Sugar Cookies With Sprinkles
Learn how to make sugar cookies with sprinkles, a drop sugar cookie that is like the cousin of sprinkle birthday cake with a rich vanilla cake and sweet flavour.
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories: 160kcal
Ingredients
- 280 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 45 grams rainbow sprinkles plus 45 grams (¼ cup) extra sprinkles for rolling
- 5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 3.75 mL baking soda
- 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 150 grams granulated sugar plus 50 grams (¼ cup) more for rolling
- 100 grams light brown sugar
- 1 large egg(s) room temperature
- 15 mL pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175 °C). Line large half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sprinkles, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, 150 grams (¾ cup) of granulated sugar and the brown sugar until it is light and fluffy (takes at least 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and beat them in until the mixture is smooth and light.
- Add the flour mixture slowly, on low speed and mix until the dough is combined.
- Put the remaining 50 grams of sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Scoop the dough using a cookie scoop (approximately 35 grams of dough per scoop), then roll into balls and coat them in sugar. Alternatively, you can dip the top of the balls of cookie dough in sprinkles first before rolling in sugar. Place each sugar-coated scoop of dough on a cookie sheet, spacing them out every 1.5 inches. You should be able to fit 8 per sheet pan.
- For chewy cookies, bake them for 13–14 minutes (more or less), until they have spread out a little and puffed in the middle, are beginning to brown on the edges, and are just beginning to set in the middle. Bake less for soft cookies. Let cool for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Substitutions and variations:
- Sugar: These cookies are made with mostly white granulated sugar and a little light brown sugar. Using all brown sugar would change the flavour of these cookies and lead to a softer texture.
- Salt: This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
- Sprinkles:
- Though I used rainbow jimmies for this recipe in the end, I also tested rainbow non-pareils, which are round tiny rainbow sprinkles. I preferred the colour effect with rainbow jimmies. Still, you can use whatever you had.
- I've also seen bakers use quins, which are a softer type of sprinkle that is flat, and shaped like round paper confetti, stars, hearts, or other fun shapes. The word quins is a reference to sequins because the round confetti sprinkles look like sequins.
- Make sure to use sprinkles with a pronounced colour. Pastel colours won't show up well once mixed into the dough and won't be as visible.
- Do not use dragées or sugar pearls, which are very hard and crunchy, too hard for this type of application. The texture would be unpleasant.
- I haven't tried sanding sugar, but I don't think it would be as effective either.
- To make the process easier, I prefer to scoop and portion out all the dough first, then roll all the scoops of dough in granulated sugar all at once.
- Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.
Nutrition
Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 140mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 207IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
