The rules of cookie math, whether or not you have underlings dictating them to you, are as follows:
- Cookies with butter > cookies without butter
- Cookies with vanilla bean > cookies with vanilla extract
- Larger cookies > smaller cookies
- Cookies with fewer words in the title > cookies with more (see: chocolate, butter, Oreos)
- Cookies with rainbow sprinkles > cookies with chocolate sprinkles and also all other things, ever
A while back, I shared a picture of a sprinkle-covered leftover cookies from an Italian-American bakery — you know, the kind that seem to be permanently staged in every office kitchen, everywhere — on Instagram asking how people felt about them and received a yield of comments and fervor of opinion usually reserved for political websites. Here, at least, we had some consensus: they’re the best (sprinkles! nostalgia! coooookies!) but mostly the worst (artificially flavored, butter substitutes, gummy sprinkles, usually stale). The resolution was clear: make your own at home with real butter and even better vanilla.
I thought this would be the simplest thing, ever, but a few things happened on my way to rainbow sprinkle sugar cookie nirvana, only some of which are likely to happen to you. A quick trip to the magical baking supply store on 22nd Street, you know, the one with an entire aisle of sprinkles, had a completely unsatisfying rainbow sprinkle mix in stock — no blues, no greens, and before I could question the rationality of my own impulses, I had 9 different single-color sprinkle packages in my basket and went home to make my own totally more satisfying rainbow sprinkle mix. I regret nothing. Stop saying I have a sprinkle problem.
The next problem was that I’d mistakenly assumed that the classic American sugar cookie — you know, butter, sugar, an egg, flour, vanilla, dropped from a spoon, baked until they’re all soft-centered and crisp-edged and your apartment smells like birthday cake — was one of those things where everyone had settled on the perfect recipe. Not quite. My first cookie spread into a butter-greased (but delicious, of course) puddle. My second were stiff and stale the next day. My third looked right, but quickly turned brittle and packaged-like. Finally, I turned where I should have begun my search because really, who knows better than the genius bakers at King Arthur, and added cream cheese to the dough and this produced a tender-bellied complex sugar cookie I think we should all make as soon as possible.
The end? No, I had one more problem: I’m lazy, impatient and a slew of other lamentable qualities such as not being sorry about this at all. I don’t want to wait for butter to soften and I don’t want to use multiple bowls to make a dead-simple sugar cookie. And so I made them with cold butter and in the single bowl of a food processor and now you know that you can too. Which brings me to the final rule of cookies:
- Cookies you can make and eat as soon as the craving strikes > cookies that require patience, as if they don’t understand the nature of cookies at all
One year ago: Liege Waffles and Mushrooms and Greens with Toast
Two years ago: Strawbery Rhubarb Crisp Bars
Three years ago: Japanese Vegetable Pancakes
Four years ago: Warm Crisp and a Little Melty Salad Croutons
Five years ago: Leek Toasts with Blue Cheese
Six years ago: Leek Bread Pudding and Oatmeal Pancakes
Seven years ago: Black Bread (still my favorite bread project) and Ranch Rugelach
Eight years ago: Martha’s Macaroni and Cheese
Nine years ago: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and Pickled Garlicky Red Peppers
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Apple Cider Sangria and Date Feta and Red Cabbage Salad
1.5 Years Ago: Pickled Cabbage Salad
2.5 Years Ago: Cranberry Orange Breakfast Buns
3.5 Years Ago: Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
4.5 Years Ago: Baked Pumpkin and Sour Cream Puddings
Confetti Cookies
If you’re using a food processor, no need to soften the butter or cream cheese first. If using an electric hand- or stand mixer, you’ll want them softened before you mix the dough. If you’re using vanilla bean, which I really love here, I find you can maximize the flavor you get out of it by rubbing the vanilla bean seeds right into your sugar, distributing it evenly and giving it extra flavor-releasing abrasion. Then use the sugar as written below.
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 225 grams or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 55 grams or 1/4 of an 8-ounce brick) cream cheese
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1/2 a vanilla bean, split and scraped (see Note up top)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 cup rainbow sprinkles
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking large sheets with parchment paper.
To make with an electric mixer: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and extracts and blend again. Add flour mixture and beat just until flour disappears. In some cases, this dough will feel too soft to roll into balls in your hands; if so, let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before using.
Both methods: Scoop balls of dough — I like these cookies best with a #40, or 1 1/2 tablespoon, scoop; the texture is less dynamic when made smaller — and roll them briefly in the palms of your hands before dropping them in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles and gently rolling to coat them evenly. I find that the sprinkles adhere much better to tacky exterior of balls of dough that have been briefly warmed by your hands — trust me here.
Transfer balls of sprinkle-coated dough to baking sheets at least two inches apart. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press down on the cookies until they are about 1/4 to 1/2-inch tall. If you see any bare spots in the sprinkles that bother you, you can sprinkle a few more on top. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until they look underbaked but lightly golden underneath. [If they’re not quite soft in the center, they will be fully crisped through the next day.] Let set on the baking sheet on a rack for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool the rest of the way. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
This is my go-to sugar cookie recipe. KAF is always reliable, and the addition of cream cheese makes them tasty enough for grown-ups, too. I never thought of sprinkles, though, thanks! (They make great snickerdoodles, too, if you just roll them in cinnamon sugar.)
These cookies are the post-Shabbat services Kiddush staple! I’ve only had them in kosher bakeries, and they have been dry and crumbly. I can’t wait to try this recipe with cream cheese! I bet it’s fantastic.
That is the first thing I thought when my girlfriend gave me these cookies I made mine with rainbow nonpareils look incredible
Would there be any issue with me switching the sprinkles out with nonpareils?
None at all.
This is the fourth time I’m making this recipe and TODAY I realized I’ve been doing it wrong! I have been putting a whole 8oz brick of cream cheese and let me tell you something they taste AMAZING and I’m actually scared to go back to the actual recipe and do 2oz.
I made it with the whole block of cream cheese! Was wondering my dough was NOT powdery!
I accidentally did all the ingredients at once in a food processor and it worked. I blame kids, but it was me not reading. Here to say it worked! And looking forward to doing this again the proper way. Thanks for your recipe! My first sugar cookie.
Do these freeze well?
Love this! Love sprinkles sooooo much, these look like unicorn food. What a perfect balance of colors.
I’m going to make these for my granddaughters and call them unicorn cookies! Thanks! 🦄
<3 I think I'm in love! As soon as I'm up to baking again, these are going on my list!
This might be the first time I’ve ever disagreed with you, but small cookies are clearly superior because you get to eat MORE of them!
there’s no way you could look at these and not be happy! impossible with the colors and the sugar all mixed together to epitomize perfection.
Typo police, I think you’ve missed a word in the last para: “Transfer balls of sprinkle-coated to baking sheets.” And you’re missing “extract” after almond in the 2nd para of instructions.
This sprinkle nostalgia doesn’t infect me, maybe it’s my Australian upbringing. I mean, we HAD them, they just never seemed all that great. And, my adult taste buds usually disapprove, I usually just taste the food dye. Ditto red velvet cake. Ick. Maybe I can make these the next time I have some kids to impress… family reunion coming up… Thanks again :)
araminty — Thanks, now fixed.
Love all your recipes, and I especially love sprinkles! Can you roll and use cookie cutter on this is or is the dough too soft?
I’m making these tonight. As in, I’m typing this as I chill the dough. I’m making them with 100s and 1000s instead of sprinkles so they look like fairy bread’s cousin. Here’s hoping there’s enough surface area to stick!
I made these with 100s and 1000s too! Just pulled them out of the oven.
I regret halving the recipe, never again.
I made this today with my three year old, and they are so phenomenal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Can sour cream be used instead of cream cheese?
No, it would be too thin here.
Has anyone ever tried nixing almond extract but including some lemon zest? I have a few lemon fiends in the house. We LOVE these cookies but wondering if I could make a batch with a nice little extra surprise. Thoughts? Buehler? :-)
Just did lemon zest this time around- yum!!!
Has anyone tried doing these with the measurements for both butter and cream cheese in butter only? Would love to make them but I don’t have cream cheese and really can’t bring myself to go to the shops just for cream cheese!
I just made two batches for the students in the evening college class my husband teaches, & I have to say that the recipe is very forgiving. While making the first batch, my younger adult son called, & listening to him I messed up on the flour quantity. (He’s really smart & talkative, so even though I often don’t understand what he’s saying, I let him talk to help preserve his wife’s sanity!) The dough was like a thick batter, so after adding a bit more flour, I set it aside & did the second batch correctly, then went back & added flour until it reached the same consistency. Both batches turned out great! Thanks for such a forgiving recipe.
Wow I bet you’re fun at parties. Why even comment with such a Debbie Downer attitude about it?
She said “halving” as in only making a half recipe, not “having”.
Has anyone used this recipe for cut out cookies?
If no cream cheese, yogurt? Omit?
Thanks!
I haven’t tested it with anything else but I wouldn’t omit. Perhaps strain the yogurt quite a bit so you have something thicker?
I’d go with more butter, but perhaps not as much as the volume of the cream cheese.
King Arthur recently did a feature on making your own sprinkles….
To make these somewhat diabetic friendly, can you substitute whole wheat flour? Has anyone tried any other substitutes to lower overall sugar content? Love the original but would love a tweek, too.
I was just wondering the same. This is my favorite cookie recipe, and I hesitate to change a single thing. My Prediabetic tweak probably is: just eat one. Still, if I could make it with stevia and whole wheat or oat or almond flour…..
I’ve made this several times and they are wonderful but I’d like to ship these to my girls at college. So you think they’ll last a few days in Tupperware? Thanks
what’s the best way to store these if making a few days ahead of serving. Thanks!
I love these and want to make a Christmas version, but I can’t find that type of sprinkle in red, green and white. Would the crystal sprinkles just melt most likely?
The wonderfully trashy delight that is Eurovision is on this weekend and I’m planning a dessert menu for a party themed exclusively around pink and sprinkles (including your Pink Lemonade Bars and the Fudgy Chocolate Cake remade as minicupcakes, with sprinkles on the icing). And I think I’m now going to have to find extra sprinkles and make these too…
Totally stealing this idea for the next Eurovision party! Thanks!
Has anyone made this recipe as a bar cookie with the sprinkles on top? Seems it should work well. I’m baking large quantities of cookies for a food program for needy kids & want to make a sprinkle cookie. This recipe sounds great.
Do you think these would freeze well?
Any luck with the freezing? I’m about to try, but if you didn’t have results, I won’t :)
I roll into balls, and then into sprinkles, flatten a little and freeze the dough all the time – I have frozen the baked cookies in plastic baggies and they’re fine. But it’s never been for more than a week or so just because my grandkids eat them -)). So, don’t know for longer storage.
They freeze fine! I put them in my assortment of Christmas cookies last year– I make giant batches of cookies (maybe one a week), freeze them, and then just pull a few of each kind for a cookie plate as needed.
I followed the 10 minute baking time, and took them out per the recipe, but then nice they cooked it turned out they were still raw! Has anyone else needed longer in the oven?
No. Mine were perfect with the 10 minute time and two trays. I have an oven thermometer so I know I’m baking at the right temperature.
Yes, I baked for 10 minutes and they were not done. Trying again tomorrow, if anyone else has this issue, let me know what time worked for you.
These are so fun! I’ve had them and never liked them but I bet a homemade version with butter would make them addicting.
Everytime I pass by a bakery, I pick up a handful of sprinkle cookies for my kids. I would LOVE to make these for a party next week. Thanks for the recipe!
Nothing makes me happier than A) SPRINKLES aka JIMMIES-hay I’m from Jersey and B) Butter cookies! Oh and The NY Cake and Decorating store even if the help are MEANIES!
These look so yummy! I cant wait to try them. They seem to hold their shape pretty well, do you think these would work with cookie cutters (minus the sprinkles)?
How long do these keep for? I’d love to make them for my neighbors, just wondering how far in advance I can. Thanks!
They keep for a week but have the most complex texture in the first few days.
I’ve never really given much thought to sprinkle cookies, but now that I do I realize they’re structurally similar to snowflake crinkles (or whatever people call those confectioner’s-sugar-covered magic balls where they’re from). Hunh! Well I’ll be.
this might distract from my toddler wanting “train cookies” , thank you!
Oooh — I’ve been looking for another cookie for an upcoming Canada-themed party (I have the standard maple-leafed shaped sugar cookie that I’ll ice in red/white). This, rolled in white jimmies, and then iced with the word “eh” in red when cool — what do we think, eh? ;)
These are so beautiful! I thought that I had outgrown my sugar cookie phase, but these pictures alone have proven me wrong. I need these in my life immediately. BRB, going to get as many sprinkles as possible.
I love the combination of vanilla and almond extracts in a sugar cookie. The almond enhances the vanilla flavor more than it stands on it’s own. These are also my favorite type of sprinkle; they are almost like a granular frosting that just looks festive!
Very much agree!
Instead of using a glass to press the cookies, what’s that instrument you used?
kathy w — Well, if you must know, I own a 2-pound meat pounder that I use for almost everything but cutlets (smashing shack burgers, smooshing twice-cooked baby potatoes, cookies). :)
I just made these and also have the meat pounder that I use for smashing everything!
Why hasn’t every cookie ever looked exactly like these?
I have made Lottie & Doof’s version of these (“Sugar Saucers”) and they are the FUNNEST cookies ever. My modification: I subbed half of the butter with coconut oil. Even better than the original! If you need more sprinkle cookies in your life (who doesn’t??!?!), try them with some coconut oil!
Off-topic: I’ve recently moved to Denver, and am struggling with altitude baking. The main issue is that they dry out after no more than one day. I’ve found a few guides online, but they are wordy/confusing and not the end-all-be-all guide that I’m dreaming of. Do you know if said guide exists??
I adore the confetti cookies at the Italian bakeries (and the ones with the jam in the center, and the ones shaped like red and green leaves). And that baking store DOES have the most paltry selection of rainbow sprinkles. It’s so disappointing. I really should just make my own mix…I surely have enough sprinkles in my cabinet.
I’m not sure on which social media I saw this in since I follow you in several places (does this make me a stalker?? ACK!) Anyway, you had posted a glorious picture of your sprinkle collection and I was wondering where you get them from? I am in a perfect chocolate sprinkle deficit! The place where I had found the perfect chocolate sprinkle – not crunchy (ick!!) perfectly waxy and more of a milk chocolate rather then dark chocolate flavor – has since gone out of business and I just can’t seem to find a reasonable replacement. Tried Fairway (Yuck). Tried Amazon (eh). Tried Dags (eh). Don’t know where to turn next. Any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated. :-)
Terri,
I get semi-sweet chocolate sprinkles from King Arthur Flour that are very good. They are $6.95 for 6 oz. at 42.4% cocoa content. I find the container lasts quite a long time.
Stacey
King Arther does not carry them anymore. Could you possible give me another suggestion of where to buy sprinkles?
I’ve been using these:
A Great Surprise
4.2 out of 5 stars 216 Reviews
Natural Sprinkles Rainbow – Rainbow Sprinkles with No Artificial Colors – Carnival Sprinkles in Resealable Container, 2.2 LB Bulk Candy
I am grateful for your dogged persistence when creating better versions of nostalgic cravings. These are joy in a cookie form.
I love sugar cookies so much!! These are super cute :)
Lindsay/22 – Pie in the Sky by Susan G Purdy is invaluable for high altitude baking. I’ve probably made at least half of her recipes and every single one has turned out perfectly.
Deb, what do you think about these for ice cream sandwiches? I just now saw that you have cookie recipes specifically for this purpose, but that was after I told my turning-4-year-old I’d make them for her pre-school celebration. (It was these cookies that inspired me to make the ice cream sandwiches in the first place).
So obviously I’m going ahead as planned- any tips for this purpose? I think it will just be key not to overbake, so they stay a little pliable.
Thank you!
I haven’t tested these out, but I have three thoughts: 1. Some sprinkles are a little runny/smudgy when frozen, but not all. In general, it hasn’t been an issue. 2. I think that these will freeze fairly well for a butter cookie; definitely make sure they’re not baked hard, but kept on the tender side. 3. Here’s the part I haven’t tested but would be remiss if I didn’t mention: I find that non-butter cookies (i.e. shortening or margarine or oil) tend to freeze up less hard, which might make for a better ice cream cookie. I hope to test out this theory this summer, but if you’ve got time, see how they work with a coconut oil or the like, keeping in mind they might spread a little more.
This is a late thank you, but thank you for this quick reply! I ended up getting an unexpected habcr yo make the cookies immediately after sending the question, so I didn’t see this advice until the butter was already in. Here’s my report on using the recipe as is, though- the cookies stayed soft e ouch, that was no problem. However, next time, I will use your ice cream sandwich cookie recipe. While delicious, these made for too high a cookie : ice cream ratio, and also squished the ice cream out too much. As you might have expected. Anyhow, thanks again for the reply and the recipe – these have turned into a new family favorite since my aunt first made them in December.
Saw your Insta post, clicked for the recipe and IMMEDIATELY took 2 sticks of butter out of the fridge to soften. Made these last night and was astonished at how easy they came together! What a fast, fun and delicious project. Cream cheese adds just the right tang and texture. Froze 1/2 the dough to pull out in a week for Xmas cookies (red and green sprinkles at the ready!). Sharing with ALL of my friends and family and can’t wait to experiment with other flavored extracts (rum? orange? coconut?). THANK YOU!
These look so delicious!! I will DEFINITELY have to give them a try this weekend :) I’m on a big cake batter kick myself, and I was in the market for something to fill my cookie tin (now that I have but one lone Cake Batter Blondie left)…until now!
Tender-bellied!!!
you’re a genius.
Lindsay/22, having grown up in the west, I’d guess your problem is less the altitude and more the dry air. Relative humidity on the high desert (which is what much of the west is) is much lower than either coast, running around 20-30% much of the year. When I was a kid and we’d picnic, the standard procedure was to leave the other half of your sandwich wrapped until you were ready for it. Make sure you store your cookies in airtight containers, and for longer term, freezing works fantastically.
“Mom’s Big Book of Baking” has a similar cookie without the cream cheese. They’re good, but this sounds much better.
Cook’s Illustrated had a tip to store vanilla bean halves upside down in vodka. The vodka works its way up the bean, making it easy to squeeze all of the seeds out (instead of getting stuck inside the pod). Haven’t tried it yet but thought I’d add a note about it here.
I know you already know this, but your daughter (and son!) is possibly the cutest thing in this world. And these cookies are the perfect treat for college graduation gifts! Making them TONIGHT!
Deb! How do you get your homemade Vanilla so dark? I keep mine aging for AGES and it does not get that dark? Help! Thanks – these cookies look grandson worthy!
Lisa — Not sure what proportions you’re using, but I use these. Maybe more beans? And this bottle is probably almost a year old now.
Loved the look of these but the dough was so dry! No need to refrigerate or worry about them crisping up. I used three cups of flour, will try weighing next time instead. Any other thoughts?
This is so NYC awesome: I was reading this on the subway and thinking about Merrill Stubbs mom’s cream cheese cookies and then I looked up and there was Merrill!
I adore rainbow sprinkle cookies in every hydrogenated iteration.
How fun! I haven’t tried sugar cookie dough with cream cheese. I usually have a log or two of sugar cookie dough in the freezer, ready to be sliced and baked at a moment’s notice if somebody comes by. This is good because (1) hot cookies impress guests (2) frozen dough is too hard for me to eat raw.
The magic of sprinkles is manifold. I made a pinata cake a few years ago, with sprinkles in the dough and M&Ms in the hole; it was very impressive until you cut about the third piece, at which point it fell apart. And there’s the Dutch breakfast of hagelslag, or chocolate sprinkles, which I don’t really approve of but am fascinated by.
And as a math nut, I really love the way you laid out this post!
You do not have a sprinkles problem. The only “sprinkles problem” one can have it to not realize how wonderful sprinkles are.
Typo alert: in the first line of instructions it says “two baking large sheets” instead of “two large baking sheets.”
Darn, I almost bought cream cheese last night and decided against it. Now I’ll have to wait until Saturday to make these.
I have some fruit flavored hagelslag (sprinkles) from Amsterdam. This cookie recipe is a perfect use for them. Thank you.
how do you store 9 jars of sprinkles? space is an issue for me. my cupboards runneth over!
Awads — Ha! I have this overflow shelf thing outside the kitchen where they’re currently piled until I put up some shelves in the kitchen. But even in my tiny space, I could fit these in the cabinet. Together, they’re like the size of 2 bottles of oil.
If only the issues on political websites were solved so easily. Maybe they could be if these cookies were served before any debate/meeting/etc. ;)
These look super cute!
Those cookies look soo yummy! What a terrific recipe. Thanks for sharing :)
They look so very colorful and I bet they taste amazing!
This new recipe post makes me so happy! Sprinkles are highly underrated – I love sprinkles and how joyful they are; you can’t help but smile when presented with a sprinkles-laden sweet treat!
This is my first post, but not my first time visiting your blog or trying one of your recipes — I love Monday mornings because I know I’ll have a tempting newsletter from you in my Inbox. Thanks for all of your hard work, thorough and entertaining posts, and tried-and-tested recipes! I have loved each one I’ve made and eagerly bookmark multiple recipes a day!
I am going to make these cookies ASAP (i.e., tomorrow night!) – I love cookies, Italian bakeries, and recreating said treats from said bakeries at home! Thanks so much!! Sprinkles!
Thank you so much for your hard work in this! I would not have guessed that cream cheese was the secret. I can’t wait to try it!
A cookie recipe with rainbow sprinkles AND uses the food processor (my boys’ favorite kitchen appliance)!! I can’t wait to make these with my little boys tomorrow! Also? Little Anna!! She’s adorable!
Brilliant! Any chance you’d like to take on a homemade Stella d’Oro Swiss Fudge cookie next? http://www.stelladoro.com/products/cookies/swiss-fudge/ I had a ‘real’ one once at a bakery in Rome and can’t stop dreaming about it, so buttery and fudgy….
Fran — What a great idea!
These look like they would be the most popular dessert at a potluck!
I love any cookies with sprinkles, as a rule ;) Especially if they’re sugar cookies coated in rainbow sprinkles!! :)
Perfect with lemon extract subbed for almond. And unfortunately, I am the one with a sprinkles problem. I only had a tablespoon left in the jar.*sniff* Hopefully, the rest will taste just as good naked.
Is that the plastic dough blade in the Cuisinart or the metal slicing blade?
Karl — I’m using the regular metal slicing blade.
Oh, Loverly— Both the cookies w/SPRINKLES AND
your “Underling!” I have missed seeing her!
But really, you need to figure out a recipe for
those of us who’d love such red curlycues!! She
is darling! And SO our the cookies-just what my grands
Would love!
Terri – Len Libby out of Maine makes real, delicious and homemade chocolate jimmies.
These are so fun! I totally just made these-sprinkles and all! They are as yummy as I hoped they would be!!!
I love confetti cookies! I haven’t attempted homemade dough yet! Let’s see how this turns out. Thank you for sharing!
To Terri,
the King Arthur Baker’s catalogue has genuine chocolate sprinkles
how do you store these? can you take them to an outside party? or do they have to be in the fridge
My son is turning four next week and with his love of sprinkles this is perfect timing. I’ve decided I must make them! I think he may be more excited about these than the presents I bought! Thank you
The reason I’m so faithful to your blog is for your writing, but today I was so dazzled by all the COLOURS that I couldn’t pay attention and had to skip ahead to the recipe. Sorry and thank you, I can be found in the kitchen for the next few hours.
Hello. I am new to your blog today, and I haven’t made any of your recipes yet, but you totally got me when I read the recipe for your sprinkle cookies and you have catered for everyone (including me here in Melbourne Oz) with measurements in cups, grams and every other variation. Thank you! Now going to follow you religiously. Anita
Thanks for the laugh in the morning- maybe I’ll have to get 9 different colours of sprinkles too, just to make the world a little more colourful!
Are these chewy and soft or end up more crumbly or are they cakey? The texture is not clear and I’m looking for a chewy soft sprinkle cookie. Also, what are they like the next day vs. fresh out of oven. Are they more like Christmas cookies or chewy sugar cookies? Thank you!
They are not chewy soft – they have the perfect amount of crispiness while still being tender. After about 3 days, they aren’t quite as wonderfully crisp, but only those of us who bake them and eat them hot off the baking pan would notice – they disappear just as quickly.
They are exactly what the confetti cookies at Italian bakeries should be, if they were fresh and made with real ingredients instead of pre-packaged cookie dough. We’re traveling to visit family this weekend and I’m putting a batch together to bring as a gift. I’m sure they’ll be a hit!
Hi Deb, These look exactly the same – will have to try the different dough though!
http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2013/01/sugar-saucers/
You know how some kids can’t be cajoled into eating foods that look too wholesome? Many parents go to great lengths to sneak wholesome ingredients into foods that look like mac-and-cheese, or cookies.
I find that the grown-ups in my life do the opposite: they turn their noses up at foods that look too delightful, too fun, too pleasurable. It’s as though they’d be ashamed to be caught eating something that’s pure delight – that stuff is kid stuff!
I can see how this recipe would appeal to adult palates more than most sugar cookies, what with the vanilla bean and the cream cheese: there is some complexity here! The big people will love them! Maybe I could fool my too-grown-up-for-their-own-good friends to give these cookies a chance if I skipped the jimmies and replaced them with… I don’t know. Raw pumpkin seeds? Bean sprouts? Kale? (Don’t worry. I am kidding.)
I do have one question regarding these, and most cookies: I don’t have a food processor, a stand-mixer or even a hand-blender. I have to do my cookie dough by hand. I use room-temperature butter but it’s still a major workout for my right bicep, and I feel that I still can’t get the butter and sugar beaten until properly fluffy.
Any tips for facilitating my old-school process and improving the texture of the finished product?
I did these by hand last night, as I didn’t want to wake the kids. It wasn’t hard with softened, and they came out great. I’ve read that you don’t want fluffy butter in cookies anyway, that’s for cakes, and I don’t like cakey cookies
I made them this morning! They look and smell amazing.
I’ve done this (sprinkles) with the America’s Test Kitchen chewy sugar cookie recipe which also uses cream cheese (a bit less) and melted butter–it’s one bowl and lends itself to those days I want cookies but am too lazy and impatient to wait for butter to soften. :)
King Arthur! The best!
The texture! Storage! — How could I forget? Oh right, I was distracted by SPRINKLES. The texture will vary by how you bake it. I like it a little underbaked when it comes out. The centers will be tender, the edges firm. I store them at room temperature in an airtight container. The next day, the ones that were tender on day one are slightly more firm but still soft-ish in the center, edges still firm. The ones that were baked until firm are still firm. I find these excel at what I consider a larger size (that 2.5-inch one from a #40 scoop or about 1.5 tablespoons); from a smaller (about 1T) scoop, it was hard to get a nuanced texture, though I’m sure with a minute less baking time it would have been fine. The photo at the top here is of the smaller size. The baking time is for the larger size.
P.S. This is really not a roll-out cookie dough but King Arthur says if you’d like to make it so, add another 1/2 cup of flour and chill the dough pressed into a flat/disc shape. [Let us never talk about the rabbit hole I just went down over disc vs. disk because I haven’t had coffee yet and both spellings now look weird to me.]
Terri/24: If you can find chocolade hagelslag you will never buy anemic American sprinkles again. They will blow your mind! They come in milk, dark and extra dark flavors and they’re fabulous on toast or in baking.
Taste Of France/37: I prefer muisjes or anijs hage on buttered bread (or better yet buttered waffles!!) for breakfast, The chocolade hagel is my brother’s favorite, though. I know it sounds weird but once you try it….mmmmm
Sprinkle nostalgia! Growing up there was an independently owned donut shop (which now of course no longer exists at all) across from my house that made a donut with vanilla icing and the top completely covered with this type of sprinkles. It was my favourite! Now the big chain donut shops tend to only use the round-shaped coloured sprinkles (which have, if I may, a totally different texture that is completely unworthy). I don’t, however, have a sugar cookie nostalgia since we were more shortbread and chocolate chip growing up! I’ll have to try these though…
These look fantastic and we’re making them with the kids this weekend! Quick question – I have a giant container of rainbow nonpareils. Would those work too?
Thanks :)
These are beautiful! I’ve never made confetti cookies from scratch, but I did share some funfetti donuts this week – what a coincidence! I’ve got to try these!!
I saw this recipe yesterday, went home, made them, brought them into work today, and I’m a star in the office. :)
I used the food processor technique (I may or may not have had my food processor out to make your galette dough already). The dough did not end up quite as well mixed as I thought it might – but perhaps my food processor was really too small for that amount of dough. I am definitely planning to make them again – will try the mixer technique next time to see if I prefer that.
Thanks for your awesome recipes!! You are my go to baking site.
Deb – You should make your own sprinkle mix and sell it. I’d buy it! Yours look beautiful, and so much better than the mix I get at my grocery store, or even what I’ve been able to find online.
…the picture of your daughter in the swing!! So cute I could eat her!! (In a very non-creepy way, of course)
I have to add to your cookie math: cookies that you drop / cookies that you roll and cut. I like drop cookies, I’m too lazy to roll & cut ;-)
Monica.
Wait, you didn’t tell us the most important part! What sprinkles did you use in which proportions to get your ideal mix?!
Perfect quick activity with a toddler – although he ended up eating more sprinkles than applying. I added an extra egg just to make the dough come together a little bit easier and it worked great.
These look amazing – I have the urge to use them in ice cream sandwiches (must be the sprinkles)! Any recommendation on using a structurally softer cookie in this way?
Had to do a1/2 batch test the minute I saw this. Neighbors’ kids are going to be in heaven! Texted a pic of the finished product to my own kids (35 & 31) who live on the other coast & they’re pouting because they can’t have any.
I am excited for these. I, too, love Italian cookies. Have you made the almond pine nut ones? My dad’s partner swore by the King Arthur mix for them so the recipe is probably good too. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/italian-pignoli-cookies-recipe
I just printed out your recipe here and noticed on the bottom of the page that the copyright says 2006-2013. Does that matter? (I am not planning on using any of your content, I just wondered if it should say 2016.)
meera — 1 part of each of the 8 colors (red, pink, orange, yellow, light green, dark green, blue, purple) and 2 parts white. The white really helps the colors show up!
Trisha — Thank you. Now fixed! Haven’t made the pignoli cookies yet but I trust they have a good version.
Abby — There’s a note on KA about adding a little corn syrup to make the cookies a little softer/chewier, says they’ll spread more too. Underbake so they’re not rock hard when they’re frozen.
Now that you’ve taken care of these could you fix the ones the same bakeries sell that are ridged and half dipped in chocolate?
I contend many recipes are better with sprinkles! Love them with this KAF cookie recipe! I have a family recipe for cutout cookies that is a staple at Christmas-time. It also uses cream cheese, and the cookies are so tender! Probably one of my favorite cookie recipes. I like your food processor technique with this one.
These cookies are so good – and the tri color cookies so. Made as you suggested and they are perfect. I am wondering if you have any recommendations for making them gluten free? My daughter – who loves these cookies- is now gluten free (for medical reasons) and I am converting a ton of my recipes. Any guidance would be welcome.
Those are the prettiest cookies I’ve seen in a long time.The colors are fabulous..zingy and festive.I could just stare at the photo and be perfectly satisfied.That is the hallmark of good cooking. You don’t even have to taste it, the photo speaks!!!!!
These tasted like what they were– delicious sugar cookies coated in sprinkles. What’s not to love? I think next time I’d try the mixer version– my aged food processor was struggling a bit and I didn’t get all the fat mixed in as well as I would like, so some of the cookies got a little slumpy. I forgot to squish a batch and I like the unsquished ones better. I got 2.5 dozen, but that could be due to my enormous cookie scoop.
Deb, you’re amazing! There is no such thing as a sprinkles problem (ahem, an entire shelf in the cupboard), you’re a baller for making your own mixed sprinkles, and there is definitely something to be said for immediately satisfying the need. I was overjoyed when I discovered the Milk Bar chocolate chip cookie recipe (from the second book) was designed to be made BY HAND in ONE go! A miracle! Also, cream cheese sugar cookies are seriously the BEST!
Can you really taste the cream cheese? I’m not a fan of the flavour at all by itself, but can tolerate it if it’s not really noticeable. These look DELICIOUS! I wonder how they’d convert to gluten free?
It is so funny to me that people who would freak out at the thought of two drops of food coloring are open armed (open mouthed?) to colorful sprinkles! Just sayin’ ;)
i recently ordered sprinkles from the sweetapolita blog – my 2 year old daughter carried the jars around for a month as her friends (she calls them sparkles not sprinkles – which i like so much better!) until she let me use them on her birthday cakes. they were the most beautiful sprinkles i have ever seen. shipping from canada is spendy, but it was worth it.
Just baked these. They taste insanely good! A salty cream cheese taste on the inside with a crisp sweet crust. My only gripe is that mine didn’t look quite as pretty as yours as the sprinkles melted a bit more than those on your picture. They were in the oven a bit longer as they turned out bigger. Is it just the brand of sprinkles?
I have personally been trying to find a recipe to make the Italian bakery sprinkle cookies for years now, to no avail. Of course, not all of the bakery versions are made equal and I’m sure everyone has a specific idea of the cookie we’re talking about based on their experience. I have found variants that have been interesting, but my ideal is a version that has an almost soft, cake-like texture and reads more like a butter cookie than a sugar cookie. I usually pull most of my recipes from KAF and if they’re saying this is a sugar cookie, then I’m a bit skeptical that this is going to have that fluffiness that I’ve been trying to find. Please tell me I’m wrong and end my search!
Made these with my kid yesterday, big thumbs up all round. They are so sweet he can only eat half of one, which is a bonus! They are sorting out my preggo cravings a treat, so thanks!
I have been fighting the urge to make these for three days, but finally caved today. I actually had to buy the more expensive bottle of rainbow because the cheaper ones didn’t have PINK SPRINKLES! What is wrong with these people?
Anyway, they are amazing!
Just made these, using ricotta instead of cream cheese (as it was on hand), so judge the value of my comment accordingly. These don’t taste like the Italian bakery cookies, which as far as I’m concerned is all to the good; I don’t like that powdery quality much. They spread a lot; they took a long time to cook (I think something is up with my oven, not the recipe); they look adorable; and they taste good. I think they’ll be very welcome at my friend’s birthday brunch tomorrow. Also, did you roll 360° of your balls in sprinkles? It seemed odd to have sprinkles on the bottom, so I left the bottoms bare. So to speak.
A while ago I got multicolored sprinkles at Sahadi’s: your nine colors except dark blue instead of purple. It never occurred to me to critique a sprinkle color mix, which is one illustration of why you’re the food writer and I’m not.
These are adorable! I think your yield may be off, though. I halved the recipe and scooped flat #40s, only got 14!
This cookies are SO good. Cannot stop eating them. Is that bad?
These are so lovely. I made them immediately! All I had on hand was a jar of nonpareils which is a much different texture, but they turned out beautifully. My twins loved them.
A bakery favorite since childhood, I’ve been searching for a wonderful sprinkle cookie ever since going gluten-free— turns out I just had to make it myself– and this is it! I used cup4cup flour (my regular go-to gf flour) and india tree “nature’s colors” (no synthetic dyes) sprinkles (and my usual organic: butter, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract). So good. So so good. Thank you!! Would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who needs to do a gluten-free flour switchout!
any sense of how this dough will freeze? making a pilot batch for my son’s birthday. would be nice to just save half and use next month! they are so cute..can’t wait to taste test in t-minus 5 mins!
These are beautiful and delicious. We didn’t have rainbow sprinkles so we used sugar dinosaurs and rainbow sparkling sugar (both KAF), and they’re lovely. Your food processor must be much larger than mine, I ended up dumping the contents into a bowl and using my hand mixer. I only got 18 cookies, and per the house carpenter, mine aren’t bigger (height or diameter) than called for. Will definitely make again!
Hi Deb, wonderful cookies! Everyone in my family loved them. What is the benefit of using parchment paper as opposed to aluminum foil? I use aluminum foil because that is what I have; however many recipes use parchment paper.
Rebecca — So interesting! I have pretty much never done anything but roast vegetables on aluminum. It’s reactive; I figure that’s nothing but trouble with acidic ingredients (although there are few here). Parchment or baking paper is nonstick coated, releases everything. You can also use silpats or silicon baking mats.
When I saw this recipe/photos this week I knew I was going to make these for a 82 year young dear friends birthday party. Loved that it was all made in the food processor. Less dirty dishes! The end results texture was spot on however I thought they were a bit too sweet. Don’t look too closely at the ingredients on the sprinkles they are special party time decoration. The next time I will cut the sugar and use the sprinkles from Whole Foods being they will be better cleaner ingredients. Thank you for sharing. Another note, they took longer to bake in my oven. Time to check the calibration.
I like sprinkles, but really only on my soft serve ice cream. This look tasty, I’m thinking about making them, and incorporating some finely chopped chocolate… I’ll let you know how it goes.
These look so fun!!! I love sprinkles and making my baking as playful as possible
Thanks to Maggie, Marcia, & Merikay for the sprinkle suggestions! I of course got impatient in waiting for a reply and came up with the idea of the NY Cake store down on 22nd St. here in NYC. I ordered rainbow, pink and light chocolate sprinkles. (Can you believe they had light chocolate and dark chocolate listed separately??!!) They have a wonderful waxy texture that I was looking for (as I mentioned I hate crunchy hard sprinkles) and the flavor of the light chocolate is right up there. Not perfect, but very close to the ones that I love that I can’t find anymore since Waldenbaums went out of business. Just to make my taste testing complete, I will try the King Arthur and Len Libby ones. Maggie, the dutch sprinkles….oh you are speaking my language as I have a box of them in my cabinet. Any country that puts chocolate sprinkles on buttered toast for breakfast is a country ok in my book and one that I need to visit!
I just made these this afternoon and they are AWESOME. I tend to like a softer cookie so I made them on the larger size (yield: just over 2 dozen) and can’t wait to bring them into the office for my coworkers to devour. I’m generally a terrible baker (short attention span and lack of attention to detail) but your recipes are building my confidence! :)
Just made those. Super easy to make and they look so pretty! Next time will do a tiny bit less sugar – they were a tad too sweet for my tastes but I guess it’s in the name “sugar cookies”. Also had to cook them for 11minutes but were not too done at all. Yield halving the recipe (one full egg) and using a tablespoon scoop was 25 cookies. Thank you for posting the recipe!
I used a #40 scoop and got 23 cookies. And the cook time was closer to 15 minutes for non-raw dough. But! The kids are happy campers.
Also, definitely agree, these are some SERIOUSLY sweet cookies. I might play around with a less sweet version next batch.
Hi All,
I made these with chocolate sprinkles (real chocolate, not vaguely chocolate flavored wax).For anyone who is considering making these with chocolate instead of colored sprinkles, I caution you to not reduce the amount of sugar in the cookie dough. I found them to not be very sweet at all. I’m on Team Crunchy Cookie so I baked them for 13 minutes and they had a lovely texture.
A tip for those who don’t have cookie scoops. I weigh the whole batch of dough, then divide the number by the number of cookies. I then know how much dough to use for each cookie.
These were so easy to make and turned out perfect. I think next time I’ll cut back the sugar a bit because the sprinkles are already so sweet. But still so very good!
Really delicious. Not too sweet at all, I think it has the perfect level of sweetness.
My sons (6 and almost 4) and I made these cookies this afternoon. My floor is covered in sprinkles but that somehow doesn’t matter; all three of us had so much fun! The boys were excited to roll the dough, pick which color sprinkles they wanted to use, and flatten the balls with a glass before baking. Added bonus: the cookies are delicious! Thank you, Deb! This recipe is yet another from your blog that will be put into our “regular rotation”.
These remind me of another favorite from when I was growing up on Long Island, and I’ve never had any since that were any good. They were finger-length sugar cookies with jam sandwiched between. One end was dunked in chocolate and coated with sprinkles. Could these work as those cookies, or do you have another recipe that would work for that format? Thank you for bringing back memories of our childhood – my father would bring home a few cookies like these from the bakery every Sunday morning!
I made these cookies with my daughters (5 and 3) yesterday. We loved making them and loved eating them. The recipe was delicious and forgiving (measurements tend to get fudged a bit when I bake with my kids). My older daughter declared sprinkle cookies her new favorites — better than chocolate chip! — which is saying a lot. Thanks for the great idea and great recipe.
Ditto for Suzanne’s comment (96)! You MUST check out the sprinkle medleys at the sweetapolita shop. It is absolutely the start of a down-the-sprinkle-rabbit-hole, but they are so luxuriously cute!
Major props for this rendition – I had always been disappointed at the dryness of these cookies as a child, but you have instilled hope in these otherwise hopeful-looking cookies!
Deb, Don’t know if someone already spotted/recommended this, but Fairway sells sprinkles in bulk that are the real deal (enough colors, the bright ones, have some flavor), as well as dark chocolate ones. We went splitsies on our batch yesterday; no regrets.
Comment #8 returning to say that I made these with gluten free flour (Doves Farm for those living in the UK) over the weekend and they were perfect. Did a basic 1-to-1 swap, plus a tiny pinch of xantham gum. Got rave reviews from everyone except my boyfriend, who thought they were too sweet with the sprinkles. Which just means more colourful cookies for me!
I made these with three kids yesterday and they loved them! I made the dough first (loved using the food processor!) and they shaped, dipped and flattened. And ate! These cookies are so fun, I’m taking the extras to work. Thanks!
I can’t get over Sweetapolita. Now all I want for my birthday and Christmas is jars of sprinkles. Their insta made me swoon.
I’m back (original comment #111) to say that i did make these with a 10oz bag of chocolate chips thrown in the food processor first, i also used 1/3 whole wheat flour (so i could maintain the illusion that these are not jsut unabashed buttery sugary cookies). I have several observations: 1- food processing chocolate chips is a very noisy endeavor, and should not be done while your toddler is still napping. 2 – Deb’s food processor must be quite a bit bigger than mine, as i had to remove half the dough to get enough room for things to really mix up. 3 – the cookies turned out delicious and quite chocolately – but contrary to what other posters are saying, i found them to be very sweet. I can’t imagine the chocolate chips added that much sweetness, but maybe so. I baked one whole sheet, and then scooped, shaped, and froze the rest of the dough for later baking.
I made these on Friday and my husband’s poker night (basically all dads) ate almost every one. While drinking beer and eating pizza. This alone is proof to me of how awesome they were! Definitely need a repeat soon.
Underlings is right – as I type I have miss8 looking on. Upon spying these cookies she said ‘ we will have to make these.’ She’s correct :)
How lovely your cookies. Very nice and colourful and the recipe looks very simple. Bookmarked! I like all your recipes.
I came here today, 19 weeks pregnant and starving, looking for healthy dinner ideas to round out my week’s meal plan. THANKS A LOT, DEB. No, really. My five year old and I will love making these tomorrow! Fetus needs sprinkles! (I’ll also make your Broccoli Slaw ;) )
These were DELICIOUS! We loved them. I measured 1 1/2 T of dough (I don’t have that size cookie scoop) and each piece of dough weighed 30 g but I only got 30 cookies, so must have done something wrong.
Deb, My four year old daughter and I made these buttery cookies, including the almond extract, which were easy to make together and delicious! I’m not sure who had a harder time waiting for them to cool…The dough recipe is my dream cookie!! I decided to roll a few dough balls in sesame seeds. Voilá, my favorite Italian sesame seed cookie, without the risk of it being stale. Thank you!
These cookies are easy to make, taking little time at all. They are delicious and taste just as good the second day. I brought them to a budget meeting last night. Best budget meeting ever!
I can’t wait to try these cookies. FYI–a good rainbow sprinkles item is available on nuts.com, which has a lot of high-quality products.
THANK YOU FOR THE METRIC! <3 So much easier for me to write my shopping list now, I'm having a kids' party this weekend (for my sins). Excellent!
Since early toddlerhood, my son Ben has LOVED anything with colored Sprinkles. As he was graduating from Brooklyn Law School this past Monday, I decided to bake him a batch of your Confetti Cookies. OMG! What a hit those cookies were. He can’t stop talking about how amazing they looked and tasted. The timing of your post was perfect. He won’t ever forget it. I’ve already been asked to make a 2nd batch.
Thanks so much,
Pam Riesenberg
I made these for my office this week, and not only are they delightfully cheerful, they’re also delicious! I must have a slightly larger 2 Tbs scoop, and the cookies are so sweet that I’ll make them smaller next time. But, they are a sugar cookie so you know what you’re in for. I took your cue to to build your own mix by adding some white and lime green sprinkles to my rainbow mix to brighten it up. Also, thanks to Sheldon on Big Bang Theory, we now know that confetti is plural and that one piece is a confetus. As in, I just brushed a stray pink confetus off my keyboard.
Deb, we loved these! Made them with my boys (7 and 4) and had fun making and rolling them. Was a terrific way to use up a couple half empty bottles of sprinkles.
I’m on my third batch of these, they are so great! For folks who might prefer a less sweet version, I used Stella Parks’s toasted sugar (so easy, see technique here http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/05/dry-toasted-sugar-granulated-caramel-recipe.html) and it worked like an absolute charm. (Made the recipe otherwise exactly as written.) My co-workers even described the cookies as buttery!
Also, FWIW, my yield has been about 35/36 each time; maybe my #40 scoop is off or something in my mix is giving me less aeration (I’m using the food processor)? Anyway, just thought I’d add another data point.
I also got 35 cookies. I think I over squished them, because they were crispy, not at all soft in the center. Still, the taste was great and I will make them again. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
I tried this recipe this rainy morning, because my 2.5-year-old thinks anything with rainbow sprinkles is the pinnacle of culinary delight. The cookie part? Delicious, if a bit salty for my taste, but that’s easy to remedy. The sprinkles? Beautiful. The taste of cooked sprinkles?… Plastic. So much horrible plastic, with a hint of burnt styrofoam and packing peanuts. I’m using standard, grocery-store-baking-aisle colored sprinkles. Is there a magic trick I’m missing, are there better sprinkle options out there, or should I just be a killjoy sprinkle hater and sit this one out (or swap the colored sprinkles with chunky colored sanding sugar?).
I couldn’t not make these because, sprinkles. That being said, I just ate one that came out of the oven on the first tray. OH MYLANTA!!! I am going to have to make a different dessert to take to a cookout with me tonight because I don’t want to share these with anyone. They may be the best cookie ever. Although, I don’t know why I would doubt that because you have never led me down the wrong path. Anytime I make a Smitten Kitchen recipe, everyone raves about how amazing it is. I wish I could take credit, but I’m just following where you lead.
Hi!
I made these and baked half the same day and froze half at the sprinkled and squashed flat stage. I then baked them an extra 2 min straight from the freezer, and they were equally delicious.
I made these cookies yesterday for my daughter’s birthday. I reduced the sugar by a quarter cup, and used the Carnival mix from India Tree, not sure if its common, but those sprinkles turn to dust after baking and need time to harden back up, I accidentally smeared a few.
I made these – only 2x the size – and used over 2 cups of sprinkles to cover (I mean, SPRINKLES!!!). I baked at 350F for about 15-18 minutes. And I think I increased the cream cheese to 4 oz and the flour by about 1/4 to 1/3 cup (3 1/4 or 3 1/3 cups instead of 3 cup),and the vanilla to 1 Tbl and no almond extract, but everything else the same. Big hit! Thanks for the idea Deb! :-)
My batch, though delicious, ended up thin and all spread out. I’m stumped as to why. Maybe my baking soda has lost it’s kick? My dough too warm?
I decided to spring for some “fancy” rainbow sprinkles and real vanilla beans from Amazon last week with the intention of making these with my toddler this weekend. Of course, she rolled all of 2 cookies before losing interest, but these turned out INCREDIBLY well. Perhaps my first SK recipe where my work product looked nearly identical to Deb’s (e.g., the pinnacle of success).
My sprinkles had no plastic taste to them (as some have commented) so maybe there is some variation there?
I did detect a SLIGHT flour taste to mine and suspect I could have increased cooking time by 90 seconds or so to address that but the texture ended up being so perfect (slightly crisp edges and cake-like exterior, even 2 days later) that I’m not willing to mess with cooking times (I did 5 minutes, rotated the pans and did another 4:30).
Will definitely be making these for all sorts of festive occasions!
Also meant to mention that my yield was quite a bit lower too: I used a #40 scoop and perhaps I overfilled each time but I think I ended up at 30 cookies total (and mine didn’t look significantly bigger than those pictured here). I used a stand mixer, FWIW.
Thanks for a great recipe. Made them for neighbors who are moving away and the cookies were a big hit. Used rainbow sprinkles on half and the tiny multi-colored ball sprinkles on the other half of the cookies. Both fun and tasty.
Made these today…..thank you!
I made these with my four year old daughter who loves “sprinkles”. Unfortunately she was so excited to make them and shop for sprinkles she woke me up at 6 that morning. Thanks for the recipe.
Beyond yummy. I used mascarpone instead of cream cheese because it’s what I had around. They remind me of the tastiest Christmas cookies, and had me googling where to buy sprinkles in bulk.
I just baked some for my students! They are delicious!
Perfect texture if you bake these for ONLY 9 min and the bottom is lite brown and the top looks raw. Trust me people (to quote Deb) do not bake any longer. I only had 2.5 oz of sprinkles, so I rolled all my cookie balls first and dipped them into a teacup full of the sprinkles and fully covered only half the cookies with the fairy dust. It was exactly enough for this recipe which yielded 29 cookies for me, and made it super easy to check the bottom doneness.Enjoy!
This is exactly what I need to send my son into his nursery with next week for his birthday party there! Love it! Obviously i will keep a load back for me to eat with my coffee… hell I’ll probably have them for breakfast on top of my Greek Yoghurt. ;-)
I tried these, and initially was very concerned because the raw dough was very salty. I even though I had used salted butter by mistake. Or that the cream cheese was salty. However, the real genius of this recipe is that once the dough was cooked and combined with the sprinkles, the salt was perfect and the cookies excellent. If the salt had not been there, the cookies would have been way too rich. Thanks.
These are also good if you misread the recipe and use the entire 8-oz block of cream cheese. fyi.
I made these with my 6 year old last night. What a great, simple, fun recipe! She loved rolling the dough and pressing them with the glass. And they were the most delicious sprinkle cookies we’ve ever had. Thanks for yet another amazing, foolproof recipe!
I have now made these three times in three weeks and they are TO DIE FOR! I am queer and so I call them my Gay Rainbow Sugar Cookies. :) Thank you for the excellent recipe.
I made these today with my kids and not only were they quick, easy and fun, but they are perfectly delicious! A slight crisp on the outside, soft and moist on the inside… and what can go wrong when anything is smothered in sprinkles?! We *GASP* ran out of sprinkles and finished the dough by making 1/2 sized snickerdoodles! They were equally delicious. Thank you Deb for another go-to recipe!
How have I made it this long in life without this recipe? So good. The 4-year-old daughter was kind of in heaven. Two of her favorite things on Earth: sprinkles and cookies.
Have I been under a rock? When did cookie recipes gets so easy? I’m speechless. SPEECHLESS – this is the fastest, least messy cookie recipe I’ve ever tried (food processor method). I’ve shared this recipe no less than 6X in the last 2 weeks. Thank you for enlightening me!
Late to the game, but I love this post so very much. I have always been sprinkle-obsessed and it’s like you just gave me permission, nay, encouragement to create my own sprinkle mix!
There is no happier cookie!
I. can’t. stop, eating. them. :D
I have yet to try this recipe, but I have a Sugar Cookie recipe that is out of this world and is always a hit for the Holidays !! I not only roll the dough in ” Sprinkles ” , but at Christmas I roll the dough balls in colored sugars !! Here is the recipe for my Sugar Cookies !! You can double and triple the recipe when making it. I got the recipe out of a church cookbook along time ago, so it’s been kitchen tested a lot of times !!!! 1 cup granulated sugar , 1 cup Crisco shortening, 1 egg , 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar , 1/2 teaspoon baking soda , 2 cups all-purpose flour Cream sugar, shortening, egg , and vanilla extract. Add flour, cream of tartar , and baking soda. Mix until well blended. Roll in balls the size of a small walnut, then put in bowl of sprinkles to coat completely or roll in colored sugar. Place on cookie sheet about 2″- inches apart. Flatten with the bottom of a Sugar coated glass. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a 350 oven.
FYI – this time I used a #40 cookie scoop and got 3 dozen cookies (no one ate the dough!), 30 g each – I did the math, and if I made them 1 T each (20 g) then I would get 4 1/2 dozen. 1 T is the King Arthur size, so I’m guessing the yield comes from them…
To get 48 (well, 49…) cookies I had to use the small OXO scoop, which is supposedly 2tsp. When I used the medium one, I got under 3 dozen. They also took 12 minutes for this smaller size, but that could be oven differences.
Just made these last night as thank you gifts for some coworkers, I managed to get 3 1/2 dozen with the small oxo scoop (though I will freely admit I probably ate half a dozen’s worth of uncooked dough). These are truly superb and I’m so glad that you don’t necessarily have to soften the butter and cream cheese first (because I don’t always plan ahead like that). Definitely putting these into the regular rotation. Thanks!
So cute, I think they’d be perfect for my son’s birthday! Have you frozen these? I am wondering if the sprinkles would bleed once defrosted…
Hi Deb,
I made these today and my girls loved them. Not sure if anyone has already asked, but one of my girls asked me if I could make them as a chocolate cookie next time. Do you have any idea how I could change the recipe to make a chocolate cookie with the coloured sprinkles? Thank you.
Christine — I haven’t tried it here, but I usually start by swapping 1/3 the flour with a very good quality cocoa powder.
I just tried this! It’s wonderful. I swapped a cup of flour for a cup of cocoa powder, and added a cup of chocolate chips into the food processor. I needed an extra egg yolk to get it to come together. They’re my favorite chocolate cookies (Maybe second favorite? World Peace cookies are good too. Good thing I don’t have to commit to just one.)
Thanks for the confetti cookie recipe and your fantastic blog! I just made them to celebrate the last day of school. I made them into ice cream sandwiches and my kids loved them. I think I will call them happy cookies.
I made a couple of batches of these this weekend and they turned out great! I was amazed at how easily the dough came together in the food processor. I was a bit skeptical of the direction to underbake — they are very soft right out of the oven — but they firmed up nicely. I got about 28 cookies per batch. I did half of the second batch with cinnamon sugar instead of sprinkles, thinking that the grownups would like that better — they were good that way, but the sprinkles were still the first to go!
Have made these twice as “birthday” cookies and they have received rave reviews. This time I only baked half the dough. Can the other half be frozen, perhaps as rolled balls, or should I bake them first and then freeze them? Thanks!
Ellen — They freeze just fine unbaked.
Hi Deb! I want to make the dough ahead of time & freeze.. Should I freeze them rolled into balls with sprinkles? Or no sprinkles. Thank you so much!
My experience has been that if the dough dries out at all, the sprinkles will not stick. My initial thought is to sprinkle first then freeze – gently, in single layer – flat.
Here’s what i did. I did everything per the recipe (except i made little parchment squares for each dough ball).. at the “flattening” out stage, I stuck that entire sheet pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then took each of the parchment squares with the flattened out cookie and wrapped them 8 to a small freezer bag.. They are GREAT this way. you don’t need to really defrost either. Take them out while your over heats up.
I live in Orlando, so obviously we have had a Very Bad Week. Today, the city gathered downtown to show support for the victims’ families during one of the funerals (oh, and to counteract Westboro Brainwashed Cult), and I made a batch of these to deploy as support cookies for obvious reasons. They were a hit. Thank you.
Kris — That was so lovely of you! I’m glad they could be of any comfort.
I just made these and cut the sugar by 1/4 cup. I used the specified scoop and only got 33 cookies.
Gorgeous and delicious.
I have only recently found your blog, and I’ve got to tell you I am hooked!
You write with such humour and warmth and I just love your creative and playful approach to cooking. Thank you for brightening my day with these awesome, colourful cookies.
Also, I love that Kris made these and offered them as support cookies in Orlando… we really need all the rainbows we can get after what happened there.
Hi! Making these to accompany a from scratch funfetti cake for a sprinkle loving birthday girl!
Can I make the dough two days ahead of baking time and store in an airtight container in the fridge?
Thanks!
Katy — Absolutely.
I made these last night, and I must say that they make an excellent breakfast.
These are delicious! I made them into “snickerdoodles” with a cinnamon-sugar coating. They were gone in about 2 minutes when I brought them into work the next day! A definite keeper…:)
Hi Deb-
I just made these with my standing mixer, because my food processor doesn’t have the capacity. There was a good deal of spreading, even after twenty minutes in the fridge. Next time I’ll try chilling (or freezing) the cookies after their roled and flattened. Still delicious, though.
Just wanted to say that I LOVE this recipe!! I’ve never made cookies in the food processor before, and I was a bit apprehensive about having enough space in my work bowl, but it all worked out in the end…and without the pain of bringing butter and cream cheese to room temp, these cookies were thrown together in all their sprinkled glory in like an hour. Three days later, they’re still soft and chewy and crispy delicious. A+++ recipe!
I’m currently in negotiations with my roommate for the use of one of his Mexican vanilla beans. He claims that heat will destroy any difference in flavor between food made with good-quality vanilla extract and food made with whole beans. Thoughts? Did you test both ways? Any differences?
A friend made these cookies for a picnic last weekend and as I raved about them she told me about your blog. I was in charge of dessert for the 4th and decided to give it a try. I have NEVER been complemented on my baking or cooking the way I was yesterday. So I just had to say big THANK YOU for making me look so good – – but not to worry, I told them where to find the recipe!
These are so good. I absolutely will not eat bakery cookies like this because they taste like nothing but these were perfect and even made me like sprinkles. Thanks! My batch was gone in a day. My son asked me to make them again.
To follow up with my earlier comment (# 149). On my first attempt, I did not chill the dough at all because I solely read the directions under the food processor version which did not say to chill (silly me). This time, I chilled the dough for 20 minutes (as suggested under the mixer version), but they were still quite soft. After the initial 20-minute chilling, being impatient, I rolled the cookies in the sprinkles and flattened them and then put them back into the fridge on the cookie trays (I did this in batches, so by the time I was done rolling and sprinkling all the cookies, the first tray was cold enough and ready for the oven). After I rolled/sprinkled the cookies, each tray chilled for an additional 15-20 minutes. There was almost no spreading this time. Thus, highly recommend chilling the dough for 20-30 minutes and an additional 15-20 minutes once formed. They were perfect!
I just made these wonderful cookies. But I agree with Sally at comment 170. With the #40 scoop I got just over 2 dozen cookies. Cooking time had to be increased and baked came out 3.2 to 3.5 inches. For the small amount of remaining batter in the processor I used the small scoop (1 T). The cookies came out about 2 inches, and I am guessing would be more like 4 dozen. I think I will make note of this on the recipe and depending on whether I want large or small will use the size scoop accordingly.
The cookies are near perfect if watched either size while baking.
First and foremost, WHY have I NEVER made cookie dough in the food processor before?? Skipping the softening and essentially immediately getting to these delicious (perfect texture, festive beyond words with the cornucopia of rainbow sprinkles) sugar circles of happiness was the highlight of my…year? I mean, it was big. That being said, I echo the sentiments of several other commenters re: yield. I used a 1 Tbsp scoop and got 2 dozen, so maybe less aeration in the food processor method? I wasn’t overly accurate with my scooping, but still substantially less than the 4 dozen with a #40 (1.5 Tbsp) scoop. I don’t care, because these are amazing and I will make them a million times over. Deb, you’re the best.
These cookies were so easy to make, and even easier to eat! They received rave reviews, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Great excuse to buy more sprinkles…
This is such a delicious cookie. I have made these as written with sprinkles for the kids, but have also made them with W-S shimmering sugar and they are gorgeous and grownup. This recipe is going straight into the Christmas lineup.
I made these and loved them!! They are very sweet though, so when I go to make them today to take to a birthday party I’ll cut down the sugar a little (the sprinkles add enough sweetness to the cookie). The other recommendation I’d suggest is to use the best tasting sprinkle you can find…mine were of average quality and you could really taste the waxiness of them come through in the cookie. It didn’t stop us from demolishing the entire batch in record time. Also do what Deb suggests and keep them big – you’ll want a high dough-to-sprinkle here.
I made these 2x already. Very easy to make. Super soft, and the sugar cookie base is amazing. Make sure not to over bake, or they become crispy. Definitely a new family favorite!
I made these yesterday. The texture was perfect, came out great a little crispy on the edges and on the bottom, soft on the top and in the middle but not mushy or or gooey. I used a measuring tablespoon as a scoop and got 48 2 inch cookies. I baked them for about 10 minutes. I think next time I would make them a bit smaller and would reduce the cooking. I do a lot of mixed cookie trays, so I think smaller would work better for me.
I’d love to mail these to a friend. If I get them in the mail the same day I bake them (under baking a bit so they stay soft) and package them tightly so no air gets in, do you think they would survive a trip from Tennessee to Colorado?
I have read that fully baked can be better, so they’re less likely to crumble. But that’s just one view. This advice is more for cookie professionals, but I always think of my friend Gail’s post on packing cookies for shipping, if you’re looking for tips.
I’m making these for the cookie table at my wedding, so to try to get more bang for my baking buck, can I double the recipe for the dough? They are truly amazing cookies.
Absolutely! But, you cannot double it in most food processors. You’d probably be better off in a stand mixer.
I have had really good luck freezing the baked cookies. I was worried about the sprinkles but they are just fine.
Thank you! I was wondering how these would freeze!
How far in advance do you think I could make the dough? Would it be better to store in fridge or freezer until use?
I would store it in the freezer if more than a day or two.
Hi Deb – would you bake and then freeze, or prepare up to the bake stage and freeze, then bake from frozen?
Sorry for the delayed response on this; all of the above work but in general, fresh baked cookies are always going to have the best flavor, i.e. make the dough and bake it when needed.
Hi Deb! I’ve got a follow up question RE: preparing ahead. Would you freeze the dough (in a bag or log or something), freeze dough balls without sprinkles, or freeze dough balls with sprinkles? My intuition is to freeze with sprinkles so they could go straight from freezer to oven, but unsure how the sprinkles may freeze. Thank you!
My thoughts are exactly the same as yours. I think some sprinkles might get smudgy after freezing, but if you don’t touch them much, it might not matter.
I’d been dying to make these since you posted the recipe, but couldn’t seem to get it together. Last weekend, I finally made them to send to a friend taking the NY Bar Exam. They were a huge hit, and I agree when she said they taste like birthday cake. These are so good, travel fairly well, look special and celebratory, and are so easy to make.
However, although I used the same scoop you recommended, the cookies seem to have come out larger (didn’t get the same quantity you did) and thinner (but were still quite soft out of the oven, although they did crisp up perfectly).
Great recipe, thank you!!
These were amazing! We had friends over tonight and i decided last minute to make them. I used the stand mixer. Couldn’t have been easier, and both the kids and adults LOVED them!!
Made these tonight for a work meeting tomorrow. I used the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour because I have some work friends that are gf and I wanted to experiment a little. I did not use the recommended xanthum gum (or whatever) and they are still delightful. The gf flour I used did leave kind of an odd after-taste, but that certainly isn’t the fault of this recipe and I’m excited to try this with regular flour next time. The cookies are delightful and I’m really excited to provide a baked good that my gf friends can eat with us! For those of us from the South- these are JUST like the sugar cookies from Publix. YAY!
Biiiiiiiiig hit in the house here… especially after we called them Unicorn cookies. ;)
Love the chewiness that the cream cheese adds. Froze a few balls for the future!
Made these today – they look so fun! (And taste great, too.)
Made them a bit smaller than suggested, and got 50-odd cookies out of the batch; they only needed about 10 minutes baking.
Didn’t go through all the comments to see if it’s been suggested already, but personally I found that flattening the cookies right in the sprinkle plate (just used my hand, also) worked very well and helped more sprinkles stick on. Although perhaps because I had to use round sprinkles – couldn’t find the kind seen in the pictures here in any store – there was a bit more of a problem of them rolling off to begin with… anyway, it works well, I recommend it.
Made a 1/3 recipe today so I wouldn’t eat too, too many. So delish! They kinda taste like a good glazed donut to me. And so pretty!
My favorite bulk food store had jars of autumn leaf-colored sprinkles, which I used for some of these today…just gorgeous! The only tweak I make with this recipe is to add 2 tsps of Princess flavoring (I use both almond & vanilla extracts, too) which gives them even more of a bakery vibe. Thanks for this recipe!
Easy, delicious, picture perfect cookies that look like a professional baked them. My son (who loves sprinkles, hence the reason I made them), was enraptured. My husband found them too sweet, but this is a man who generally likes his cookies less sweet (think oatmeal raisin) so his opinion doesn’t count. I am not a fan of sprinkles but I loved these – so now I need to find better sprinkles… the ones I had looked lovely but they were from the Bulk Barn, just a basic staple in the pantry for ice cream sundaes and the like. These cookies deserve better.
And my son has already suggested that I try the cookie recipe with frosting instead, or chocolate icing… then topped with sprinkles. I may just do that.
I looked at the Canadian sweetapolita shop, since I am in Canada so shipping is less of a concern but yikes, $20 for sprinkles??? I have no problem splurging on organic ingredients and sourcing imported Buffalo mozzarella, but that seemed a bit extreme for sprinkles. Still, I may indulge for the holidays. Or will continue reading comments in the hope that someone suggests another good source:-)
Do you think this dough can be rolled out and cookie-cuttered? Clearly not a word, but you get what i mean! :)
I haven’t done it but I’ve been tagged in pictures from people who have — seems like it works well. Also check the new sugar roll-out cookie I dropped this weekend: https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/12/unfussy-sugar-cookies/
I love your recipes. I just noticed a grammar error above: (I’m an English teacher.)
Finally, I turned where I should have began my search because really…
It should be …where I should have begun my search…
Thanks, now fixed.
Hi Deb – can you recommend good sprinkle brands and/or where to get them. Preferably online, I’m not in NYC. Thanks!
I ordered on Amazon: CakeMate (all the colors minus purple) and then found Carnival sprinkles by Medley Hills Farm – they have purple in the mix! I buy them in bulk because I make these once/week. #obsessed.
I just got my shipment from Sprinkle Planet online. . Get this, you can customize your sprinkles!!!! They, are beautiful. Can’t wait to make these.
If you are near a Wegman’s, they have very pretty mixed jimmies that they sell in bulk. Also, http://www.countrykitchensa.com has an amazing selection of all kind of sprinkles.
If I were to chill the dough for a few hours would I be able to roll it out and use a cookie cutter? Thanks!
Yum! Served these at a party for the High School Drumline, and now I’m working my way through the leftovers! Thanks for a fun, yummy recipe.
Made these today and my kitchen immediately felt more cheerful!
These cookies are so easy to make and extremely delicious!! Thanks for the sprinkle idea – the kids are gonna love ’em!!
Made these yesterday and they were a hit at the party. We reduced the sugar from 225g to 175g and found them perfectly sweet (using rather sweet and not waxy sprinkles). Also be sure to bake them on an airbake tray (the kind with two layers of metal with a pocket of air between them) if you don’t have a convection oven otherwise the sprinkles will get too hot and burn on the bottom. Our crappy NYC apartment stove runs hot so the cookies that baked on a regular sheet tray burned on the bottom,while the other batch on an airbake tray were perfect. Also, if you live in NYC, Sahadi’s in Brooklyn has good, cheap sprinkles!
Just ordered my custom blend sprinkles online, and Can hardly wait to commence baking these. Would these freeze well?
Oh yes. It’s actually amazing if you make the balls then freeze until you’re ready to bake. It makes the inside amazing.
These cookies are delicious – my grandsons’ favorites – always keep some dough in my freezer.
While I almost always use weights when they’re provided, I was just using the volume measure for this recipe, but thought I’d try the weights. I have a question about the flour and weight. What guide are you using for conversions? Just curious bc 3 cups of my AP flour weighs closer to 400 gms (spoon in and level method) and King Arthur’s chart shows each cup weighing 120 gms = 360. Crazy,,,
Thanks.
Just thought I’d add that I’m in Denver. So, I just made these again and used the 3 cup measure – came to 388 gms. I usually cut leavening (rounded 1/2 of BP and rounded 1/8 of BS) and add a little flour for cookies at this altitude. As always, they came out perfect – 10 mins, turn, 2 more minutes. So, maybe the extra flour I get by using the volume method takes care of any adjustment.
Thanks, Anita
If you’re getting 400, you’re getting 133 grams per cup, which isn’t that wildly off from 120 — although of course it adds up when you have cups, plural. I generally consider all-purpose flour to be in a 120 to 130 range, thus default mostly to 125 these days to meet it in the middle.
I made them on the big side as you suggested, and am not sorry! I measured out 1.2-1.25 ounce balls (OCD) and got a little over 2 dozen 2.75 inch cookies that were done in 10 minutes. Beautiful, delicious, soft in center, and perfect in every way except my sprinkles didn’t have any violet or sky blue. I need to go to the kitchen supply store!
These are my FAVORITE cookies! And I fall into the “I only like dessert with chocolate” camp. I prefer to make them 1 tablespoon big. They make me happy and they taste amazing. My kids and all their friends love them!
Made these with a sweet four year old. We had a great time and the cookies were awesome!!!
I’m having a Christmas cookie party soon and would love to make these with the kids with red and green sprinkles! Especially the rolling them in sprinkles part. What do you think about making the dough the day before and storing in plastic wrap in the fridge? Thank you!
Wouldn’t be a problem.
Made these today with my 8 yr old…it ticked all the right boxes…easy enough…fun…pretty…delicious…she loved mixing her own custom blend of sprinkles
Made these today. Super easy and yummy. Used Christmas sprinkles. Everyone loved them. Now I have to make the jimmy blend you made for when it’s not Christmas.
Could this dough be rolled out and used with cookie cutters? I’m in search of a good sugar cookie recipe. Thanks, Deb!
I use the rich butter cookie r eclipse from Joy of Cooking, in case that helps.
That would be RECIPE not eclipse. Ha!
I just did this and they turned out great!
These are fantastic. I made a batch last weekend with my godson and now I am making them for a tea party, and am planning to experiment with rolling them in Skor bits and cinnamon sugar as well. Thank you so much!
I made these exactly as written. I used a 1 tablespoon scoop and got 4 dozen 2 inch cookies, which I thought was the perfect size. I did 2 batches with multi colored sprinkles, and the rest with chocolate. One batch was cooked slightly longer and was a little browner and crispier, but still soft in the center, which I preferred. Great recipe. A definite keeper.
Any recommendations on sprinkles to purchase. I saw several on amazon, and the most promising said the sprinkles were “soft” and I am worried they will melt and looks a mess.
How many years later, assuming you’ve made them many times over already, but Incase anyone else has this same question, I only use the waxy chewy sprinkles and they do just fine with baking.
Now anyone know how these cookies will freeze??
I grew up eating these from a local bakery on Long Island. My dad would go every Sunday for crumb buns, bagels, rolls, cookies, and jelly doughnuts. I’ve wanted to love these as an adult but every time I’ve had them they were stale, tasteless, and blah.
These cookies are far better than any confetti cookies I’ve had in probably 20 years. THANK YOU! They’re going in my Christmas cookie list this year.
I made these as written and I love them! Can you use this dough to roll out and use cookie cutters or stamps?
blerrgh! Sorry, found the answer embedded in the comments: yes, add 1/2 cup more flour, though and chill in a disc/disk!
Do you have any good recipes using Eggnog? Like a Bundy Eggnog Pound Cake or cookies.
I haven’t done a whole lot with it aside from these Eggnog Waffles, however, I think it would be great as a milk replacement in a lot of cakes and definitely in French toast recipes. Just cut back the sugar elsewhere.
Anything I can substitute the cream cheese with to make it dairy free?
I made these with red, white and green sprinkles with the optional almond exact. Awesome. Delicious. You given me so much. Happy Holidays to you and your family. Thank you, Deb.
Oh my gosh, I just took these out of the oven, they are delicious,festive, and fun to make, good in every way!!
Thank you, thank you,
I made a batch of these tonight using the food processor method. It took an additional ounce or so of cream cheese before the dough would hold together. I’m not sure what that was all about. I used up the last of the Plugra from Thanksgiving and used regular domestic butter for the remainder. No big deal, really. These cookies are very good and will definitely go into my regular holiday baking rotation (they’d be good for a kid’s birthday party too).
My son wants these and I don’t have a block of cream cheese. I have two possible subs and I’m wondering if either would work. I have whipped cream cheese; could I use the same weight? I also have labne, which touts itself as a cream cheese sub. Could I use either the same weight or volume measure?
I used labne and it worked very well!
What does “dynamic” mean? They are not as dynamic in a smaller size
I also didn’t have cream cheese but had a request for sprinkle cookies. I increased the butter by 2 T and used 2 T of Greek yogurt. Worked really well!
I came across this cookie recipe this year and it has become my favourite
Does the brand/quality of the sprinkle matter?
For storing for a few days: refrigerate in sealed container–or just in a sealed container out of the fridge?
These are my go to cookies. I’ve made them so many times and everyone always asks for the recipe. For Christmas I’ve rolled out the dough and cut out shapes and they turned out great!
Okay, these are my new favorite cookie. I made them today, a double batch using my KitchenAid stand mixer. Scooped, rolled and dropped into a big bowl of rainbow sprinkles. They looked fab before going in the oven and fantastic when they came out. The best looking cookies I’ve ever made. They made me smile and tasted great! Now part of my holiday tradition. Thank you!!!!!
So much fun! I made these this morning with my 2.5 yr old and we had a blast. She loved rolling the dough balls around in the sprinkles perhaps even more than she enjoyed eating her cookie. The cookies are delicious and it was a great recipe to start introducing my daughter to baking. Thanks!
These were delightful! Came out just as beautiful as the picture above! I will say that my food processor was slightly overwhelmed. I have the 6-cup capacity, so things got tight in there (flour spewing out the top!). Next time, i will use my stand mixer (not having to soften butter and cream cheese was awesome, though!). Cheers!
I made these exactly as written and they were delicious as well as lots of fun to make on a snowy, cold day. Next time I will make them a little smaller, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks for a great recipe!
I found some sprinkles here: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TSGRSU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#customerReviews
There are no whites in the mix, but since it’s the holidays, I stirred in some snowflake sprinkles, and they look great!
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes! They are easy to make and always turn out delicious. I’ve rolled them in sprinkles or just plain turbinado sugar and I think I prefer the sugar, though they are prettier with the sprinkles. I made them once with the almond extract and found the flavor to be overpowering so now I always make without. I’ve made these 4 times in the last two weeks. They are fantastic!
These are absolutely wonderful cookies. They smell and taste like they came from the best bakery. I change the sprinkles depending on the season. They also freeze well.
I made these yesterday and half way through coating I ran out of sprinkles. I coated the rest of the cookies in coconut. What came out of the oven were the most magical cookies ever!!! The sprinkle ones were perfect, too, just to say :) but the coconut!! I highly recommend the recipe, what might look like just another cookie recipe is actually a heavenly treat ♡
I just made these for Santa. They are wonderful!
I made these for Christmas, and they are amazing! I actually made two batches, the first where I used an approximate tablespoon and a half (eyeballing it) of dough per cookie, and a second in which I measured each cookie at one tablespoon only. The second one was much better! I made them about midway between 1/4″ and 1/2″, which was a pleasing circumference-to-thickness ratio. Also, the tablespoon-size allowed for the ball of dough to be shaped into a perfect circle when I flattened them with the drinking glass, and overall just a more appetizing appearance. They are also very filling cookies (obviously I had to taste-test them :)), so the slightly smaller size will not be overwhelming to people. I considered using just Christmas-coloured sprinkles, but the confetti colours really make this the happiest little cookie!
These are beyond my expectations! I made these today and they are delicious. I especially appreciate the added tidbits Deb provides. I followed the recipe exactly and they were easy. They will be even simpler to make the 2nd time. Thank you Deb. This recipe will become a staple. I have exactly 37 cookies. I think mine were a smidge big. Baked 9 minutes and they’re perfectly baked. This is a good cookie for people who don’t like overly sweet desserts.
I don’t have a food processor or stand mixer. I make the salted chocolate chunk cookies by hand and they always come
out well. I’m wondering how important the fluffiness is in this recipe. I’m happy to whip by hand but find that I can’t whip fast enough to make butter fluffy. I combed the comments and didn’t see anyone say anything about doing this by hand but maybe I missed it. I’d like to bring this lovely colorful cookies to a NYE party. I’ll try it with colorful and chocolate hagelslag. Thoughts?
I’d just make them as you do the chocolate chunk. I don’t think whipping is as essential with cookies as cake.
Thanks! I actually used the food processor directions as a guide and cut in the butter and cream cheese kind of like a pie dough. They came out wonderfully!
These are the bomb. Simple to make but so good to look at. I made them with rainbow nonpareils because I don’t have sprinkles. I was worried about the nonpareils being joyless to eat, but they tasted good and the topping wasn’t too crunchy (my biggest concern). My batch only yielded about 25 cookies, so mine were bigger (I used a tablespoon to scoop). Big fan.
First off, LOVE your site and recipes.
I made a batch of these cookies, twice for the holidays. First time, I made 3/4 of the batch with sprinkles, and 1/4 alone, and froze a good portion of them. The plain cookies were SO delicious so with my second batch I made (due to the extra cream cheese leftover), I took away the sprinkles, and added lemon/lime/orange zest into the dough. After they cooled out of the oven, I made a simple citrus glaze… delicious! The baked dough has such a great texture. Thank you for this recipe :) :)
I just made these (I’m eating one, still warm, right now) and they are INSANELY good. Also, they’re too cute for words.
I’m in California, and I’ve never seen cookies like this. This is, clearly, a major failing. But now, thanks to Deb, I have experienced them, and they’re SO good. I had been intending to bring these to a party this evening, but, y’know, maybe I don’t like those people that much, after all…
I made these tonight after my order of jimmies from NY Cake arrived. They were delicious, but all our fingers, lips, and tongues are stained blue! Is that a common sprinkle cookie side-effect? Or was our eating them hot and straight from the oven a rookie mistake?
Strange thing, I used the same cookie scoop and somehow my cookie total came out to only 33, not 48 like yours. And they look bigger than yours. Maybe I fill the scoop more than you do? Don’t know. Anyhow, other than that, I love these!!!
I made these cookies yesterday and they were wonderful. I especially like making them myself since I can have them without the almond extract.
How did you get so many sprinkles on your cookies? I tried rolling them in my hands like you suggested, warming the dough in the bowl on top of the stove, and adding water to the outside of the dough and I was never able to get the full sprinkle coverage. The only time the sprinkles would stick was after I flattened them on top of the sprinkles.
Made these to bring to work today and they were a hit! This recipe is definitely a keeper! I look forward to changing the sprinkle colors for each holiday or maybe trying decorating sugar.
The cookies were soft and chewy with great flavor and they came together very quickly too. Perhaps I’m using too big of a cookie scoop, but the recipe only made about 32 cookies for me. For those bakers having trouble getting the sprinkles to stick, I rolled the dough in my hands to warm it up and really pressed the dough into the sprinkles.
Holy smokes, these are killer. I made a half batch (less dangerous that way) and did a few things differently: still used 1 whole egg, split between AP and pastry flour, used 3/4 stick butter but the full amount of cream cheese (2oz). I should have added a little extra flour to compensate for the extra liquid in the egg but they were just a little more difficult to roll. Cream cheese is really sooo versatile. Result: delicious, soft, pillowy, sugary cookies that you won’t be able to stop eating (hence the half batch for those of us with no willpower).
So I made two batches of these, because I wanted to give them to my grade 3 class at work for Valentine’s Day. They are delicious, but I did notice a big difference between using flour that I weighed on a digital scale (and double checked so it was accurate) and using a measuring cup spoon & level method.
The weighed flour cookies spread out more so they are thinner, and a little less soft. The scooped and measured cookies look exactly like the photo and are more soft. They both taste delicious, but I know I’m going to have explaining to do when kids wonder why they are getting one obviously larger cookie, and one smaller. Oh well.
This is a great cookie. I served them to two different groups of friends this weekend, and everybody raved. I agree with the poster who said the sprinkles can taste a little weird, and so to compensate for that I only dipped the top half of each ball, and then made that the top of the cookie when I squished them, which worked great. I watched them really carefully in the oven for maximum softness. I also didn’t use the almond extract.
I just made these to send to my boyfriend for his birthday while we’re long distance (closest thing to a birthday cake that I could make myself and mail safely!) and I am SO glad that I chose this recipe. I loved these bakery cookies as a child, and I have to say, these are even better. This was the first time that I’ve used fresh vanilla bean in a recipe, and I’m hooked. As easy as extract is to just throw in, I’m never going back. Out of excitement and enthusiasm I ended up using an additional bean pod than what the recipe called for. While they were baking, I was afraid that I went overboard. While I was taste-testing, I was so glad that I was heavy-handed! I also added the optional almond extract, and it was the perfect amount- able to detect, but not overpowering. I’m admittedly a tough critic sometimes, and I have nothing else to say aside from that this recipe is perfect. I’m considering making another batch immediately since I just mailed my boyfriend’s cookies out and my family has already devoured the extras. Can’t wait to hear what he thinks of them!!! Thank you, Smitten Kitchen!
These cookies are delicious and worth the effort
I made these because they were SO unbelievably cute, and was happy to find that they’re also simple to make and delicious! Recipe worked perfectly — slightly rounded tablespoon scoops resulted in exactly 50 cookies. Bought sprinkles online: https://www.amazon.com/decorating-Sprinkles-Medley-Hills-Farm/dp/B00XYPRYHA/ref=sr_1_13_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1490386595&sr=8-13&keywords=rainbow+sprinkles
I made these today and loved them! I was sort of dreading rolling them in the sprinkles because I hate sticky cookie doughs that leave me flouring and washing my hands dozens of times, but this dough is somehow sticky enough to make the sprinkles easily adhere yet it didn’t stick to my hands at all. And they taste great, of course! Good use for the Kerrygold butter I found on sale.
I made 1.5x the recipe and got around 5 dozen cookies. It took way more sprinkles than suggested, probably at least 3 cups.
Hi,
I made these over the weekend and they were DELICIOUS! Thank you. I made them thru the food processor. My dough was a bit crumby. I was able to make them into the balls easily, but had to work the sprinkles into them. They came out great, but I was wondering if that is how it was suppose to be?
thank you again and I love your site and recipes.
If the dough was so crumbly it didn’t easily come together, it might have been off in some way, either a smidge too much flour or too little butter, something like that. Glad they all worked out in the end! And thank you.
Fantastic !! I just made these and I’m so excited for my son to get home from school. A special treat :) thank you for the recipe it’s a go to now …
Perfect and not overly sweet and Fun!
I have made these two times now (that’s it?!), nearly a year apart. I try not to bake often, because most of the (scrumptious or otherwise) results end up in my stomach…anyway.
I love these cookies. Super easy. A few weeks ago, I enlisted the help of my daughter (3) and nieces (5 & 2). I measured/scooped, they smoothed in palms and rolled in sprinkles, I flattened (they got bored and ran off while I baked; of course, I didn’t expect anything different). In any case, not wanting to use up all of my ridiculously expensive, beautiful $8/jar sprinkles, we also used rainbow nonpareils (which I used last year, not having any rainbow sprinkles at the time and finding the normal mix far too ugly).
Gotta say, the nonpareils version is still my favorite — I didn’t take a picture this time, but I don’t think I could post it on here anyway — not sure if the beautiful sprinkles, which had a pearlescent quality to them, were a strange kind or not or if the shine made them this way, but they were harder than I was expecting. I don’t have those jimmie-type sprinkles on hand normally, so I don’t know their usual texture.
Highly recommend the cookies, though, in case anyone if unsure! Fun, beautiful (no matter what), tasty. I have had best luck (and most fun) using cookies that are 1 tablespoon in volume, using a tablespoon measure and sliding out with my thumb (do a few at a time, before rolling–or you can portion them all out ahead of time, then smooth in your palms right before rolling in sprinkles. They definitely need to be tacky-ed up before the sprinkle part. Have fun!!
I’m totally making these again for Easter next weekend!
To make ahead – Bake then freeze or prepare to bake stage, freeze, then bake from frozen?
I’m going to make these today for my kiddo’s preschool Easter party! Do you think using dyed sugar to roll the cookies in would work as well as the bigger sprinkles?
It’s a few weeks after Easter but I have made these several times with colored sugar and I prefer it to the sprinkles (sorry Deb). I really like the “crust” that the sugar gives.
They look SO fun! Thank you for sharing!!!! I have to try these!!!
These look like so much fun. Grandkids would love them but one is allergic to egg. Has anyone tried these with a flax egg?
Absolutely terrific! Followed your recipe to a T, and they were perfect. Nothing beats a delicious butter cookie, in my opinion! And, it sure beats spending $13.99/lb for a knock-off version at my local Italian specialty shop!
these cookies turned out great but a bit salty
Thank you so much for the test kitchen work you spent so much time on perfecting this recipe. I made these cookies today and they came out perfect in every way! They make me happy just looking at them! The flavor and texture of the cookie is spot on.
💗 Ilene, Valencia, CA
I baked these today with my kiddos, and they were great–but they were a bit crumbly, which surprised me. What do you think is the mostly likely cause? I used vanilla extract instead of beans and mixed them using my stand mixer. I baked them 10.5 minutes and had a yield of 32 cookies. Thoughts on what may have caused this?
Was the dough crumbly or the final cookie, i.e. super-tender? A cookie can get crumbly just from a little extra flour; it’s all it takes. If it was on the baking end, it might just set up more with more time out of the oven.
The perfect cookie. Cute enough for kids, irresistible for all ages.
Chocolate variation: subbed 1/2 c cocoa powder for 1/2 c of the flour, added a cup of chocolate chips to the dry ingredients in the food processor, omitted the almond extract and added an egg yolk with the whole egg. Came out great, no structural issues– would even sub a little more cocoa powder next time for a richer flavor.
Subbed a full cup this time– definitely do this. Amazing chocolate cookies (and so pretty too)
These were a dream come true for my three year old. She was more excited about rolling the dough in a big bowl of sprinkles than actually eating the cookies!
I ordered a 7 lb jug of sprinkles to make your confetti cake recipe and have a ton of sprinkles left over. I made these cookies just to use up some sprinkles and wowee, they were spectacular. I’ve always found sugar cookies to be dry, sandy and flavorless. These cookies were soft, moist and had a good vanilla flavor. The colorful sprinkles also make it such a cheerful cookie. This recipe was a joy to make.
Any substitute i could use for cream cheese?
I’m not a food blogger, and I’m not a cookbook author, but right after I rolled these cookies in a pre-made sprinkle mix, I really wished I could justify buying a dozen different colors and making my own mix. These cookies are delicious right out of the oven, and so good the second day as well. Part of the batch was just mailed as part of a care package for my college freshman. I’ll definitely be making these again.
I loved reading about your homemade rainbow sprinkle mix! We made the confetti cake and had to make our own mix because none of the store mixes were as fabulous as yours! My daughter and I seriously studied the color composition of your cake and cookies 😉 We will be making these next week!!!
Did anyone find (or bother to search for) sprinkles that don’t have artificial dyes, flavors and other chemical additives in them? I realize that rainbow sprinkles aren’t exactly a nature-given food and some trickery is needed to make them – but I’d really rather use sprinkles that don’t have substances in them that are banned outside the US.
Tried Whole Foods already, where they didn’t have sprinkles of any kind.
Lacking sprinkles, I made these totally plain and naked. They still tasted amazing and were gone in an instant, but a bit of sprinkle color and crunch would make them more presentable to the public. :p
https://www.etsy.com/listing/265475441/vegan-rainbow-sprinkles-dye-free-pastel?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_c-craft_supplies_and_tools-kitchen_supplies-baking_and_cake_decorations-sprinkles_dust_and_flakes&utm_custom1=bf4319e6-f7f2-4db3-97d2-aafae9581f29&gclid=Cj0KCQjwx8fOBRD7ARIsAPVq-NkN_E5_njxJ1NfEceYQZEaR__eh4fW0eSx65ePcwC0OpjTbiI5aQtwaAkvOEALw_wcB
There are others – some are pretty expensive – India – the company that makes the food coloring that WF carried.
Try sparkling sugar instead? This will add sweet and crunch and look nice if not rainbow.
I baked these on Sunday and wasn’t crazy about the flavor. They were better on second day though bit too sweet. Today is third day and flavor and texture are awesome! I just ate three and wish I’d brought more in my lunch bag. I believe you have to give it couple days for best flavor.
My son turns 10 tomorrow and asked for these cookies instead of cake! For breakfast. With bacon. Thanks, Deb! #RaisedOnSmittenKitchen
I am a frequent reader, and have a reputation among friends as quite the baker, which I attribute to you as my trustworthy source of sweets recipes (cookies, cakes, brownies, blondies). I wanted to tell you that I have made these cookies several times since the recipe came out last year, and in addition to being a hit with the preschool et (because obviously) friends and neighbors have raved over them because they look so fun and taste as good as they look (unlike the bakery version which are always parve and boring). So thank you!
Roll these in ground coffee beans for adults. Just do it.
That is genius. You are my hero. Doing this TODAY.
OMG! Don’t have enough sprinkles so was going to freeze the rest. Just reading comments and came across yours. Can’t wait to try the “adult” version!
This was a hit with adults even though they weren’t as “pretty” as the kids’ sprinkled version. Thanks for the idea!
LOVED these cookies, and yes, agree that they are a zillion times better than the ones that look similar from childhood bakeries, but taste less rich and satisfying.
LOVED these cookies, and yes, agree that they are a zillion times better than the ones that look similar from childhood bakeries, but taste less rich and satisfying.
Let me tell you how you can ruin these. You can forget adding the sugar. Remembered after everything was mixed, tried mixing it in – FAIL. They still taste delicious. Can’t wait to try again.
These are the best cookies! I made these for some sixth grade students at Halloween, using orange and black sprinkles. The students loved them – one boy said they were the best cookies he’s had in his whole life’s! (He is twelve, after all!) They have already requested these for our Christmas party. Thanks for the great recipe!
These are the happiest cookies I’ve ever seen.
I just happen to have an extra block of cream cheese and I can’t wait to try these!
Has anyone got any suggestion of what sprinkles to use that are available in the UK? So far the ones I have used the colour has dissolved after baking.
Based on your email about making cookies in the food processor, I made these today with the kids. I love the fact that I didn’t need to soften the butter since it is winter and my house is never above 67 degrees! They made a great rolled cookie and base for a “stained glass window cookie”. The kids were thrilled! They taste great!
I want to make these ahead of time for Christmas, what is the best way. Bake and freeze or roll dough freeze then defrost and sprinkle when ready to bake?
Cookies were easy to make and very delicious. I rolled them in King Arthur Flour’s peppermint crunch. It added a nice peppermint taste and the edges had some of the melted crunch so added a nice decorative touch. I think I might have made them slightly bigger than they should have been as I didn’t get the 4 dozen the recipe says. I used my 1 1/2 TBS cookies scoop. I also used vanilla bean paste. This is a great cookie and you have lots of options of what to roll them in.
Hi! I just made these and they look delicious – can’t wait to dig in – but, the sprinkles melted and are now all gooey! Is that common??
Deb, The timing of this post this week couldn’t have been more perfect. I made these yesterday with my 2.5 y.o. Granddaughter who loves to cook. They were the perfect cookie for this project. She was too young to roll the balls, but she loved rolling the balls in the sprinkles. Wish I could send you the video. Very precious moment.
Have to add to my immediate previous comment: I did post a photo or video on IG and tagged you and SK in it.
These look beautiful–exactly like the pictures–and all the kids who tried them loved them. I can’t stand the taste of sprinkles, so I baked a few cookies naked (the cookie dough was naked, not me), and while the texture was great, I found them too sweet to eat more than one bite. I’m thinking of trying them with more lemon and significantly less sugar, and rolling them in turbinado sugar instead of sprinkles so they will still be sparkly and pretty and festive looking without the waxy chemical taste of the sprinkles.
I added a fresh lemon glaze to punch up the flavor
Just finished baking these with my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter who LOVES to bake. What a hit! Awesome flavor and such a fun look with the rainbow sprinkles.
These are so delicious and cute!! I love everything I make from your blog! Thanks for sharing!!
I made these for a cookie swap tomorrow night. First off, i have to admit, Im single and the only reason i am in this is for a new recipe or two, good convo and a glass of wine. 9 dozen or so will go to work the next day. Now to these cookies…wow! And being a native of South Jersey, i have nicknamed them “jimmies butter cookies”, cause no one from SJ calls those little colored slices of life anything, but jimmies.
Thank you, thank you!!!
I love sugar cookies (and have my mother’s recipe) but rarely ever want to spend the time rolling, cutting and frosting them. This looks wonderful! Making them this afternoon
Good for a holiday party?
These cookies are excellent. I made a batch for a Christmas Cookie Exchange and everyone loved them. The rainbow sprinkles really add to the festivity. Thank you for my new go-to cookie recipe.
Just baked these and they’re delish! Only thing is dough was a bit too dry. I measured everything to scale (followed grams), and let egg, butter, and cheese sit at room temp to soften because I did use an electric mixer, etc. No matter how hard I tried, sprinkles would not stick everywhere. So in a panic I kneaded in some coconut oil and then all was good plus added another dimension to the taste.
Second time commenting on this post. Made these again (first time forgot to add sugar until last minute!) and they are so beautiful. I am sure this recipe will be a favorite at our house as the were delicious last time even though I screwed up the sugar. Now they look and taste like they deserve to!
Question, do you think these would ever work as a slice and bake cookie or are they too soft?
Thanks for this recipe and Merry Christmas.
P.S. Had a little Irish Creme Liquor from your recipe tonight while baking cookies. I made several batches to give as gifts and fortunately had some left! I’ve never bought a bottle of whiskey before and went through two in the last week making this for gifts!
I think they could work as a slice-and-baked, but it might be awkward to roll them in sprinkles.
Not only is this the easiest and most delicious sugar cookie recipe I’ve ever made (I took the lazy-girl good processor route), but how can anyone be anything less than joyful when rainbow sprinkles are involved. Thank you for this recipe!!
My son (4 years old) saw these pop up on my pinterest and it made his day, he knows that if he asks nicely and helps I will bake whatever he wants! I am sure I will be making these again and again! Fun and yum!
What would you recommend as a nondairy alternative to cream cheese for these cookies? Coconut cream?
I wouldn’t recommend it here because it’s part of the structure and crumb. I’d probably use a sugar cookie without cream cheese in it instead.
I need to know if homemade sprinkles will Work? I have two recipes- one with egg whites, one just 10x sugar and corn syrup. Any idea if they will hold up to the heat? I am afraid I will end up with a very colorful pool around my cookies☹️ I don’t have time to get the colors I need commercially. Any suggestions would be very welcome.
In general, they’re not going to look as robust here. I do think that they hold up, but the color isn’t usually very strong once baked.
I made these yesterday for the third time and I am always so happy afterwards! My 6 year old also likes them but in true chocoholic fashion said to me “Mom these would be even better if they were chocolate!” Any recommendations for a chocolate cookie base? Or could I swap out some of the flour for cocoa powder? Thanks!
I don’t have cream cheese on hand and can’t get to the store. Is there anything I can use to substitute it?
I’ve made these now several times and I LOVE them! Easy, not to sweet, YUMMY! My only problem is A. I always need more than the cup of sprinkles B. I can’t find good sprikles! I’ve tried Sweets & Treats and while their chocolate sprinkles are VERY good (actual chocolate) the other colors are men and kinda waxy. Where can I find ones that are stellar enough for this cookie?
I need to make these for my daughter ASAP. At the bakery she always chooses the pink or rainbow sprinkled cookies without fail. These look so pretty how can you not like them. I do love the depth cream cheese adds to basic sugar cookies. Thank you!
These are so spot on to those giant sprinkle cookies from the bakeries of my youth. Thank you! I made them for Christmas for friends and family and everyone loves them. This is my first time commenting but I have loved all of your recipes that I tried – especially this one, and can’t wait to try more.
Just made these. They are so easy and look and taste great. Love making in the food processor and not having to wait. They look like you could have gotten them in the bakery. Thanks for the great recipe.
These are my family and co-workers favorite cookies. I love them bcuz they go together quick. But I cannot for the life of me get 4 dozen out of this recipe. I get 2 dozen 2 1/2 inch cookies every time using a 40 scoop. Please say how you do it. It’s driving me crazier.
This is the perfect recipe for using up random bits of sprinkles left over! I just filled my bowl with the next tablespoon of random sprinkles each time I used some up–a whole variety of confetti cookies!
I did make them a bit smaller, as I was pressed for time and only have a small cookie scoop. I’ll try them with my bigger tablespoon measure and report back, because these will be made again!
These are incredible. I’m wasn’t a sugar cookie fan until I came across this recipe. First, the sprinkles caught my eye, so I read the recipe. Then the cream cheese and almond extract told me to make the recipe right away. I’ve made it a number of times since, and they make me smile every time. I am curious… Can this be made ahead? I have a great chocolate chip recipe that actually requires sitting in the fridge overnight (but I’ve managed to make the dough and then keep in the fridge for a few days and it’s still great). Can this sit in the fridge for a day or two? And/or be frozen? Curious if you have done this!
The fridge is probably fine for a day but I try not to let cookie dough with baking powder or baking soda in them rest in the fridge too long. The freezer is better for more than a day’s storage.
Wow! Thanks for your quick response! I’m making them for a gala, and I know these will be such a hit!
I don’t know if my food processor is too small or not powerful enough, but I didn’t have success using it to make this. I had to dump it out into a bigger bowl and hand mix.
But, they still turned delicious. I used Highlander Grogg extract instead of vanilla, which gave it a light butterscotch taste.
Made these yesterday, delicious! They stuck to the bottom of the glass so I used parchment paper as a buffer, worked like a charm.
This is by far the easiest yet BEST tasting cookie recipe there is. To get the cookies not to stick when you smoosh them with a glass, I use my favorite gin and tonic glass so i can see when they are the right size, I put a zip loc bag over the bottom of the glass. Found wax or regular plastic wrap don’t work as well. Do you have any other cookie recipes that use this technique of throwing everything into the food processor or just rolling into little balls, no cutting out.
PS.. Also had to buy a 7 pound jug of sprinkles to get a batch that had blue and purple…
I just finished making these for the first time and they are DELICIOUS. The cream cheese is without a doubt a game changer! I made these for a school birthday party at my daughter’s school and I’m sure the kids (and parents) will LOVE them! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe…it’s definitely a keeper!
I just made these for the first time and they are DELICIOUS. The cream cheese is without a doubt the reason and a total game changer! I made these for a school birthday party for my daughter and I am sure the kids and parents will love them! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe… it’s definitely a keeper!
I just made these cookies last week and they are to die for. They came out picture perfect and I posted them on my Instagram. They look just like they came from a bakery. The light tang the cream cheese gives them is also a pleasant surprise.
These cookies are amazing! So easy and delicious! The soft interior and the crunchy sprinkles exterior is such a winning combo. For me, the sprinkles stuck better when I made them in the stand mixer vs the food processor — I had to dip the balls in water to get the sprinkles to stick when I made them in the food processor. Will be making this recipe again and again and again!
Making these tonight! FYI, I found a large tub of rainbow sprinkles just like these at my local grocery store (Morton Williams in NYC) near the ice cream cones ;)
I remembered thinking how good these sounded when I first read this recipe (in 2016) and thought, “I HAVE to make these pronto”. Fast forward 2 years and I finally did it and am SO SO glad I did. I’d given up on finding a good sugar cookie- they all taste better as dough than once cooked, but these broke the mold. Their just as good baked as raw.
I followed the recipe with the almond and would argue it’s a must. I would add a bit more almond extract next time (maybe just a bit less than 1/2t) as it enhances the flavors. I made some without sprinkles (for my mis-guided boyfriend who didn’t think he’s like them for some unknown reason), but the sprinkled ones were everyone (including his) favorite.
These will now be by go to. My only regret was not making these when I first saw the recipe years ago.
Deb, I made these cookies today, in 100 degree Oklahoma heat. I couldn’t resist them; I needed a cookie to lift my spirits. These turned out perfectly. They are so pretty, and they are heaven. They’ll be great with a scoop of ice cream later, if they last that long! I ran into a hitch when I ran out of jimmies. I switched to nonpareils. When I ran out of those I used cinnamon and sugar. I got rid of a few bottles in the cupboard and made lovely, pillowy cookies to boot. Thank you!
Hi,
I was asked to make these into a bar cookie and I read online just to increase the baking time. I baked for 25 mins. They taste great but the texture is a little off (a little crumbly). Having not made the cookies before I am wondering if perhaps that is typical of the cookie or if
I may have done something wrong.
Any suggestions for me to improve the texture? Do you think I baked it too long?
Ooooh, do you have a picture? For me, bar cookies are different, sturdier. I don’t usually use baking powder, and if I do, very little. These cookies are meant to be light and a little puffy, probably why they didn’t form a sturdy bar as well.
Thanks Deb. I think I determined that they are best as cookies as well. They also definitely were not as cute. I can take a picture of the cut pieces but I am not sure if I can post it here. Stick with the cookies!
***If I were to do it again I would probably start checking them at about 16 minutes in and probably let them bake no longer than 20 mins and take out the baking powder.
I baked the Confetti Cookies for the Fourth of July. Instead of sprinkles, I used red, white, and blue nonpareils. These worked great! I did run out of them, however, so the last six cookies were done with multicolored nonpareils (think fireworks). I love the texture and the crunch from the nonpareils, which stick nicely to the cookies. I will definitely make these again. I also used a #40 scoop, but I ended up with 40 cookies. Mine needed 11 minutes to bake, but I use heavier baking sheets than most people.
Just trekked 25 blocks to NY Cake only to find they’re temporarily closed!! Thankfully Whisk was only a block away— really reasonably priced and had all the offset spatulas I was looking for. Check it out while NY cake is closed! Might have to resort to amazon for those sprinkles in the time being, however..
Hi Deb! I made this recipe exactly as instructed but only got about 3 dozen. What do you think I did wrong?
What size scoop?
Same thing happened to me. I didn’t have an ice cream scoop, so I used a 1.5 tablespoon measuring spoon, and I think I heaped it up too high.
I’ll recheck the yield next time I make them!
I made these for the umpteenth time and rolled them by hand this time. I usually use a scoop but this worked great – they were beautiful, uniform 2.5”, I didn’t need to refrigerate first, and yielded about 3 dozen.
These are the best cookies ever! They look just like bakery cookies, people cannot believe that I made them. The hint of almond (I always add a little extra because I love the taste) makes these cookies. They’re the perfect treat to bring along with you – everyone loves them!
I am certain this recipe is magical! Easy (like after the kids go to bed on a week night simple), my daughter loves it, and it adapts to any holiday. Thank you!!!!
My daughter said, “Mom, stop making all those other cookies. These are without a doubt the best cookies you ever made.” Probably an exaggeration, but they are pretty good. I too pay attention to KAF, but I hadn’t tried these before. Thanks for the heads up.
My sister raved about these and gave me ONE to sample. These are amazing. Thank you for these!
Hi Deb! I was wondering if I could substitute crushed candy canes for the sprinkles in this cookie and maybe put some peppermint extract instead of the almond extract? I have been trying to find a peppermint cookie recipe that isn’t chocolate based for Christmas.
Absolutely. Would be delicious.
Could I make these chocolate? If so, how much cocoa powder would I substitute for flour? I was thinking 1/4 cup, but that might not be enough chocolate? Any advice?
Maybe even 3/4 cup swap!
Alaska Airlines lounge at LAX has these cookies, but they put two together and have raspberry jam in the middle and are so delicious that I always smuggle a couple in my purse to bring home to share (unless I can’t help myself during the flight) So happy to have a recipe and make them at home.
These cookies were excellent. I subbed the almond extract for peppermint and rolled them in crushed peppermint instead of sprinkles. I dunked half the cookies in melted dark chocolate. Thanks for the great recipe and quick response, Deb!
Hi Deb! Have you (or anyone) ever made these with Gluten Free Cup4Cup flour?
A few comments about gluten-free swaps:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/05/confetti-cookies/#comment-832671
https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/05/confetti-cookies/#comment-832691
https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/05/confetti-cookies/#comment-840665
I am.a decent cook but not great at cookies. These were a wonderful afternoon project with my grandson (near 7), forgiving of slow assembly and shaping, and delicious. Also used up almost all the assorted jars of sprinkles and colored sugar. We’ll do these again.
I roll these in a mix of matcha and sugar (and sometimes add matcha in the mix as well) and it gives them a lovely color and a gentle green tea taste. (As in, I like them, and I don’t like green tea.) Makes a great Christmas cookie, too.
I love these cookies. I’ve made them for ever season/Holiday, simply by changing out the rainbow sprinkles for other colors. I get my sprinkles from nycake.com but recently found FancySorinkles.com. The sprinkles at fancy sprinkles are amazing. No matter where you get your sprinkles, these cookies should be your go to cookie.
I was excited to make these cookies after reading the recipe. I made them this past week for a cookie exchange at my apartment building. They were fun to look at, but I was so disappointed with the taste. Blah. And I used both extracts. I will not be using this recipe again.
This is an easy and wonderful recipe for a baker who is just starting out. I was afraid that it would be too sweet, but the cream cheese brings the salty flavour in very well. Hands down best non-chocolate chip cookies ever. I made these on a Monday night, so the 10 minute baking time is much appreciated. I made a first batch of 6 and put the rest of the dough in the freezer. I can’t wait to share these with my friends. Also, the rainbow sprinkles just make me so happy!
I made these for our family Hanukkah party and everyone loved them! I loved that they were a little cakey and not hard. The almond extract made them even more delicious!
Hi!
I love this recipe! I think I ate 3/4 or my last batch! I read your replies about making ahead and freezing before baking, but do you recommend freezing with or without the sprinkles? I’m concerned about the colors bleeding…
Thanks!!
I can’t be sure with sprinkles without trying it (although I thought I had and now I am not sure) but since sprinkles vary so much, it’s probably safer to do it before baking, just let them warm up a little.
Thank you!
I always make ahead and freeze individual cookies that have been coated in sprinkles. I lay them in a single layer in a plastic bag. I have found that the sprinkles won’t stick if the dough dries out at all.
Great tip! Thank you!
I am going to make this over the weekend and was wondering if some of the cookies can be rolled in confectioners sugar & baked? Also I was thinking of making some like the snickerdoodles cookies which I tried some weeks back ( husband and his colleagues loved it btw) and roll them in granulated sugar and cinnamon. Would that work Deb with this recipe? Just wanted to have some different options, plus Christmas is around the corner, and I wanted all the different colors.
I’ve never tried powdered sugar here, not sure it would have appealing results. I usually make snickerdoodles like this but could see this recipe having a similarly tender effect.
These are a family favorite! Tonight we ran out of sprinkles and added mini chocolate chips instead. Delicious!
I made these yesterday, they were really good and I did some as snickerdoodles. Deb, your recipes are amazing. I wish you had a bakery here on Cape Cod. My next baking will be your peanut butter cookies for New Years.
I first tried them a month ago for a Hanukkah party. I have made them two more times since. I have omitted the almond extract from the batter the three times I made them. The second time I made them, I made a double batch and made half with the rainbow sprinkles and half with chocolate sprinkles for a holiday party. The rainbow is good, but the chocolate sprinkles really brought out the cream cheese flavor. The third time I made them for New Year’s and used black tie colored sprinkles. They were a huge hot at all three parties, as well as with my husband. Maybe I will make them with the almond extract the next time I make these. I had a go to sugar cookie recipe from the Joy of Cooking that I used for years. That recipe has been knocked down to number two. Thanks for this great tasting and simple recipe.
How do I stop my drop cookies from the sprinkles to run into each other?
I bake them went until thoroughly cool then glaze then add sprinkles and freeze.
They the sprinkles seem to all run.
Thanks
Josie
Great sugar cookie that is still great days later if stored in an airtight container. Thank you!!
I made these cookies for the dozenth time yesterday. But I substituted 3/4 cup of black cocoa powder and used 2 1/4 cup regular flour. The cookies were a little drier than they usually are when rolling them. The sprinkles had a hard time sticking to the dough. I also baked them exactly 8 minutes because I was concerned about getting them overdone. They were delicious. Very chocolatey. My question to Deb, ‘should I have weighed the cocoa powder instead of measuring it and would I have had to make any weight compensations for the cocoa powder replacement of flour?’ The recipe calls for 375 grams of flour. Is it a one to one gram replacement, cocoa powder to flour?
Doesn’t the sprinkles melt?
I absolutely love your recipes and your variety cookies ,they are easy to follow and fun for children to help make and eat .Big Thanks from Anna.😇
Can you bake these at high altitude? Are there any modifications to the recipe?
I just made these at altitude (outside Denver). I cut the baking powder in half, and I used the full amount of baking soda. They spread a little more than the pictures here indicate, so I will cut back a little more on the leaveners in the future.
These are amazing. I used around 3/4 of sugar rather than the full amount; I often bake that way because my Mister prefers less sugary things, and sugar makes my asthma flare up. I’m pleased to report that these taste incredible and are still quite sweet even with less sugar! I also used 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese because I had no cream cheese. ;) Still gives them a nice tang and a hit of chewy moistness. I rolled ’em in the little wee ball sprinkles. They are absolutely wonderful! Will definitely be making them again.
All my favourite recipes come from this blog. :D
Very nice recipe. Cookies came out big and gorgeous. Next time I would leave out the almond extract and dial back the salt, I did use salted butter. A big hit with my sprinkle helpers (ages 4 and 6)!
I made these last night and they were so fabulous I’m about to make another batch for my son’s 5th grade class for Valentine’s Day- added a smidge extra almond extract and the whole family collectively smiled. Cream cheese is the magic ingredient!
Do you think these will travel well in the mail?
Hi Deb! Is it fine to chill the dough overnight before baking these beauties?
I have a gluten free family member. I’d like to try making a GF version. Now to decide which GF flour would be best suited for the substitution. 🤔
Deb, is the recipe supposed to call for 2 eggs?? I couldn’t get a firm enough dough with one!
I tend to melt butter because I’m too lazy to wait for it to soften. I just mix the melted butter with the sugar which is the pretend way of creaming it. :) I find that it works really well in banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. Do you think it would be a good idea here? Thanks!
What do you think about using only almond extract? These look beautiful!
We are making these after school! My son wanted to make them this morning before school but alas – no time. He’s super excited!
I made these yesterday on a whim and they are incredible! I rolled most of mine in confetti sprinkles to please my 2.5yo and I rolled the rest in chocolate sprinkles. Both versions are delicious and I’m (almost) regretting making them because I can’t seem to keep from eating them myself.
Phenomenal cookies. I’ve made them many times. When I bring them to parties, no one can get enough! I use a tablespoon to measure out the cookies and they are just right- crispy at the edges and fluffy/chewy in the center. The kids (3 and 6) love to roll the balls in sprinkles (and sneak lots of sprinkles along the way as I pretend not to notice). Another win for smitten kitchen!
I really like the idea of posting for different appliances.
I loved these! First recipe made from smittenkitchen and it won’t be the last! Great taste and perfect “in between cookie”, not too hard or soft. And, come on sprinkle covered? Yes please!
I JUST made these. Used dark green, lime green and white sprinkles for St. Patrick’s Day. Festive, but not nearly as much work as rolled and frosted cookies! My house smells like a bakery. <3
31 weeks pregnant with our second and having a sprinkle. So of course there must be sprinkle desserts. I’ve made these cookies twice in 4 days. With the first batch, I followed the recipe exactly and used a #30 scoop (2tbsp) and a #50 scoop (1tbsp). Our toddler had a blast on sprinkle duty. For the last few, we mixed the sprinkles into the batter simply bc this mama was tired. After baking both sizes and sprinkles inside and out, the hubby and toddler liked the smaller cookies with sprinkles inside best. A double batch with the sprinkles mixed in using the #50 scoop yielded a bit more than 100 cookies, after the few handfuls of dough my toddler snuck as her incentive for helping.
Every time I feel like I’ve mastered the art of baking, I realize I have so much to learn. They are far too fragile to check the underside to see if they are slightly browned. I am hoping that as they cool, they set and are actually cooked. They look amazing and my house smells amazing too!
Followed this recipe over the weekend with great results. These cookies just scream celebration!
Please help me figure this out. I am not a baker mostly because I am not a sweet eater but I thought these cookies in school colored sprinkles would be cool for upcoming NCAA tournament.
An easy recipe turned agitating to me because my dough (prepared in food processor) never got soft….it was cornmealy fragile and difficult to hold together until MUCH warm hand handling. The sprinkles would not cooperate either.
I am wondering if the use of European butter might have caused this. Is there a fat% difference?
It might have just needed to blend longer. Blending both mixes the ingredients and warms up the cold butter — softening it so it holds together better. It could be ingredient variation, but the dough is pretty sticky, it should have been accommodating in the end.
These were the first thing I tried baking in my new oven. They were fun to make and worked out very well!
I ran out of sprinkles after about 3/4 of the cookies were baked, so I rolled the last few in cinnamon and sugar. They came out nice, too. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration!
Hi Deb, I make these cookies all the time and they are amazing! I’m debating on making them as a favor for my wedding on July 5, 2019. I’m debating on making the dough and freezing it or baking them and then freezing them. I had a few questions about freezing. Would you recommend freezing the balls of dough with the sprinkles or without them? I saw in one of your comments that you said that you preferred to have them freshly baked vs. baked and then frozen. Would love to hear your input. Thank you!
Freeze without sprinkles, especially for your purposes. You can freeze them in balls, let them warm up a bit (maybe fridge for a day), then put the sprinkles on before you bake them. You can bake them a few days before you need them, but definitely make sure they’re on the tender side so as they dry out, they’re still plush.
Thank you, Deb!
From past experience, I would strongly recommend putting them in sprinkles and then freezing them. If the cookies get dry at all it’s very hard for it get the sprinkles to adhere
These are really delicious! I left out the almond extract but otherwise made them as written. My hands are always cold so getting the sprinkles to stick was a challenge. That said, I am making a few dozen for a bake sale. They will sell fast! Thanks always for the great recipes!
Delicious and so pretty! Like others, I had a different yield; I weighed ingredients and used a #40 scoop and got 30 cookies (I didn’t each THAT much dough, honest!). I also used nonpareils as that’s what I had on had and they’re perfect.
I made these via the food processor method. The dough came together easily with no problems. I agree with the other commenters that this cookie was on the sweet side (although no more than the way these cookies taste from the grocery store). I would make these again but with less sugar and also high quality sprinkles are important too!
I’m currently baking, and eating, these cookies. I made them gluten free using 2 1/2 Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 mix and 1/2 cup of almond flour. I included the almond extract because, duh, it’s amazing. They are delicious and make my heart smile. My lips can’t becuase of a recent allergic reaction to mango skin so my heart must smile in their place. I’m sharing these cookies with family for Easter and I’m pretty sure they will be loved by all. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
I made these for a fundraiser bake sale. Made them a bit larger and packaged them individually in bags tied with a bow. They were adorable!
The only change I would make would be to double the vanilla. That might just be me, I love vanilla.
I made a few changes, and I’m very happy with these cookies. The first time I made them they were overly sweet. 1) I upped the salt a little to 1 1/2 t. 2) I used Brave Tart’s toasted sugar 3) I only half dipped the cookies in the sprinkles 4) I used caramel flavor instead of almond extract. These are our new favorite cookies!
Deb, what do you think about these for ice cream sandwiches? I just now saw that you have cookie recipes specifically for this purpose, but that was after I told my turning-4-year-old I’d make them for her pre-school celebration. (It was these cookies that inspired me to make the ice cream sandwiches in the first place).
So obviously I’m going ahead as planned- any tips for this purpose? I think it will just be key not to overbake, so they stay a little pliable.
Thank you!
You say that cookies with vanilla beans are better than other cookies, but this rigorous blind taste found that vanilla bean baked goods were not rated better than extracts or even imitation.
https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/taste-test-is-better-vanilla-extract-worth-the-price.html
How do you suggest storing the cookings, at room temperature or refrigerated? How many days might they last at room temp?
They can last a week at room temperature. If they’re getting too soft, lead the container ajar.
Have made these Confetti Cookies several times and they’re always a hit. Glad I came across your recipe. Thanks!
I love these cookies, but I only get 24 cookies using a #40 scoop. I followed the recipe exactly and weighed ingredients. I’m not sure how I could possibly get 4 dozen unless making mini cookie scoop. Curious if you make this recipe again if you could check the quantity and maybe weigh a dough ball without sprinkles so I could get the size right in the future. Thanks!
I do not normally comment but I feel I must. These are probably the best sugar cookies I have ever had or made. They are easy and fun to make and the texture of the final product is perfection. I have made these 3 times now for 3 different parties and they are the first desserts to disappear at all events! People are drawn to the colors and come back for more when they take their first bite – kids and adults alike.
This is a fabulous recipe. Thank you!!!
I made these yesterday and they are delicious but a little soft. Either I didn’t bake them long enough (although I baked 2-3 min. more than recipe states) or they’re supposed to be that way. How do I make them crunchier? Add more butter and a bit of Crisco?
They tender cookies. You can firm them up by leaving them out uncovered.
Very yummy. I highly recommend substituting KA’s Fior di Sicilia extract in place of vanilla and almond.
I made these in 30 gram balls and they were the perfect size. Delicious!
Forgive me Deb, for I have sinned. Somehow I had never made these before but I remedied that today. They’re beautiful, delicious, and made for a magical afternoon with my kiddo. You have done it again! Thank you!
I have a vegan update – long story short, vegan substitutions work! I made these using Daiya regular cream cheese instead of dairy cream cheese, earth balance instead of butter, and Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer instead of an egg. I only used 1 cup of sugar (instead of 1 1/4 cups) out of personal preference. These were plenty sweet even with the sugar reduction — hello, they are coated with sprinkles made of sugar! These were a hit, I am making them for a work event later this month. They remind me of cookies I ate as a child from my local Jewish bakery. So glad I can enjoy them as an adult too :)
I’d like to start my Hanukkah/Christmas cookie baking. Will these freeze well? Thanks, Bonnie
Usually they freeze well, however, some sprinkles freeze better than others, some get a little smudgy when defrosted.
These are amazing! I just made them for a Christmas cookie exchange using red, white, and green sprinkles and they’re super cute! I’m expecting rave reviews tomorrow!
I had one issue though – I weighed everything exactly, used the food processor method, used a #40 cookie scoop, and got only 32 cookies instead of 4 dozen like the recipe says. I needed 4 dozen, so I had to make a second batch. That one also gave me exactly 32 cookies, so I think my measuring is accurate. Thankfully it wasn’t a huge deal to make more. So heads up for anyone else out there who needs 4 dozen cookies – make two batches. :)
These cookies are everything!!! They’re so easy. My kids think I’m a superhero. I’m slightly famous among their friends now. Plus they’re crunchy outside and tender inside and not too sweet even with the added sprinkles. Easily the most joyful cookies I’ve ever made. Love it! Thank you!
Can this dough be rolled out and cookie cuttered or is it too soft for that?
I made these today and they are fantastic! Next time I will freeze a portion of the batter because they make quite a few cookies. Great recipe!
This cookie recipe made in the food processor revolutionizes my cookie making.! Meets my cooking mantra of Max effect with min effort. Thank you for such a tasty and easy cookie. I made them with red green and white confetti for a cookie exchange this weekend. Very successful. Today I gave the recipe to a non-baking friend who was panicking about having to bake something for her daughters school function. The recipe was perfect for her little girls to help. She’s just sent WhatsApp pics of their cookies with gold sprinkles – she’s so happy. I know my comments are Johnny come lately, but thank you for your inspiration.
These cookies are amazing! Great flavor, texture and so easy to make. As an admitted lover of all things sprinkles… these make me so happy!
First time trying a sugar cookie recipe and these were fantastic! We dipped half the cookies in red sprinkles and the other half in green sanding sugar as we mean to gift them as holiday cookies.
These cookies are the bomb! I made them for my Christmas cookie plates that I give to friends and neighbors. The taste is fantastic and they are so colorful which is a great addition to a mix of cookies on a plate. I followed your recipe exactly and will be making these again and again. Thank you for the great recipe! I shopped for sprinkles in my local stores and was underwhelmed so I went online and purchased from nuts.com where a colorful mix was about $7 for one pound. They taste and look great. Happy Holidays!
Make. These. Cookies. I had my doubts… Would something this cute disappoint in the taste department? Would the sprinkles give it a weird texture? Are these just a so-so cookie dressed up in fancy clothes? Nope. Not only do these come together like a dream (thank you, food processor), but they are as adorable and festive in real life as they are in the photos AND they’re delicious. Buttery and not overly sweet with a satisfying firmness on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth softness inside. No weirdness from the sprinkles either. They simply glow-up into the cookie and make the whole thing irresistible. I’ve been eating them for 5 days now and they pair well with morning coffee, or nothing at all. These are a new holiday favorite for me and will appear at every cookie swap, party, or just-because gathering.
These are SOOOO freaking good. I cannot say enough. The recipe was perfect and worked as written. They turned out so easy and so incredibly tasty with layers of sugar, butter and vanilla. Will make again and again with sprinkles in different hues for different occasions!
Second time I have made these. God I love these so much, as does my 3 year old. These definitely use a ton of sprinkles but they taste amazing. I especially love the almond extract in them.
What metal tool did you use to flatten the cookies?
Thank you for sharing this recipe! We made them on Superbowl Sunday and everyone loved them and I especially loved the almond extract in them!
Made these, loved them. Was then inspired to substitute M&Ms for sprinkles to make what I call Stoplight Cookies: stack 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 green M&M closely in the center of each cookie. When eating, remind yourself to drive carefully (I need all the reminders I can get).
Can these be made into thumbprint cookies and filled with chocolate ganache? Seems like the dough would be good for it…
I’m not sure, haven’t tested it, but I think they should hold their shapes okay.
These are absolutely delicious – tender, buttery and just the right amount of sweetness. A lovely cookie, and a delight to young bakers :-).
Made this as a quarantine activity for my 2-year old (she gets to dip in sprinkles), and they are so good I’m having trouble not swallowing the whole lot!! The taste is amazing and there is a nice contrast to the crunchiness of the sprinkles and slight sponginess of the cookies. Cream cheese adds a very slight tang, and I used salted butter, as I always do in baking. I will start hoarding sprinkles to make a batch every week!
Just made these and they’re delish! I only got 3 dozen cookies instead of 4 dozen, but they are so nice in size!
These are insanely easy to make and very, very tasty. They are little packages of joy. Definitely check the bottoms as they bake– when they were barely golden I pulled them (and I’m chronically skeptical of a pale cookie), and their texture when cooled was perfect.
THIS is the sugar cookie I’ve been looking for! Absolute heaven – crunch on the outside, chewy in the middle. I made them last night (stand mixer method) and imagine they won’t last long. I had less than a cup of sprinkles on hand, so the last few I dredged in a mix of granulated sugar and colored sugar. All are delicious. Might try a cinnamon/sugar mix next time…
A+. I added the almond extract. Everyone at work loved them. I ran short of jimmies and had to add 1/4 cup of nonpareils to make the full 1 cup of sprinkles needed. I would recommend doing this on purpose since the nonpareils filled in the gaps between the jimmies – the cookies were saturated in sprinkles and they were real cute.
These are fantastic cookies! Even for those who prefer cooking over baking….you know what I’m talking about! They were quick, easy, satisfying to roll out and delicious to eat. They really do resemble the NY Deli style sprinkle cookies…except they are not dry and tasteless! Thanks for a FABULOUS recipe!
These were absolutely incredible. I made them during quarantine after watching Deb make them on Instagram live with her children. My boyfriend kindly asked me not to bake them again for at least two weeks since that was the only way to stop him from devouring them! They were beautiful.
I made the dough, and it’s so sticky I’m not sure what to do. I tried chilling it for 15 minutes, tried blending it more (now afraid I’ve overmixed it) and added a bit more flour. Tried to go ahead and form the balls with my hands, but I simply cannot. It just sticks to my fingers. I halved the recipe, but forgot to halve the vanilla. I used one medium egg instead of large. Could the extra teaspoon of vanilla have ruined my dough? Is there any way to save it now? Thanks in advance!
I tried to answer my own question by slowly adding more flour, and blending in the food processor. The dough got less wet, but still incredibly sticky, like taffy or caramel, and almost impossible to handle by hand. I ended up making one giant pile of cookie and it’s in the shape of approximately Germany because there is no way to form the dough! Half the dough was lost from sticking to the bowl and my hands and utensils. Put some sprinkles on top and throwing it in the oven to see what happens. I just can’t figure out where I went wrong. I used the food processor, perhaps the mixer would have been better. Oh well – I’ve baked dozens of your recipes for many years and this is the first one that has turned out anything less than perfect! Maybe it will still taste good…
Made these for a St. Patrick’s Day party last year and they were well received! The sprinkles were so fun and everyone loved them. Mine spread out a bit so next time will use a smaller cookie scoop.
I love that you are sprinkle specific, Deb! I made these with my granddaughter today. We made a unicorn mix of pink, purple, aqua, and yellow and called them unicorn cookies. These cookies are divine!
made these today as an after school treat for my boys first day of school! easy, fun, and delicious. didn’t change a thing. would make again!
Made half with sprinkles and the other half with a mixture of cinnamon and vanilla sugars in lieu of the sprinkles. Those were a hit with my crew. Taste like a creamy snickerdoodle.
I love this recipe! It is so easy and always comes out great. I’ve done it with both the food processor and cold butter and cream cheese and the stand mixer with room temp ingredients.
In typical recipe comment fashion, here’s what I’ve done different with these! With the recipe exactly the same I have pressed m&ms into them, chopped up kit kats, mini chocolate chips, and every kind of sprinkle I have. A big hit at Halloween is dyeing the dough green, orange, blue, rolling them in powdered sugar before baking, and when hot and soft out of the oven, pressing candy eyeballs all over them. Which I’m doing right now!
Fabulous cookies! So easy to overbake, though they are still delicious if it happens. Underbaked slightly and cooled on the tray, they remind me of the sugar cookies from Albertson’s grocery, which is a good thing. Also, beware–they are addictive!
Jessica, you are 100% correct. I can never find them anymore, but those cookies from the Albertson’s bakery case were a huge deal in my childhood! These are almost, dare I say it, better. I’ve made them 3 or 4 times since discovering this recipe in September and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love them. I left a few on the step for my boss’ family and she told me her daughter snuck out of bed to eat them, they were so good.
Can I make 1-2 days before my daughters birthday party?
Yes
These were wonderful. Fairly easy to make, very pretty, and delicious. They have the holy grail of sugar cookie texture — slightly crispy around the outside with a soft, chewy interior. Thank you, Deb!
These come together so fast! What a delicious, fun cookie!! We love them!!!
These are unreal, simply delicious!!! Cannot get enough.
WOW!!!!! just made these and they are fantastic! what else can I do with this dough? it’s so delish
Can I roll out the dough and use cookie cutters or will they spread too much?
I used 200 grams of sugar instead of 250 and they still turned out amazing.
My sprinkle mix had little trees and snowflakes in it that melted, they weren’t very pretty when done. Stick to the little ball sprinkles for best results.
Best easy cookie recipe ever. I tried the food processor method which was so quick this was a breeze to make. Great tip! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out beautiful and soooo good and stayed moist.
I make these all the time and they’re a huge hit. Today I decided to switch it up and swap out one cup of flour for a cup of cocoa powder, replaced the almond extract with more vanilla extract, and chocolate sprinkles for the rainbow ones. Very chocolatey and still delicious. I plan on making the recipe as you wrote it later on in the week, but I wanted a good chocolate cookie and they are. Thanks for the guide!!
These are fabulous! I made a Christmas-y version with a “holly berry” sprinkle mix. But since you reminded me, Deb, that I can mix sprinkles, I added some of the gold glitter sprinkles that have been languishing in my pantry to the mix to great effect. I mixed the dough using my food processor (a 10 cup) and though it was filled to its max capacity, it was such an easy method with delicious result. My bake time was a bit longer (at least 5-7 minutes longer) just to get to a very-slightly-golden-at-the-sides state. But I don’t have a #40 disher and was just guessing at 1.5 tablespoons with my round tablespoon, so maybe I over scooped? Anyway, pay close attention to your time, as I’m sure 9-10 minutes was a good time to start checking for that size.
Deb, I’ve used your recipes for years and am so thankful for both the ones you create and the ones you tweak and pass on. Thank you for a festive cookie that says “PARTY!” that can be thrown into a tin and gifted in leiu of actual parties this year.
Made these today as part of my holiday baking and i can’t get over how easy and FUN these were. Squishing the raw cookies down with the water glass was particularly satisfying! And turned out just perfectly delicious!
Perfection! Made these with Christmas themed sprinkles and they are GONE. So delicious!
Can you make the dough ahead of time for the same results?
Yes
Hi! We got a new stove and my oven is ready for cookies! Can I use a size #20 scoop for this and make LARGE confetti cookies? I’m wondering if it would change the texture or anything in the cookie. I assume that there would be a slightly longer bake time, maybe?
We just pulled a tray out of the oven. Couldn’t even wait for them to cool. My children have deemed them the best cookies they have ever eaten. They are seriously delicious.
Can these be used as holiday cut-out cookies (minus the sprinkles)?
You may want to try her recipe specifically for that: https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/12/unfussy-sugar-cookies/
I made the confetti cookies twice this 2020 holiday season already. I used both methods. The food processor is certainly the easiest. Both turned out delicious cookies.
This dough is beautiful but I had a lot of trouble getting sprinkles to stick after I rolled them in my hands. I eventually dampened my hands a bit and that worked perfectly. Great cookie!
Made these in food processor with cool-not-cold butter and cream cheese and dough turned out rather dry. Was easy to roll dough into balls but impossible to get sprinkles to stick to balls until we pressed the dough balls into the sprinkles plate with the water glass vs rolling them in the sprinkles. They taste and look great
This is a delicious cookie. I don’t like sugar cookies at all usually, but my gosh!! I have made these three times within a month, to eat, share, freeze. The confetti make them so fun, but I’ve also just made them without it, and not pressed them down. They were fatter, fluffier in the middle and nice and crispy on the outside. So easy and so good! Thank you for the recipe. Honestly, when I want a (for certain) new good cookie recipe, I don’t even really go to other sites…I just search this one.
I make these cookies every 3-4 months. Kids love the dough but once baked with generic jimmy sprinkles they always had a bit of a bitter flavor (it’s the purple jimmies, I’m convinced). I recently discovered using all-confectioner sugar jimmies makes a HUGE difference. The cookies went from “good” to “HOLY CRAP I ATE THE WHOLE PAN AND MY FACE IS ON FIRE BECAUSE I HOOVERED THEM DOWN DIRECTLY OUT OF THE OVEN.”
So, in short, level up these cookies and make sure you spring for the all-sugar sprinkles.
Many years ago I found a recipe in Family Circle magazine that I dubbed “smash cookies”; it had ground walnuts in the dough, sprinkles, and was a favorite. I decided to adapt this recipe by adding a cup of finely ground walnuts to the dough. These were even better that the original! I’m already planning to make them for Valentine’s Day with red, pink, and white sprinkles. Thanks for a great recipe!
Love these cookies and it’s a huge plus that they ship beautifully! If I wanted a peanut butter version, would I adjust the butter amount or replace PB for the cream cheese?
Chiming in to the “I made this” group, to explain, in case it wasn’t clear to others reading the comments (it wasn’t clear to me!)–these WONDERFUL cookies will use all the sprinkles in your house. I made a double batch at holiday time, and before I had rolled even half of the dough into balls, I had used over 5 oz. of sprinkles. Fortunately, I had some festive sugars on hand–and just about used all of those, too. Just to give you all a heads up. About to make more, and I’m ready with plenty of supplies. Also, another commenter recommended shredded coconut on top, and I’m going to try some that way, too!
these are hella good! made them (and ate them) with our 3 year old. they were a hit for everyone, even the grown ups. fyi for anyone curious – we are dairy free so we tried this with vegan / non-dairy butter and vegan cream cheese. it worked great!
I finally made these and cannot handle how good they are. Also my daughter came into the kitchen and saw them and *shrieked*
The first time I made these I followed the recipe exactly and they were terrific! The next time(s) I substituted 1 1/2 tsp dehydrated lemon juice and 5 drops of lemon oil for the almond extract. They were super lemony and fantastic! One friend said they were the best cookies she has ever eaten. Another said they were better than a “Big O”. LOL.
I have made these maybe a dozen times since November 2020 (averages out to 3x a month! I have a 3yo daughter 🤣) i have made a variety of changes but i think making the vanilla sugar really steps them up and i highly recommend splurging on GOOD sprinkles cheap ones ruin the whole cookie. I prefer the organic ones they just taste better
Hi can you freeze this dough?
The dough freezes well; the sprinkles can get smudgy so it’s best to add them before baking.
How could one turn these into chocolate cookies? I made these 5 days ago and my children immediately asked if I could make them chocolate next time, even as they inhaled them as is and begged for more.
I’d swap some of the flour with cocoa powder — by weight would be better (cocoa powder weighs a little less) but it should work regardless.
Hi Deb,
Thanks to your recipe, I made a playground full of kids very happy. 😃 It’s been a hard year on kids and I saw some whom I have not seen in a year. Talk about faces lighting up! Can you suggest a substitute for the egg for the kids who are not allowed eggs for religious reasons? I have a second batch to make. Thank you.
I love these cookies. They look great on a plate and turn out just the way you want them to; with color, a pop of flavor and plenty of richness.
These are bakery quality. 2 thumbs up in our house
These are still our favorite go-to cookie for celebrations, potlucks, and teacher gifts. They are always a hit!
Love these cookies! Would it work to use coconut oil instead of the butter?
These are great celebratory cookies; have made them twice for drive-by parties. Everyone is very impressed! And very yummy, thank you, King Deb/Arthur!But you’re right about sprinkles. Hard to find really spiffy ones.
2021.06.30: I accidentally used the entire 8oz block of cream cheese. To counteract any extra softness, I rolled, pressed, and refrigerated the ready to bake sheets while the oven preheated. 10/10, would repeat. Thank you!
Have you ever tried substituting lemon extract for the almond? I have a kid who is a big fan of anything lemon. Thanks!
You definitely could — or even add lemon zest.
We love these cookies! Hello from Australia!! I know you say a 1.5 tab scoop for the mix but I am wondering if you know how many grams that is? I want to make them smaller for my daughters birthday, normally I make them 50g each. Any advice? Thanks so much, and we love your celebration cookie bides where your daughter helps you, soooo cute!
I am glad you’re enjoying the cookies. I’ll check the weight next time I scoop. I bet you’re in the right ballpark.
Hi Samantha! I made them today and mine with #40 scoop were 25g.
10/10 exactly as written!
I’ve made the recipe a few times and I have a few suggestions that others might like:
– If you’re going to use a stand/hand mixer then you want both the butter and cream cheese to be room temp (like very squishy to the touch) otherwise they won’t get light and fluffy and the cookies will be hard. If you don’t have time to leave them out, just blitz them at 10 sec intervals in the microwave until they’re like playdoh.
– I like the cookies to be more like balls than disks so I rolled them in 100’s & 1000’s and froze them for ~20 min then baked for 12 min.
Help! I’ve made these cookies many times, and they’re always crowd pleasers! This time they came out flat like pancakes, and I have no idea why. I think I did everything the same…in a food processor, butter and cream cheese out of the fridge, cool, rolled dough balls and froze, warmed a week later in my hands just enough to get the sprinkles to stick. Only difference I can think of is I have a new oven which I put on convection. Any thoughts? They tasted fine, I didn’t say a word, and they all disappeared anyway…
These seem so simple that one might be tempted to think they aren’t holiday-cookie-tin-worthy. One would be very, very wrong. It’s one of my staples now. I keep the big jar of CakeMate sprinkles in the pantry, because one never knows when the need for sprinkles will arise. My only problem is keeping Huz out of the cream cheese.
Hi my dough is very powdery even after 20min in the fridge. Any suggestions?
I’ve put the entire batter in a bowl and mushed it together with my hands. It comes together nicely, makes sure all the ingredients are well mixed, and is easy to scoop out the dough balls.
Mine started out very powdery too (I thought maybe I had added too much flour) but came together beautifully after a few extra minutes in the food processor.
Given that there is cream cheese in these, do they need to be kept in the refrigerator after being baked?
No
Thanks, Deb, for a wonderful recipe! I doubted that I could make cookies that looked as perfect as these …. but I did :) My test audience of five kids pronounced them ‘great’, with a seven-year old boy going so far as asking for my ‘secret ingredient’ and declaring the cookies worthy of instagram!
Made these last night and agree they are quick, easy, and SUPER delicious! Next day they are a softer chewier texture. Will be making these frequently! Now I have to figure out a vegan version…
These cookies are fantastic! They would be fun to make with children or grandchildren — they would enjoy rolling the dough balls in sprinkles and flattening them with a glass. One thing — I used easily double the amount of sprinkles called for in the recipe. I used a whole 9.3 ounce container.
I was skeptical after taking these out of the oven and tasting one cookie that was a little dry. I am now a believer. Somehow these are more delicious after cooling and it’s hard not to dip into the stash set aside for my kid’s first grade cookie swap. Also, they were super easy to make in the food processor and my kid who normally gets bored after 3 minutes in the kitchen had fun rolling and shaping and dipping them in sprinkles. Will be adding these into the regular rotation for future holidays. Thanks, Deb!
For Christmas this year I added about a cup of crushed candy canes to this recipe (maybe 3/4 of a cup? Dunno I just threw them in and mixed by hand), and rolled these babies in red, white and green sprinkles. Let me tell you, friends, if you want an easy cookie gift that tastes like seasonal festivity, I *highly* recommend this course of action.
I know I’m late to the party on these but oh my gosh these were so good!!! 4yr old approved, super easy to make in the food processor.
Brilliant, thank you!
LOVE this recipe! So versatile. Sugar Cookie..check. Snickerdoodle…check. Today I’m using green sprinkles & adding a red stripe peppermint Hershey kiss to the middle for our Kindergarten Grinch themed Christmas party!
Hands down- my favorite cookie! Thank you for bringing this into my life : )
Hi Deb. I have not yet encountered a sprinkle I enjoy… do you have any brand recommendations? Thanks!
These are wonderful! Had the ingredients ready to go in case any of my grandchildren had time for a visit and some cookie baking, and this morning it happened! The dough went together so fast, and the rolling, re-rolling in sprinkles and flattening was so much fun…my six year old grandson prepped the last few batches on his own. Verdict:’Best cookies EVER!’ Thank you so much for these and all your other fabulous recipes
These are delicious, festive & so easy to make. I found (as suggested by another reviewer) that flattening them slightly while in the bowl of sprinkles worked great and saves time. Mine were perfectly baked at 12 minutes. I split the dough and added mini chocolate chips to half; I liked the addition. Very cheerful cookies!
How do you find the flavor in these? I used King Arthur’s sparkling sugar on top because I didn’t have sprinkles, but otherwise followed the recipe. They didn’t seem to have very much flavor. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like they were sweet enough to bring out the vanilla or butter flavor, so they just tasted really bland. Maybe this is ok for a kid cookie, where presentation is everything, and they were exceptionally easy to make, but.. they really need more flavor. Maybe orange extract or even more vanilla.. Also weirdly, even though the dough was rolled into perfect balls, they rose into weird blobular asymmetrical objects. Curious.
Hit of our cookie box every year! These also make incredible cut-out cookies.
Hello! love the cookies, but mine spread out ……alot (into each other too!)
What did I do wrong ???
I made these yesterday with my 6 and 4 year old grandkids. While ours did not turn out as pretty as the picture, we had a lot of fun, and the cookies were absolutely delicious. We made half with rainbow sprinkles and half with chocolate sprinkles. I think this will be our annual tradition!
Made these today with my 3 year old son. I chose this recipe out of the thousands online because it looked fairly simple. These are so delicious and easy to make, and they look really beautiful when done. Will definitely be making them again they work great as a Christmas cookie but would work for other occasions too!
I love the texture and flavor of these sugar cookies- unlike anything I’ve had. These also had a perfect spread- not too thin, not too thick. I used all-natural sprinkles (no artificial dye), and while the colors stayed intact, I noticed the sprinkles were tacky even after the cookies cooled. So they were a bit challenging to handle. I’ll likely use artificial sprinkles next time, assuming it will produce a more solid result. Either way, the recipe is 5 stars from me.
My GOODNESS this recipe is 12/10 amazing. Such a simple cookie with really incredible flavor and texture. The cream cheese is a must, and the almond extract adds complexity. So fun and tasty!
I made these as a treat for my son’s birthday. I used equal amounts of coconut sugar instead of white sugar and they turned out great. They were not too sweet. They are a little darker because of the coconut sugar. They were a big hit in my house. I will definitely make these again. Thank you Deb!
These are GORGEOUS. Here in the UK our sprinkles aren’t so vibrantly coloured, but the effect is still fab – and they taste fantastic. I used vanilla bean paste rather than a vanilla bean, and that’s the only difference. When I ran out of sprinkles I used hundreds and thousands, and they worked really well too!
Hi!
These are a favorite in our house, and typically, when I *know* I’m making them, I make sure to grab cream cheese.
I don’t typically keep cream cheese or Greek yogurt in the house, but wondering if sour cream is an acceptable substitute? I have everything else on hand and we’re getting freezing rain, so a jog to the store isn’t happening…
Other people have asked, and there’s never a response for a good/acceptable substitution…
These were amazing! I had spent hours decorating some cookies with royal icing for valentines and my hubs and kiddo loved these instead!!!! Now, I am wondering if I can use this same recipe without the sprinkles for ROyal Icing? Anyone else know? HUGE HIT!!!!!!
**I had some kids in class that couldn’t have the sprinkles with dyes, and used the natural sprinkles ordered off Amazon. AMAZING!!!!
So I have made these many times, and they are always awesome. However, through an interesting series events, I am currently eating them mixed up in homemade ice cream, after having been frozen unbaked themselves, and then baked by my husband who did not realize that if he baked them on a cooling rack they would solidify around the rack and be impossible to pry off except in bits.
They are still soft. No joke.
I’ve never left a comment on a recipe before but felt like I had to on this one because it was so bad. Your recipes are always my go-to and I was excited about this one because I was making cookies for a Bat Mitzvah using sprinkles that matched the girls’ colors. The dough in this recipe was SO dry. It crumbled as I tried to roll it and then none of the sprinkles would stick to it. So disappointing. I quickly found another recipe online that was similar but used less flour and it was perfect. First time I’ve ever been disappointed by Smitten Kitchen.
Too bad you never left a comment on any of the SK recipes that you liked. Also too bad that you assume it’s the recipe’s fault that your attempt didn’t turn out. Plenty of other people have had good success with this recipe, so I suspect that you did something wrong. (Maybe you packed your flour so your 3 cups was actually more than Deb’s 3 cups.)
These cookies are our favorite. It’s a staple for this girl who isn’t a baker. We make them for school every year, and kids go crazy!
Thank you for the win!
These cookies have the best flavor! I made them with my granddaughter and she loved helping me and rolling them in the sprinkles. I’ve tried
Just made these cookies and they are wonderful! They taste just yummy and are adorable! Will definitely make these over and over.
I made these and they were delicious. I used rainbow non perils instead of sprinkles and they were adorable.
The only issue I had was this recipe killed my food processor. I have an 8 Cup Kitchenaid And have made many other cookies (your shortbreads are my fave) but I guess this was too much for my machine. At least it was still under warranty.
these are so good! thank you for perfecting them. these were very satisfying to make and even better to eat :)
Thanks for reposting these, I had admired them but never made them. We made them this evening and they are amazing! We did the food processor method and it was so easy I am amazed. Bit hit with the family.
I made these today. Absolutely delicious. I’ve never been a fan of sugar cookies-until now. My cookies were quite big and I baked for 14 minutes. They were perfect. Outstanding recipe!
I just received my order of sprinkles from NYCake and can’t wait to mix up my sprinkles and make these cookies. I have a question ( I was scrolling through the comments and am not sure if I missed answers). I would like to make the dough and then bake only 1/2. When freezing the other half, should I make the cookie balls and roll in the sprinkles then freeze? Or make the cookie balls and when I am ready to bake let them warm up and then roll in the sprinkles? Worried that freezing the sprinkles will do something to the texture and/or taste. Thanks so much.
Hi, Deb!
If I were to make these ahead and freeze the dough until I’m ready to use it, would you freeze before or after adding sprinkles? I want to have the dough ready so my kids can choose/decorate, but I don’t wanna ruin it.
Thanks! Been a long time reader/student of yours (sheesh, like 12 years!). Really appreciate all you do!
Thank you! I’d freeze it without sprinkles, in case they get smudgy when defrosted.
These are by far the best “funfetti” sprinkle cookies I have made. They are such a happy cookie. Not too sweet. Just perfect.
I just made this and they’re delicious! I’m bringing them to my grandson’s 1st birthday party. I followed your recipe exactly. And the cookies were done at 10 minutes.
Thank you!
This recipe using cream cheese reminds me of a Betty Crocker recipe called Mary’s Sugar Cookie Cutouts. Vintage from 1978 ;-)
Wondering if I can freeze these cookies and when- before baking ( and are the sprinkles on before freezing or after thawing before baking? Should they be frozen after baking? Thanks for any insight.
I did get some answers about freezing the dough. Thanks everyone! Can’t wait to make these again…
Can I refrigerate these cookies for 24+ hours?
The dough? Yes, but I cannot promise that the sprinkles won’t get smudgy — some do, but it might not be an issue.
These were good! And easy! Used red, white and blue sprinkles for 4th of July!
These are my go-to sugar cookies. They are always a hit, as the sprinkles add something extra. Instead of almond extract, I add lemon zest. The PERFECT lemon sugar cookie.
These are a lovely project for small people – my four year old really enjoyed helping at every stage (she womanned the mixer controls as well which is Very Important). Points for me to note when I come back to this (probably next week!):
– I used demerara sugar instead of granulated, seems fine
– I didn’t have cream cheese so I used a levelled 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) of undrained Greek yoghurt instead; all other ingredients as per instructions and the dough was the perfect consistency for rolling without chilling or adding flour
– no issues with undue spreading in the oven; I baked them 6 at a time on a baking sheet
– in my fan (convection) oven at 170C, 9 mins was too short, 11 mins produced a baked but very cakey cookie and 13 mins was the perfect time for a cookie that was softish in the centre but golden at the edge
– I left them on the tray after baking for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack
– using my 1/8 cup measure about 75% full, I got 19 cookies rather than 28 but they are very generously sized.
They taste delicious – highly recommended
I didn’t count the last batch! I got 23 cookies, not 19.
I have made this recipe so many, many times since finding it a few years ago. It is perfect exactly as written, though I would argue the almond isn’t optional. If I’m making shapes, I do so before putting it in the fridge to chill. Sometimes I save the sprinkles for atop a fun bright frosting. No better sugar cookie dough out there! Thank you!💕
I never cared for sprinkle cookies-until I tried these on a whim. These are absolutely fabulous. I did bake about a minute or two longer. I do use high-quality sprinkles and definitely can taste the difference. Add the almond extract-its divine.
How long do these keep?
A week at room temperature
I made these. I followed the directions to a tee, measuring by weight. These cookies turned out amazing, and my kids and partner said they were better than any bakery. Thank you so much! This is a repeat.
Great recipe, I’m adding to my Christmas rotation this year, I always make some favorites and try 1 or 2 new ones. Reading this recipe was worth it ALONE for the shout-out to the NYC baking supply store, have already browsed their site. I order some things from KAF but this has a lot of other great items so thanks!
My question: would vanilla paste work in this? How much? It seems like it would be perfect here.
I made these today for a holiday party – made one half with Christmas colors, the other with Chanukah colors. They needed 10-11 minutes to bake fully and turned out delicious. The only problem, now I’m obsessed with sprinkles!!!! Maybe I will need to make my own sprinkles now.
I just bought pure cane “Baker’s Sugar”. Is there one sugar better than another when baking cookies/ cakes?
Yum! Surprisingly flavorful. A really delicious sugar cookie, not just a sprinkle-covered disk. And they held their shape, which I was afraid would not happen- I’ve been disappointed before.
This is a keeper!
I’ve made these several times. Getting the right sprinkle mix is important! They are a fan favorite. I bake for 11 minutes and they are perfect.
I made these today, and they are delicious! In fact, my five year old called them scrumptious. We ran out of sprinkles after about 6 cookies, so we made a spiced sugar blend and made snickerdoodles with them. Even better than the sprinkles. Another fantastic recipe, thank you so much!
I’m so energized after seeing THE Deb Perelman on her latest book tour tonight. Came home and made these cookies ~ I’m trying to be better at making holiday cookies. The almond extract adds such a nice flavor. I tend to struggle with baking, yet Deb’s always turn out. These cookies are beautiful ~ and taste delicious. I’m sure I’ll be making another batch in a few days!
Hi,
I’m planning to make a batch of these for Christmas 2022. How long would these keep in a tin (unrefrigerated) or stashed in the fridge? I have to work backwards from a cookie party :). Thanks!
Are the butter and cr cheese room temp or cold? Assuming cold? Thx! Love all your recipes
I know these are sprinkle cookies but can I use ground almonds instead. I’m just not a sprinkle fan.
Hi! Do you know how long these last in an air-tight container at room temp?
I just found your answer after my 3rd scroll through – a week at room temp – thanks!
Mmmm, very nice! I substituted King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and they came out wonderful. My celiac daughter is enjoying these right now, still warm, and says they’re amazing. CakeMate makes a giant container of gluten free sprinkles, I recommend those. Food processor made this so easy! Thank you, SK!
Oh my gosh, how cute are these!? I’ve heard of the colour on some sprinkles running (particularly if they’re cheaper ones). Have you had this issue before?
I used Christmas sprinkles to make them holiday cookies and just love how easy these were in my food processor! Not bringing butter and cream cheese to room temp, love it! Thanks for a great, easy cookie recipe!
Can I refrigerate the dough overnight before rolling it into the sprinkles and baking?
I made these with Red and Green sprinkles for the holiday and they are delicious. I will make them again and again and used different holiday sprinkles each time. The confetti sprinkles are pretty but this is such a good recipe and would work with any color sprinkles. Thank you for another delicious recipe.
I made these and subbed the same amount of anise extract for the almond extract. It’s so delicious! Perfect and easy with Christmas sprinkles.
Hi, can you make the dough a day earlier and store in the fridge to then bake the following morning? Looking to make these fresh for Christmas Day!
So easy. So delicious. So beautiful. Perfect addition to my cookie tray!
These needed more flavor for me. I wish I had added more vanilla and more almond extract.
Replying to my own comment — the texture was delightful though. And non-perils tasted better than the sprinkles I had on hand.
This is not the first time I’ve made this recipe, but it is the first time I used the food processor and I had a problem. I let it run until all the dough was in a ball and happily scooped the first 15 cookies onto the baking sheet, but in the remainder of the batter, I found a tablespoon size chunk of butter. While I knew that running the food processor to get it blended in at that point wasn’t the best solution, I did it anyway. Now that part of the batch is flatter and the cookies have spread b/c of all the fat.
How can I make sure this doesn’t happen again without turning the dough out of the food processor bowl? I made the checkerboard cookies yesterday in the f.p. With no problem.
BTW, they still tasted great. ❤️
These are our new favorite cookie!
I saw your post about these cookies on IG and knew I had to make them. They turned out absolutely delicious and were a huge hit. Great flavor and I loved the texture. My mom has already told me to make these again next year!
What if I add the whole brick of cream cheese?
It’s not going to work this way with extra cream cheese.
I love these cookies and it’s fun to mix up the flavors for different holidays! Peppermint and vanilla with red and green sprinkles for Christmas, for example. Now that I can’t eat gluten anymore, I was determined to try gluten-free version. I used Bob’s Red Mill one to one flour. The dough was dry and crumbly, I added more liquid but more fat probably would have been great at the beginning. The slightly more liquid dough meant they needed a little longer to bake, it also helped the sprinkles adhere much better than without it. And they were delicious 🙂
I MUST remember to check the pantry for sprinkles BEFORE I mix the dough. Now I am anxiously waiting until tomorrow to bake. And dang it, I wanted to eat these tonight. Yes, I could run to the store but I am currently saddled with a young puppy, so the work of crating and potential clean up is influencing me. I’ve made these before and they are superb! This coming from someone who generally forgoes sprinkles. While they are for my grandchildren, I do find myself smitten with the flavor of the dough. I add 1/2 tsp of fiori di sicilia to take them over the top. No regrets!
Man, I’m not in NY anymore I MISS that baking store! My 9 year old would lose her mind in there.
But thank you for this recipe – you helped bring some color to a cold, wet, and gray day.
Can these be frozen?
Today I tried using Mini chocolate chips (just on the top) instead of the sprinkles and they were great!
I made these for my daughter’s Cinco de Mayo party at school – the kids raved! The recipe is similar to many of the Mexican sprinkle cookie recipes I came across – I liked the cream cheese addition so I used this one. I made these as instructed in a food processor. The dough comes together quickly. I used a #70 scoop b/c I wanted them a bit smaller and they were a great size. One batch of dough yielded 57 cookies. I rolled half of the cookies in nonpareils and the other half in cinnamon sugar. Baked for 6 minutes. Slightly crisp edges and a soft center. I will definitely use this recipe again!
These were so good – do NOT skip the almond extract. Delicious and very easy to make.
I made these using other’s suggestions. I subbed 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder for the same amount of flour. I used 2 1/4 cups of flour and chocolate sprinkles instead of rainbow. I used the almond extract too. They are so chocolatey, almost too much so and I’m a chocoholic! They have a slightly bitter and salty aftertaste. I used unsalted butter and the amount of salt called for. Is the slightly bitter taste from the cocoa powder (I assume). Should I have used dutched? I prefer the original recipe over this one
I decided to made these for my grandson’s 7th birthday party. I loved how easy it would be using the food processor and cold butter. After the first pan was in the oven, I tasted the dough and realized I forgot the sugar. (So much for my pre planning prep skills! 😵💫) I took the cookies out of the oven, added the sugar to the food processor along with the barely baked cookies, and processed it all again!
It worked just fine. No one will ever know, except you, who will understand my relief at the great outcome. 7 year olds loved them! 🥳
Made yesterday and distributed to neighbors and friends. Made smaller ones, baked 9 minutes, used cup sugar and scant quarter cup sweet and low. Delicious. Easy in the food processor. Used JoAnn’s rainbow in the clouds bagged decorations, but removed tiny clouds in the colorful mix. One accidentally made it on the baking sheet. It melted, so fyi. A 5-year-old across street sampled. He was asked how it was. No spoken answer; he was too busy sampling another. The sprinkles around his mouth told the tale.
These are amazing! Perfect for our school Rainbow Club bake sale 🏳️🌈
I tried really hard to mess them up and they still turned out great. I followed the food processor instructions but made them in the kitchen aid (oops) and I accidentally baked the second batch a little too long. Still soft, buttery, rainbow sprinkle-crunchy sweet deliciousness.
I just made these for pride month too. :) Been making em for years and years, never fail.
Hi, Deb! I’ve read that there are differences in weight for AP flour. I always use KA. Should I stick to KA’s guidelines for 3 cups of AP =360? Or should I use the 375 grams in this recipe?
Mine clock in at 130 to 135 grams. I have never weighed a cup of flour that was only 120 grams.
Easy and super delicious. Followed the directions for food processor cookies and they came out perfect. I’m definitely making them again! Thank you for a delicious recipe.
You’ve created the perfect sugar cookie recipe.
Perfect texture, perfect flavor.
And perfectly simple to make.
These cookies are a great favorite of my three-year-old son; we’ve made them many times. We melt the butter and mix in a tube of almond paste, and then reduce the sugar by the amount in the almond paste. Somehow, he likes it!
Can you make this as a giant cookie for a party? How long to bake it?
These cookies were a hit…I made them GF and vegan and they were pretty much undetectable! Thank you for the awesome recipe.
These are always a hit with my 7 year old and his friends! I bake them year round, and change out the sprinkles for different holidays and also have rolled them in sanding sugar (my spouse is mr no fun and doesn’t like sprinkles) which adds awesome texture and crunchiness.
I’ve made these and they are delicious and pretty with the sprinkles. Would the flavor and quality be ok if the dough was made and frozen for baking later? Trying to get a head start on holiday baking.
Yes, but not all sprinkles freeze and defrost well. Might be safest to soften the dough a little and roll it in sprinkles before baking.
This recipe is fantastic. Super easy. No wait, no fuss, no surprises. Great flavor and texture. I used vanilla bean paste, but otherwise made exactly as written. Colorful and cheerful cookies. Make these now!!!
Hello. Can these be frozen? I’d like to make them for xmas but I have a long list of cookies and some need to be frozen to last until the holidays.
I’ve frozen them before (baked) and they freeze very well.
Best cookies ever. I purchase 2 lb containers of sprinkles for Christmas and Halloween. For Easter I did pearl sprinkles. Regular sprinkles are my favorites though.
I make so many holiday cookies- the same ones every year. A couple years ago I added this one and they are my most requested all year long ( the need for sprinkle variety).
As much as I’ve made them, today was the first time I read why you also make them in the food processor!
Going to start my red white and green sprinkle cookies RIGHT NOW!!!
I made these last Christmas and they looked so cute in the table with my star iced sugar cookies. I’m making them again this year and I’m curious is they freeze well? Would love to make them this weekend to clear off a little of my to do for next weekend.
I froze some for my Christmas cookie plates and they did great.
My family loves this recipe! We just made a batch for Christmas cookies! My sprinkles obsessed toddler is in heaven.
This is to all those annoying people who say that “good cooks never lick the spoon”: I made these yesterday and I forgot to add the *sugar*!!! When the dough came out of the food processor, I tasted it (of course!). Had I not been wise enough to taste my own food, my 3-year old niece would have received sprinkled pie dough in her Christmas goodie tin!!! Morale of this story: always, always taste the cookie dough!!!! Happy holidays to all :-)
I have had these cookies on my “to bake” list for years and finally got around to it today. They did not disappoint. I didn’t have vanilla bean so used extract but definitely want to try it with vanilla bean next time I have some. I made half with rainbow sprinkles and the other half with rainbow sparkling sugar. The sprinkles looked amazing but I think I liked the sparkling sugar even better – they give the outside of the cookie a very slight crunch that was quite nice. These are definitely going to become a staple in our house.
I made this recipe as written for the food processor, measured in grams, (with these exceptions: no almond extract because I do not own it and I did not have vanilla bean and did not want to miss out on the flavor so I did one teaspoon of homemade vanilla and one teaspoon of the Trader Joe’s vanilla bean paste) and my goodness this recipe is a gem and an absolute keeper! Even with cold ingredients it came together easily and it was quite easy. It does take a cup or more of sprinkles to cover all the cookies. I made two batches of dough and covered one in sprinkles and the other in cinnamon sugar to make a snickerdoodle type cookie. Both are delicious with a great texture and I will be using this recipe forevermore! Also I’d like to note that Her instructions for baking are clear and thorough- which meant non-burnt and perfectly baked cookies! Highly recommend this recipe!
Made these as a last minute Christmas Eve addition to this year’s cookie trays. Didn’t realize how many sprinkles I’d need (answer: a lot) and ran out halfway through – chocolate chips to the rescue! Rolled, flattened a bit, then covered the top with chips. Both were super delicious and equally popular with the kids and adults. Buy the best quality sprinkles you can, makes a huge difference in taste. These are a keeper!
I have made these at least a dozen times now. Blue & white sprinkles for Chanukah, red & green for Christmas, Fall colored sprinkles for thanksgiving, black, orange & purple for Halloween, pastels for Easter, endless combos. A new favorite cookie!
how long does dough last in refrigerator
It should be good for 3 days in the fridge.
I’ve made these three times in the last 6 weeks- my family loves them! Perfect for a 3 year old granddaughter to help roll them and smash them! Thank you!!!
I have made these several times and they are terrific. Yesterday I was lazy and made them in an 11×18 half sheet pan. Baked for about 14 minutes. They were great. Cut them into squares. So much easier and faster than scooping and rolling them in the sprinkles. Also not as messy.
I needed to include a toddler-friendly cookie in the tins I mailed to adult kids & grands this Christmas, and this is my go-to. We recently visited one of the two families, the ones who bake themselves. Wife went on a business trip, Husband asked what he could bake for her to tuck in her bag. “(Nana’s) sugar cookies” were top of her list. Unfortunately, I can’t get the big jar of Cake Mate sprinkles I relied on any more. The substitution is sweeter than I’d like, but they’re a terrific cookie regardless. Even our chocolate-averse SIL loves them.
These cookies are going to be a staple in our house. Super easy and lots of steps for little hands to help with. They look fun, have a fabulous texture, and aren’t super sweet.
I have a great buttery sugar cookie for cutouts, but wanted to make these just for sprinkles. They wind up with a very similar flavor — the cream cheese contributed more to texture than flavor. I can see where people who used more might have enjoyed that, but I was baking cookies for 11-14 year olds and subtle was probably better. The only thing I changed was only dipping the tops in the sprinkles and using a 1 T scoop. I bought a pound or rainbow sprinkles from nuts dot com — good color mix, texture and vanilla flavor, but the bag broke open in shipping. I had a little over 2 cups left, so 1/2 cup per recipe worked for tops only and I think it helped keep the cookies from being too sweet.