Christmas Sprinkle Cookies
Decorating cookies for Christmas is a fun way to celebrate the holiday. But mixing up a batch of icing to use for decorating is a lot of extra work! There's no reason to take the extra step of preparing frosting from scratch when you can decorate your cookies with sprinkles instead! This easy recipe for Christmas sprinkle cookies takes all the hard work out of decorating your holiday cookies. They're so simple to make, even the kids can get in on the fun!
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What Do I Need to Make Christmas Sprinkle Cookies?
These simple cookies are made using sugar cookie dough as the base. After that, all you need is the magic ingredient - Christmas sprinkles! To prepare these delicious holiday cookies, you'll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Butter
- White sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Christmas sprinkles
Looking for more delicious holiday cookie recipes? Give these reader favorites a try!
Gingerbread Man Cookies Recipe with Royal Icing | Hot Cocoa Mug Sugar Cookies |Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies for Christmas | Simple Walnut Snowball Cookies Recipe
How Do I Make Christmas Sprinkle Cookies?
You won't believe how easy these cookies are to make! In fact, you really only have to follow three simple steps: make the dough, decorate, and bake. The hardest part about making these festive treats is waiting on them to cool before taking a bite. To make your own Christmas sprinkle cookies at home, follow these three steps:
Step One: Prepare the Sugar Cookie Dough
The first step to making these easy cookies is to make the sugar cookie dough. Start by whisking together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set those dry ingredients aside and beat together the butter and sugar in a separate bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, then add the flour mixture. Mix until a thick dough begins to come together.
Step Two: Add the Christmas Sprinkles
After the dough has begun to form, use a one-inch cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Roll the dough into a smooth ball between your hands, then transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use the bottom of a glass to lightly press down the dough until it's around ½-inch thick. Dip the top of each cookie into the Christmas sprinkles and place it back on the baking sheet with the sprinkles facing up.
Step Three: Bake the Cookies
When all the cookies have been decorated, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will be finished baking when the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for three minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
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Do You Put Sprinkles on Before or After You Bake Cookies?
When deciding when to decorate your cookies, there's one question you'll need to ask yourself - do I want to use frosting on my cookies? If you'll be decorating your cookies with icing, wait until after the cookies have been baked and cooled. Spread the icing on top, then decorate the icing with sprinkles.
But if you don't plan on using icing on your cookies, it's best to place the sprinkles on the cookies before they bake. Before placing your cookies into the oven, press each cookie into a bowl of sprinkles, making sure the sprinkles are stuck to the dough. Then, bake the cookies according to the recipe instructions.
How Do You Make Sprinkles Stick to Cookies Without Frosting?
Decorating your cookies with sprinkles is an easy way to add some holiday cheer to your sweet treats. But if you're wondering how to get those sprinkles to stick to your cookies without using frosting, you'll need to learn one simple trick - decorate the cookies before baking!
While it's essential that you wait to add icing to the top of your cookies until after they're finished baking and cooling, sprinkles must be added to the soft cookie dough before baking in order for them to stick without the help of icing. That's because baked cookies are too dry to hold the sprinkles on top.
To get your sprinkles to stick to your cookies without the need for frosting, press the top of the cookies into a bowl of sprinkles before putting them in the oven. Then, bake the cookies according the recipe instructions.
Do Sprinkles Burn in the Oven?
Sprinkles can burn in the oven if you aren't careful. That's why it's important to only put your sprinkles on top of the cookies. Sprinkles that touch the pan could melt and burn, causing your cookies to become inedible. The chances that your holiday decorations will burn depends on the type of sprinkles you're using. Sprinkles like jimmies and sanding sugar don't burn as easily as nonpareils, pearls, and sprinkles with candy.
To ensure the decorations you're using don't burn while your cookies are baking, start by pressing just the top of the cookies into the sprinkles. After you place your cookies back on the baking sheet, check to make sure there aren't any sprinkles touching the pan. Remove the extras along the bottom of the cookies before you place them in the oven.
Christmas Sprinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until smooth.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat again.
- Add flour mixture and beat until dough forms. Dough will be crumbly at first but will eventually come together.
- Using a 1-inch cookie dough scoop, scoop dough and roll into round balls. Place on a greased baking sheet.
- Using the smooth bottom of a glass, press each ball of dough down until they are about ½inch thick.
- Place sprinkles in a small bowl.
- Take flattened cookie dough and push each into the sprinkles. Place dough back on the baking sheet, sprinkle side up.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden.
- Allow to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
