Sprinkle-Splosion Sugar Cookies Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Birthday

by: Erin Jeanne McDowell

March31,2022

5

4 Ratings

  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 14 minutes
  • makes 32 cookies

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Author Notes

My roll-out sugar cookies are delightfully soft, but boast a short (more crumbly) texture. This recipe is their chewy drop cookie cousin, packed with vanilla flavor and tons of sprinkles. Topped with a smear of buttercream, they are perfect for everything from birthdays to bake sales to holiday cookie boxes with a few variations on the recipe (see below). Try piping the buttercream for an even fancier effect. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

Test Kitchen Notes

Bake It Up a Notchis a column by Resident Baking BFF Erin Jeanne McDowell. Each month, she'll help take our baking game to the next level, teaching us all the need-to-know tips and techniques and pointing out all the mistakes to avoid along the way. —The Editors

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Sprinkle-Splosion SugarCookies

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups(3 sticks / 340 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup(113 g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup(99 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup(106 g) light brown sugar
  • 1 large (56 g) egg, at room temperature
  • 1 large (21 g) egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
  • 3 3/4 cups(450 g) all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoonbaking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoonfine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup(65 g) sprinkles, preferably confetti style, plus more for finishing
  • 1 recipe American Buttercream (https://food52.com/recipes...))
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C with the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well.
  3. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix well on medium speed until evenly incorporated. Scrape the bowl well.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt to combine. Add about half of this mixture to the mixer and pulse on low speed to incorporate the flour, then mix on low speed to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour.
  5. Add the sprinkles and mix on low speed just until evenly dispersed.
  6. Scoop the cookie dough into 2 tablespoon sized rounds and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Stagger the rows of cookies as you place them, and leave 2 inches/5 cm between each cookie to allow room for spreading. Use your fingers to gently press each mound of dough to flatten slightly.
  7. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cookies have spread and are very lightly browned around the lower edge, 12 to 14 minutes (for a softer cookie, bake for 10 to 12 minutes and remove before you see much browning). Rotate the trays halfway through baking.
  8. Cool completely on the baking sheet, then frost with buttercream and garnish with more sprinkles.
  9. Holiday Variation #1: Twister Cookie Dippers: If desired, add ½ teaspoon peppermint extract to the dough in Step 3 and remove the sprinkles in Step 5. After mixing the dough, divide it in half, and mix a few drops of red food coloring into one half of the dough. Roll portions of each dough into long strands (about ¼ inch in circumference) on a lightly floured surface. Twist the white and red strands together, then cut into 4 inch long pieces. These twists can be baked alone, or twisted slightly into a candy cane shape. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until very lightly browned at the edges.
  10. Holiday Variation #2: Swirly Marbled Cookies: Remove the sprinkles in Step 5. After mixing the dough, divide it in two (or more) even portions, and mix food coloring of your choice into some of the portions (I usually leave some plain). Break the dough up into pieces, and mish mash the colors together. Gently knead until the dough is only gently swirled and marbled. Scoop portions of the marbled dough onto the prepared baking sheets and bake as directed. I usually don’t frost these, because they are too pretty to cover up! But you can dip the base of the cookie in chocolate (and even press the dipped cookies in sprinkles, if desired) for some extra oomph!
  11. Holiday Variation #3: Sugar/Sprinkle Coated Cookies: For a really fun and simple option, coat the cookies in sanding sugar or sprinkles. To do this, remove the sprinkles in Step 5. After scooping the cookie dough, roll each dough ball fully in sprinkles to coat, then transfer to the baking sheet and bake as directed.

Tags:

  • American
  • Birthday
  • Christmas
  • Dessert

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: Erin Jeanne McDowell

I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

Popular on Food52

1 Review

ksabow April 11, 2022

I made these cookies and gave them to four different people....everyone raved about them. I have to admit, one of the best cookies ever. Not sure what made them so good but the delicious buttercream on top certainly didn't hurt.

Sprinkle-Splosion Sugar Cookies Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Should you put sprinkles on before or after baking? ›

If you want to add sprinkles to cookies, cupcakes, breads, or cakes before baking, that is totally and completely ok. Add sprinkles to the tops of these baked goods right before they go into the oven. Adding sprinkles to “wet” batter is the only way to get them to stick without an additional “glue” like frosting.

How do you get sprinkles to stick on cookies? ›

Make an egg wash—add pasteurized egg whites and a splash of water to a small bowl and mix with a fork until combined. Brush the tops of the cooled cookies with the egg wash and immediately add sprinkles.

What makes sugar cookie dough crumble? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Can you sprinkle sugar on cookies after baking? ›

You can add it both ways, if you add it before baking the sugars will caramelize during baking. If you add them after baking make sure to add the sugar right after taking them out of the oven, this way they will attach to the cookie.

When should I add sprinkles to sugar cookies? ›

Dip cookie dough rounds in sprinkles or sugar before baking. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

How do you get sprinkles to stick to sugar cookies before baking? ›

The easiest thing to do is to brush the tops of the cookies with a little bit of water or milk, using just enough to dampen the cookie dough and no more. This will help the sprinkles stick and won't change the finished appearance of the cookie when you're done baking.

Do sprinkles soften when baked? ›

Most sprinkles do not have an expiration date. They can be stored in a dry place and used for a long time. However, some varieties, like jimmies, may harden when stored for too long. These types of sprinkles can sometimes be softened by using heat from an oven.

Will sprinkles stick to sugar cookies without icing? ›

There are a couple of simple ways that you can do to help those sprinkles stick. The easiest thing to do is to brush the tops of the cookies with a little bit of water or milk, to dampen the cookie dough. This will help the sprinkles stick without changing the appearance of the cookie.

What kind of sprinkles do you use for cookies? ›

So if you want to bake sprinkles into a funfetti batter or dough, you'll want to use jimmies or confetti sprinkles for the best results. These sprinkles will hold their shape and colour the best when baked. Cachous, sugar pearls and rods are the show-stoppers in the decorating world.

How to do a sprinkle rim? ›

Pour sprinkles in their own plate or bowl. Paint corn syrup on around the outer edge of the glass. Alternatively, you can also dip or roll the edge of the glass in the corn syrup bowl for a minimal layer of sprinkles. Painting around the edge will give you a wider rim for more sprinkles which is the method we chose.

What happens if you forget to put brown sugar in cookies? ›

What happens when you bake without brown sugar? To be succinct, the resulting baked good could be slightly drier or more crisp. Without the excess moisture from the molasses in the brown sugar, the final cookie won't be as chewy and the final bread might be drier.

How to spice up sugar cookies? ›

Almond Extract: For a twist on the traditional sugar cookie flavor, try adding a small amount of almond extract. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust according to your preference. Citrus Zest: Incorporate the zest of citrus fruits like lemon, orange, or lime into the dough. The zest adds a bright and refreshing flavor.

What makes sugar cookies too hard? ›

Over-working the dough yields a tough cookie, which is not at all what you want. The very best sugar cookies are soft and tender. → Follow this tip: One of the keys to great sugar cookies is mixing the dry ingredients only until they're just incorporated, and not a second longer.

How to apply sugar to baked cookies? ›

If you wanted to use it on baked cookies, either sprinkle it on freshly frosted cookies or brush cooled cookies with an egg white-wash before applying so the sugar will stay put.

What is the easiest way to decorate sugar cookies? ›

My favorite way to decorate sugar cookies—especially for holidays and special occasions—is by using royal icing. The secret to getting precise lines, dots, and other details with royal icing is using a squeeze bottle.

What is the best way to decorate sugar cookies? ›

Royal icing is what professional bakers typically use for this kind of cookie decorating. It's made with either whipped egg whites or whipped meringue powder along with powdered sugar and water, and it tends to be a little more stable and thicker than straight powdered sugar icing.

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