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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Cookies

    Sprinkle Cookies

    Updated: Feb 26, 2020 โ€ข Published: Mar 15, 2019 by Sam Merritt โ€ข 72 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    Sprinkle Cookies

    Fun, colorful, Sprinkle Cookies! Soft, buttery, chewy cookies encased in a colorful sprinkle shell! Oh, and did I mention that there’s no chilling necessary!?  

    Sprinkle cookies cooling on cooling rack

    Happy Friday!

    It also happens to be Zach’s birthday today and while I’d love to say I made these sprinkle cookies to celebrate, unfortunately that’s not the case. The man hates sprinkles. I’m not even kidding here, he hates them. He loathes the texture (!?!), and he especially hates the way they get all over the house every time I make anything that uses them.

    For his birthday he asked that I make him my chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting, and he was adamant that not so much as a single sprinkle should adorn his cake. I guess at 29 he’s really falling into his grumpy old guy stride.

    Anyway, rather than being a festive birthday share, it’s kind of ironic I’m sharing these sprinkle cookies on the birthday of the biggest sprinkle-hater in my life, but here we are. And I have no apologies because these sprinkle cookies are amazing. Soft and chewy on the inside with a candy-like sprinkle coating on the outside… he doesn’t know what he’s missing.

    cookie dough rolled in nonpareil sprinkles

    The base for these sprinkle cookies is a buttery vanilla cookie. I actually based it largely off of my Snickerdoodles recipe, and you’ll notice that this cookie recipe uses cream of tartar.

    I wanted a cookie that was soft and chewy, but not overly sweet on its own. We’re adding a lot of sugary sprinkles to the outside, so a cookie with a subtle tang (thank you, cream of tartar) was the best choice to counter the sweetness.

    AND, there’s absolutely no chilling required with this recipe. I have so many cookie recipes that require chilling, it’s nice to make cookies without needing to use the fridge for once!

    Sprinkle cookies on baking pan after baking

    Tips for Making Sprinkle Cookies

    • Roll your sprinkle cookie dough through the sprinkles immediately after rolling. Immediately after rolling the surface of your cookie dough will be slightly warmed from your hands and sticky enough to pick up all the sprinkles that you roll it through. If you wait and roll out all of your dough and then go back to roll it, the surface will have lost its stickiness and won’t pick up as many sprinkles.
    • Jimmies/traditional sprinkles will work instead of nonpareils. In my opinion I prefer the texture and snappy crunch of the nonpareils and I prefer the way the nonpareils completely coat the cookies, leaving much less cookie showing through than traditional sprinkles do.
    • The centers of your cookies should be ever so slightly underdone when they finish baking. Let them finish cooling completely on the cookie sheet before enjoying. They’ll finish cooking here, too, and will be nice and soft (or at least the interiors will be).

    Sprinkle cookies on cooling rack

    Enjoy!

    Other Recipes You Might Like:

    • Funfetti Cookies
    • Sugar Cookies
    • Chocolate Snickerdoodles
    • Snickerdoodle Blondies

    Sprinkle cookies on cooling rack

    Sprinkle Cookies

    Fun, colorful, SPRINKLE COOKIES! No chilling required! Buttery chewy cookies encased in a colorful sprinkle shell! 
    Be sure to check out the how-to VIDEO at the bottom of the post! 
    5 from 37 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Cookies, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 35 cookies
    Calories: 146kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
    • 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulatedsugar
    • 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose plain flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
    • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ¼ cups nonpareil sprinkles

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until well-combined
      1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulatedsugar
    • Add egg and egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat until thoroughly combined.
      1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until completely combined.
      3 cups (375 g) all-purpose, 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
    • Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.
    • Scoop dough into Tablespoon-sized balls and roll between your palms until smooth and round. Immediately roll through nonpareils until cookie dough ball is completely coated with sprinkles.
      1 ¼ cups nonpareil sprinkles
    • Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 1 ½” apart.
    • Transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 9-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 169IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    More Easy Cookie Recipes

    • French toast cookies with a buttercream pat of butter and syrup being drizzled overtop.
      French Toast Cookies
    • Arrangement of black bottom cookies with the center cookie broken in half showing a cream cheese center.
      Black Bottom Cookies
    • Thick and soft gourmet sugar cookies that have been rolled in sugar before baking.
      Gourmet Sugar Cookies
    • Stack of homemade berger cookies.
      Berger Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amrita

      February 05, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      Hi Sam! Iโ€™m looking forward to baking these cookies. They look so adorable ๐Ÿ˜ I was wondering if I could freeze this dough and for how long?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 07, 2021 at 10:10 pm

        Hi Amrita! You can freeze this dough for a couple of months. Enjoy! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Amrita

          February 09, 2021 at 4:50 am

          5 stars
          Hi Sam! Thank you so much for replying. I tried out your recipe and it was so delicious๐Ÿ˜‹ I love how simple and quick this recipe is too! I also tried making rainbow marbled cookies by colouring the dough and it looked so pretty. Keep up the fab work๐Ÿ’—

        • Sam

          February 09, 2021 at 4:20 pm

          Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Linda

      December 14, 2020 at 3:06 pm

      5 stars
      Can these be rolled in Christmas Sprinkles ?

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 14, 2020 at 10:03 pm

        Sure thing! Enjoy! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    3. Cindy

      October 23, 2020 at 11:33 am

      5 stars
      These sugar cookies are SO good!! They are so easy to make and the taste is amazing. Really the perfect sugar cookie. My whole family loved them, even my husband who doesnโ€™t normally love sugar cookies. I like them on the crispy side, so I left them in a little longer. Iโ€™m making another batch today. Canโ€™t wait to eat them. Thank you for this perfect sugar cookie recipe.

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 23, 2020 at 10:01 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cindy! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Aria

      October 21, 2020 at 5:30 pm

      5 stars
      The cookies was so good I could not stop eating them. This recipe was so good i am going to use it so many more times. You did a great job with the cookies!

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 21, 2020 at 9:05 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Aria! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    5. Katie

      October 05, 2020 at 3:57 pm

      5 stars
      Easy recipe! The cookies were nice and chewy with the awesome crunch from the nonpareil. Will definitely make again!

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 05, 2020 at 9:03 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Katie! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Aria

        October 21, 2020 at 5:37 pm

        5 stars
        The cookies was so good I could not stop eating them. This recipe was so good i am going to use it so many more times. You did a great job with the cookies!

        Reply
        • Sam

          October 21, 2020 at 9:04 pm

          Thank you so much, Aria! I am so glad you enjoyed them. ๐Ÿ™‚

    6. Nayy

      August 29, 2020 at 5:31 am

      5 stars
      Does the egg & egg yolk have to be room temperature or can it be straight from the fridge? Sorry just want to make sure. Can this recipe be tripled?

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 29, 2020 at 11:07 pm

        It’s always best to use room temperature ingredients. You should be able to triple the recipe without issue. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Nayy

          September 01, 2020 at 12:21 am

          5 stars
          Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us all they’re absolutely delicious very sweet but pair wonderfully with coffee since the texture is like shortbread. I tripled this recipe & everything went well thank you again!

        • Sam

          September 01, 2020 at 10:07 am

          I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

    7. LEOMANT

      August 25, 2020 at 11:37 am

      5 stars
      Vivement les prochaines vacances scolaires…en attendant je vais m’acheter de la poudre de tartre, ce n’est pas trop utilisรฉ en France,
      vos chocolate chip cookies sont excellents, merci Sam

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 25, 2020 at 4:56 pm

        I am so glad you enjoy them so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    8. Michelle

      August 21, 2020 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      Great easy, recipe. My 4yo loved rolling the balls in the sprinkles! <3

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 21, 2020 at 9:30 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! Hopefully they didn’t make too much of a mess rolling the cookies! ๐Ÿ˜‚

        Reply
    9. Jan

      July 31, 2020 at 4:45 pm

      5 stars
      First of all, I love your recipes. My husband is extra happy that I found you online.
      I have made these before but today I was out of the multi color nonpareils so I tinted the dough a medium pink and rolled them in all white nonpareils. They are so cute! They would be perfect for a grandchildโ€™s tea party.
      Thank you for all the work you do on these recipes.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        August 01, 2020 at 7:14 am

        I am so glad that you found my site and have enjoyed the recipes that you have tried so far, Jan. Thank you so much for commenting. Your cookies sound adorable and would pair perfectly with a good cup of tea. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Something you may also enjoy is my icebox cookies. Thanks again!

        Reply
    10. Ebbi

      April 08, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious!!! These totally brightened my three-year-oldโ€™s day and were super easy to make!! I am consistently impressed with the quality of your recipes…keep them coming!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        April 09, 2020 at 10:15 am

        Thank you so much, Ebbi! I am happy that these cookies could bring a smile to your kid today. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    11. Deanna

      February 29, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      5 stars
      I made these last night with my niece who loves sprinkles. They were really soft & delicious! Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        February 29, 2020 at 7:49 pm

        I hope that you both had fun making the cookie together, Deanna! I am so glad that they turned out perfectly for you. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    12. Monica

      April 02, 2019 at 1:35 pm

      Is the tartar really necessary or can I skip it?

      Reply
      • Sam

        April 02, 2019 at 3:40 pm

        Hi Monica! I really don’t recommend leaving it out. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Alice

          April 06, 2020 at 7:33 am

          The cream of tartar Helps rise the cookie so you could replace it with baking powder

        • Rodney Greenfield

          August 25, 2020 at 11:25 am

          What is cream of tartar?

        • Sam

          August 25, 2020 at 9:48 pm

          Hi Rodney! You can usually find it in the grocery store with the spices. ๐Ÿ™‚

    13. Melissa Griffiths

      March 25, 2019 at 10:15 pm

      My kids would freak out over these!

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 26, 2019 at 2:01 pm

        I hope they love them! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    14. Caroline

      March 22, 2019 at 8:03 pm

      5 stars
      My sprinkles did not coat the entire ball. I put the ball of dough directly in the sprinkles. Not sure what I did wrong. My cookies came out very hard. I think I baked too long. When I tested the first batch after 9 minutes, I thought the center was too gooey. I should have let them sit instead of returning to oven. They tasted delicious in spite of thinking I was going to lose a tooth. Thank you. Iโ€™ll try again.

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 22, 2019 at 9:03 pm

        Hi Caroline! If the sprinkles don’t stick to the dough, roll the dough ball through your hands for a few more seconds to warm it up and they should stick. They may have been baked too long. It’s best to let them finish cooking on the tray out of the oven to avoid over-baking. I’m glad you still enjoyed them! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Caroline

          March 22, 2019 at 9:17 pm

          Thank you for responding. I enjoy your videos. Have to get it correct because they taste so good. Keep up the good work!

    15. Liana

      March 18, 2019 at 8:18 pm

      Did you put sprinkles around the whole ball of dough? Or just what the top would be, I cant tell in the video. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 18, 2019 at 8:25 pm

        Yup, around the whole ball. Sorry for not making that clearer, Liana!

        Reply
        • Liana

          March 18, 2019 at 8:30 pm

          Thanks for the fast response! I will try them tonight!

        • Sam

          March 18, 2019 at 8:45 pm

          You’re very welcome! I hope you love the cookies! ๐Ÿ™‚

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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