Sprinkle Sugar Cookies are soft buttery drop cookies bedazzled with all the colors of the rainbow ~ customize these easy cookies for your favorite holiday!

I always get the baking urge in January after the holiday crush is over and I have time to enjoy it. These cookies probably should have made it into the Christmas lineup last month, but I figure a great sugar cookie is like a little black dress, it’s never out of place. Accessorize with pink or blue for baby showers, team colors for game day snacks, gorgeous crimson for Valentine’s Day, metallic for an anniversary bash, pastels for Easter…you get the idea.
When it comes to sprinkles I’m a kid at heart. I can’t resist them, I love the colors, the shapes, the crunch… and there aren’t too many desserts that a layer of sprinkles won’t improve. Actual kids love them, too, and love to help make them, so if you’ve got bored housebound little ones hanging around on a snow day, whip up this quick sugar cookie dough and let them take it from there.
The dough comes together like magic in a food processor, no need for extra bowls or mess. You can see it has a beautiful velvety texture in the photo below. Just make sure your egg, butter, and cream cheese are at room temperature. There’s no need to chill it before baking, either. Love that.
Once you’ve rolled your balls of dough in the sprinkles and got them completely covered, you’ll press down gently to flatten them a bit. They bake up into the perfect shape, slightly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
These sugar cookies are just the excuse I need to out my sprinkle stash, I keep all the little bottles in a giant ziplock freezer bag so I can tote them around easily. Sprinkles last forever, so I’ve collected quite an assortment.
types of sprinkles for sugar cookies:
- Nonpareils ~ these are the itty bitty little round ones, and they’re the most historic of the bunch, dating back to the 1800s. They’re the messiest, too, and have a tendency to fly everywhere.
- Sprinkles ~ (Jimmies, hundreds of thousands) these are the classic long shapes and my favorites. I’ll show you how to make them yourself, in this post: HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SPRINKLES.
- Dragรฉes and pearls ~ larger balls with a hard coating, often in metallic colors. While these are pretty, I find them less appealing to eat.
- Confetti ~ (Quinns) these are the little matte finish disks. They come in other shapes, too.
- Multi-shapes ~ nowadays you can get sprinkles in just about any shape you can imagine, from stars and hearts to little holly leaves, shamrocks, and snowflakes.
- Edible glitter ~ super glitzy shimmer, and comes in lots of colors.
- Colored sugar ~ all types, from superfine to large crystal. You can make your own colored sugar, it’s a fun diy project.
*You can also get all natural sprinkles, which are colored with vegetable dyes and are beautiful too, in a more subtle way.
I’m definitely a go big or go home type when it comes to sprinkles, and I like to pile them on, but getting those little guys to stick can be a challenge! When cookies bake, they expand, and the sprinkles spread out leaving gaps. Here are a few tips for getting that fully sprinkled look that everybody loves…
How to get sprinkles to stick to sugar cookies
Here are a few tips for achieving that perfectly sprinkled sugar cookie:
- Put the sprinkles in a small dish deep enough to cover the ball of dough. The deeper the sprinkles, the easier it is to fully coat the dough.
- Work with one cookie at a time, the warmth of your hands will soften the dough and allow the sprinkles to adhere better.
- Push the ball of dough lightly but firmly against the sprinkles to encourage them to thickly coat the surface.
- After flattening the cookies, add additional sprinkles to the top. As the cookie bakes and spreads, they will fill in gaps.
sprinkle sugar cookies make great gifts
These sprinkle sugar cookies are great for gifting because they’re nice and sturdy (and pretty!) Just let them cool completely and then you can package in cellophane bags or decorative boxes.
Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
Video
Equipment
- medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoon size) optional
- food processor optional
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut in pieces.
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 large egg at room temperature.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ยฐF
- Put the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine. Note: I use a food processor but you can use a stand mixer or electric beaters if you prefer.
- Add the butter, sugar, and cream cheese, and pulse until the butter is well incorporated.
- Add the egg and extracts and process until the dough comes together in a lump.
- Scoop dough out with a medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop and roll into a ball with your hands. Roll the balls of dough in sprinkles, making sure to get them completely coated.
- Place the balls of dough on a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Press down on each ball with the back of a drinking glass to flatten slightly. Bake for 8 minutes. Let them cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Make it your own ~
- I’m going to make a chocolate version of these next, I will probably try substituting about 1/4 cup of the flour with an equal amount of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Can you freeze these?
Sugar cookies freeze well, Chauncey, but to be honest I’m not sure about the sprinkles, they could bleed a little bit when you thaw them. I would make the dough and freeze it, then thaw and bake the cookies.
I am the exact same way!! I can’t resist sprinkles! These cookies are the way to my heart <3
These cookies are so pretty! I love that you used all of the different sprinkles on them!
Thanks Bethany ~ gotta love sprinkles ๐
I’m a kid at heard when it comes to sprinkles too!! Every time I pass them in the grocery, I always stop and look and have to resist buying more. These cookies are so fun and are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face ๐
Isn’t it lucky for us they keep forever?
I LOVE sprinkles too.i buy them in bulk 5lb bags and store in pretty glsss jars..look pretty in the kitchen and alwsys on hand?
I love that idea!
Itยดs true, sugar cookies can and should be enjoyed all-year round ๐ not just during the holidays, love this recipe and the images are truly stunning
Thank you Albert, it’s always such fun to photograph anything ‘sprinkled’!
Perfect and unicorn approved. HAPPY FOOD.
haha, thanks!
Iโm really happy to see all your recipes .
You are Amaizing . Iโm glad finally I found person like You who
bring. happiness through cooking.
Thank you .
๐
Yup, sugar cookies are always in fashion! So good at any time. These look terrific — so pretty. And tasty, too, I’ll wager. ๐ Thanks!
These are SO beautiful! Do you have any suggestions as a substitute for the cream cheese? I have a family member who is allergic to cream cheese only!
I’m not sure if she can tolerate Neufchatel cheese, Maura, but that’s very similar.
These cookies just scream happy – I love them!