As a food blogger, I know I’m not supposed to have a favorite. It’s like when you’re talking about your siblings. You’re not supposed to have a favorite, but deep down we all do ;). Well I can’t gate keep, I can officially say this sugar cookie recipe is my favorite on the blog. Ya’ll know I love a good cake or brownie, but it’s hard to beat a good classic cookie. These Sprinkle Sugar Cookies are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and packed with colorful sprinkles.
Recipe tips
- Sprinkles: I feel like I needed to dedicate a section here to sprinkles because there are so many different varieties and not all of them will work in this cookie. For this recipe I wanted to use classic jimmies. They hold their shape and provide little bursts of color and flavor in every bite. Another sprinkle that could be used are confetti quins. I love how pretty these are, and they will hold their shape and color as well! For these cookies do not use nonpareils. They’re small and add a great crunch but the color will bleed if you mix them into any sort of batter. If you would like to make a recipe using nonpareils, try these Christmas Kiss Cookies!
- Underbaking the cookies: This is essential to getting the texture right. I bake my cookies for 9 minutes on the dot and then remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet. Letting them cool on the hot pan will keep cooking them but at a lower temperature, not drying out the cookie entirely. If you prefer a dryer cookie, feel free to bake for 11 minutes. They’re still delicious, but I’m a sucker for a chewy cookie 🙂
- Corn starch: Do not skip the corn starch in this recipe! Corn starch gives the cookies that chewy texture (along with baking for the correct time) and makes them soft on the inside.
- Chilling the dough: Chilling the dough will help with two things: cookie spreading and flavor. These cookies will spread a bit when they bake but by chilling the dough for 30 minutes prior to baking, it will keep them from spreading too much! Also as the dough chills the flavor will enhance. It’s truly a win win 🙂
- Cookie dough scoop: I always get a ton of questions about what scoop I use, so I wanted to link the ones I used for this recipe! I like this set because it comes in 3 different sizes. For these cookies I used the medium size. Using a cookie dough scoop gives you perfect cookie dough balls that are even and therefore will bake evenly!
- Baking sheet: For all of my cookie recipes you I suggest you use a cookie sheet. You can use a jelly roll however I find the edges of the cookies tend to brown a little faster and they bake differently.
How to make perfectly round cookies every time
This trick is totally optional but I use it anytime I bake cookies to ensure they are perfectly round every time! As soon as the cookies come out of the oven and while they are still hot use a large round cookie cutter, or something else round and larger than the cookies (I’ve used a glass or bowl before). Place it overtop of the cookie and move it around in a circular motion for 3-5 seconds, gently bouncing the cookie around inside. This will round the edges of the cookie out giving that perfectly circular shape. This will make your cookies pretty and uniform!
I typically have a bite of desert and can walk away, but these cookies I keep coming back to! They’re crispy on the edges and chewy on the inside, basically everything you want in a cookie 🙂 If you try the recipe please leave a comment and rating below! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Like this recipe? Please rate and leave a comment below 🙂
Halloween Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp corn starch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sprinkles
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in vanilla and the egg and mix until just combined.
- While the mixer is on low, add in the corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until everything is incorporated. Add in the sprinkles and mix on low until just combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium sized cookie dough scoop (about 2 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie) scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If the dough seems soft, cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill the dough balls for 30 minutes or up until 24 hours. This will help to prevent the cookies from spreading and add flavor!
- Toward the end of the chilling process preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and arrange 4-5 dough balls about 2 inches apart. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie are just set. They may seem underdone but they will be perfect! Remove from the oven and if you want perfect circular cookies use a round cookie cutter larger than the cookie to scoot them into a round shape. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely.
Holy moly! I just found my favorite recipe!! I always have a hard time finding a sugar cookie recipe that I like – I am picky. I used rainbow sprinkles instead and they look beautiful. With my oven, I did 11 minutes and gave them a nice big bang on the counter once I pulled them out. Once they cooled a bit….perfection! Nice slightly crispy edges with that delicious center. Thank you!! I wish I could include the picture of them!