprinkles.
Why you'll love this recipe
Coated in nonpareil sprinkles, these cookies are deliciously crunchy inside and out. Fantastically, these sugar cookies are both quick and easy to make, with no chill time necessary.
The recipe calls for creaming the sugar and butter until very light and fluffy, which creates a light, airy texture.
Using holiday colored sprinkles makes Sprinkle Sugar Cookies perfect for any celebration.
I love using sprinkles. There is something almost magical about the smile inducing quality of sprinkled cookies. I highly recommend baking and sharing some smiles with this colorful treat. They are a celebration in every bite.
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter and sugar at least 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix at medium speed until incorporated.
- Use a medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll each dough portion into a ball and roll in nonpareil sprinkles to coat. Place 2 in. apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten the tops of the cookie balls slightly with palm of hand.
- Bake 14-16 minutes. The cookies will not brown, but the centers of cookies should be semi-firm to the touch.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
For longer storage times at home, freezing is recommended. For longer shipping times, vacuum sealing is recommended.
Tips
- For almond flavor, replace one teaspoon of vanilla extract with one teaspoon of almond extract.
- To use another kind of sprinkles, be sure to press firmly when rolling the dough ball in the sprinkles. Larger sprinkles sometimes resist sticking to the dough.
- To make sugar sprinkle cookies, replace the nonpareils with colored sugar.
- This is a great recipe for any holiday and birthday parties! Just vary the colors of your sprinkles to match the holiday or use rainbow sprinkles year round.
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Looking for lots of sprinkles? Check out this collection of 25 Cookies with Sugar and Sprinkles!
My experience with this recipe
There used to be two Jewish bakeries in St. Louis that specialized in Jewish holiday baked goods, as well as regular bakery items like Danish, cookies, babka, and birthday cakes. Sadly, after many decades of business, both of the bakeries closed.
When my now adult daughter was a toddler, we would make a special trip to Petrofsky’s Bakery every Friday afternoon to buy our challah (braided egg bread), traditional for the Friday night Sabbath meal.
With her big blue eyes and friendly smile, my daughter became a favorite of the grandmotherly ladies behind the counter. Every single week, they brought my daughter behind the display case and asked her to point to her favorite colors of sprinkle sugar cookies.
The ladies filled an entire bag with big, crunchy cookies, as a gift for my daughter. To this day, I have a nostalgic fondness for bakery sugar cookies. My first bite of these Sprinkle Sugar Cookies immediately triggered sweet memories of Petrofsky’s cookies.
I think it's the perfect sugar cookie recipe!
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Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at least 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Gradually, add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
- Use a medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll each dough portion into a ball and roll in nonpareil sprinkles to coat. Place 2 in. apart on prepared baking sheet. Flatten cookies slightly with palm of hand.
- Bake 14-16 minutes. The cookies will not brown, but the centers of cookies should be semi-firm to the touch. Remove from the oven.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- For almond flavor, replace one teaspoon of vanilla extract with one teaspoon of almond extract.
- To use another type of sprinkles, be sure to press firmly when rolling the dough ball in the sprinkles. Larger sprinkles sometimes resist sticking to the dough.
- To make sugar sprinkle cookies, replace the nonpareils with colored sugar.
- This is a great recipe for any holiday and birthday parties! Just vary the colors of your sprinkles to match the holiday or use rainbow sprinkles year round.
- Double wrap pairs of cookies (with bottoms together) in plastic wrap, then place in a column in an airtight container or freezer weight zip lock bag.
- For longer storage, vacuum sealing is recommended.
Nutrition
First Published: October 11, 2017. Last Updated: November 9, 2021. Updated for additional information, improved photographs, and better reader experience.
Amanda
I felt like these were WAY too sweet, especially since you're then rolling them in candies. Other similar recipes use only 1/2 cup of sugar, vs the 1 1/2 cup here. I will cut it in half next time.
Wendy Sondov
Everyone has individual tastes, and you are entitled to yours. However,I did a Google search for sprinkle cookies and found zero recipes calling for 1/2 cup of sugar. I did find recipes calling for less sugar, but they also had less flour and other ingredients. Be aware that cutting the sugar in half in this recipe will effect the texture and spread of the cookies. Also, rolling the dough in nonpareil sprinkles adds minimal additional sweetness. It's is not the same as rolling in candy. Sprinkles do contain sugar but, unlike candy, the sugar is mixed with other ingredients like cornstarch to hold shape and that reduces added sweetness.
Amanda Mika
The preppykitchen butter cookies, when adjusted has 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp, but I guess it's technically a butter cookie, and is more my taste. I've always thought of "butter", "sugar" as well as "cut-out" cookies as the same thing. Clearly there are nuances in each of the recipes.
Becky
These are our favorite cookies! We love the crunch of the sprinkles! We make them for every holiday. They are perfect!!
Becky
Me and my family love these cookies! They're so delicious we love the added crunch from the sprinkles! They are also cute! I made these cookies a few times and have never had an issues.
Patricia
Good Morning Wendy,
Yesterday I baked up these cookies and sorry to say they did not turn out well. They were tasteless and tasted like “Flour”. They also did not puff up at all. My friend mixed up the dough and said she used the correct measurements. I’m just noticing that there is no leaving in the recipe as far as baking powder or baking soda. Is this correct?
Sorry to give it a 1 star review but they turned out totally inedible and we ended up throwing out the dough.
Just wondering what your thoughts might be on the problem we had with the recipe. They looked so beautiful and I was expecting they would be tasty. Thank you for your help.
Wendy Sondov
Hi Patricia. I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble with this recipe. As you can see from the comments, these cookies are delicious when made properly. I make these often, but can only guess at where you might have gone wrong. First, let's start with the ingredients. Many shortbread, butter, and sugar cookies do not contain leaveners. In this recipe, the egg provides moisture and a bit of rise to the cookies. Flour must be measured by spooning fluffed flour into a measuring cup. If it is scooped, you compact the flour and end up with way too much. The butter must be room temperature. That means that you should just be able to make a dent in the stick with your finger, not mushy. Butter must be the right temperature to incorporate the correct amount of air when creamed with the sugar. If the butter is too warm, the cookies will be flat because air can't be incorporated. Other than adding too much flour, the only other reason I can think of that your cookies would taste like flour is that you didn't use a TABLESPOON of vanilla. If you only used a teaspoon, there wouldn't have been much flavor. When you place the dough ball on the baking sheet, you shouldnt be flattening the ball, only flatten slightly with your palm or fingers to the thickness of a hockey puck not a pancake. I hope that you see something here that explains your trouble with this recipe.
Patricia
Good Afternoon!
I followed all your tips and baked up a half batch to test this morning and the cookies turned out perfectly this time. Puffed and exactly like pictured. I shared some of the baked cookies with my nieces. They liked them a bunch!
The size of the cookie using a 2 inch scoop was key. The original batch made by my friend were made too small and flattened too much. I also found out she measured the flour by dipping and scooping and that also probably caused too much of a flour taste.
I will definitely be adding them to my baking list. All your added tips definitely helped in creating a perfectly baked and flavorful cookie. Have a wonderful holiday season!
Thank You so much for your help!
Betty
My 7 year old granddaughter and her 13 year old brother made these cookies this morning. They had fun making them and they were delicious. We will definitely make them again.
Wendy Sondov
You comment has me smiling, Betty! Kids and sprinkles go together well. I'm so glad you and your grandchildren enjoyed these cookies!
Jeannine
Just made a batch of these. They were good, but they came out flat. I was so careful making sure I followed the directions exactly because my sugar cookies are always a disaster. They came out flat and wide, nothing like the picture at all. Don't get me wrong...they taste good and look good for a flat cookie....but had no dimension. I'm not sure where i went wrong 🙁
Wendy Sondov
Hi Jeannine. When a cookie goes flat it is often due to the butter being too warm when mixed into the batter. Room temperature doesn't mean soft and mushy. It takes about 20-30 minutes for butter to reach room temperature an you should be able to just make a dent in the butter when you press on it with your finger. The directions say to flatten each dough ball because if the dough is made correctly, it won't flatten out into a cookie shape unless you flatten it before baking! In the future, with any recipe, if you bake one batch and it flattens, refrigerate the next tray for 30 minutes before baking. That should help.
Carlee
I love the collage of all the different sprinkle combinations. How beautiful! These cookies look like a party.
Carol Palmer
These cookies are beautiful and nice crunchy texture and just make you smile! I made a batch last week and our family and friends loved them. Will make another batch this weekend for Valentine’s Day ❤️
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Carol. I'm glad the you and your family enjoyed these cookies and even more delighted that they made you smile! (I think it's the sprinkles. Sprinkles always make me smile!) Thank you so much for leaving your comment and 5 star rating! Happy Valentine's Day!
Sandy
I tried these and they came out great! I am making Halloween sugar cookies and wanted a different cookie to go with them. These turned out perfect! I baked them at 12 minutes and they came out perfectly soft with a bit of a crunch! Yay!
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Sandy. I'm delighted to hear that you are enjoying these cookies! They really are a great cookie for every season and any holiday.
Janine
I made them yesterday and I followed the recipe. I let them cool off before storing them. My husband came home from work and said they were way to crispy. Crispier then a normal sugar cookie and hard to chew . Other then that he said they had a nice appearance.
Wendy Sondov
Hi Janine. I am sorry to hear that your cookies didn't turn out as expected. Though these are meant to be crunchy, they certainly aren't usually hard to chew. It sounds like your cookies over baked. Each oven is different in terms of temperature fluctuations, which is why I always bake one cookie first when making a new recipe, to try out timing and adjust for my oven.
Ashley@CookNourishBliss
Sprinkle cookies definitely say celebration! Plus, how can you not love them??? I will take a few to celebrate fall over here!! 🙂
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
They are absolutely beautiful!
Saltandserenity
I'd love to see all the jars in your sprinkle drawer!! These cookies are so joyful to look at. I never use sprinkles. Not sure why, but I may have to start.
Miz Helen
I pinned your amazing Sugar Cookies Wendy, they are perfect for every holiday! I really appreciate you sharing your awesome post and your talent with us at Full Plate Thursday.
Have a great weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Roseann Hampton
I need to make a batch of these for my daughter - she loves anything with sprinkles!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Roseann! I hope your daughter enjoys the cookies. I love everything with sprinkles too. 🙂
Monica
I know I'm smiling after seeing these - I love how you did all those varieties of different color sprinkles. And you're right - there is such a nostalgia or a natural draw we all feel about sprinkle cookies. I know they were one of my son's favorites when he was younger and we went to the bakery together for treats. I've been wanting to make these exact cookies for a long time, especially since my son and I are partial to nonpareils. I love that little crunch and they are really so happy looking. : )
The Monday Box
Thanks, Monica! I think the bright colors are cheerful and attract kids. Then as adults we are attracted to the sprinkles because they bring back feelings of childhood joy. When my daughter saw this post, she was smiling when she said, "These really DO look like the cookies from Petrofsky's!", though she hasn't seen one of those cookies in over 20 years. 🙂 (How did my daughter get old enough for me to say that?!?! OMG hug your "little guy". Time flies!)
April J Harris
What a lovely cookie to celebrate a birthday! I'm sure your adopted sailor will really enjoy them. You know how I love sprinkles, Wendy, so I definitely love these cookies. Pinning and sharing around. Thank you so much for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party.
The Monday Box
Thanks, April! I do believe that you and I should form the International Sprinkle Lovers Society. 🙂 One should be wary of individuals who don't like sprinkles. 😉
Shannon Ketchum
Another adorable creation. These look so delicious.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Shannon! Sprinkles really do make me happy. 🙂