Recipe for soft-baked and chewy sprinkle sugar cookies.
I have several “go-to” base cookie recipes in my archives. From those base cookie recipes, you have the luxury of creating many spin-off cookies using the same dough. For example:
- My chocolate chip cookies recipe is perfect for different add-ins.
- My peanut butter cookies recipe is wonderful plain or with chocolate chips!
- My cutout sugar cookies recipe is the inspiration for chocolate sugar cookies.
- And my salted caramel dark chocolate cookies recipe recently won a Nestle baking contest.
And now we have a basic drop style sprinkle sugar cookie recipe!
How to Make Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
The ingredients are simple. You need baking soda and cream of tartar to lift these cookies. Cream of tartar is a “power ingredient” in snickerdoodles, too. If cream of tartar is unavailable, try them with baking powder instead. To do so, follow my drop sugar cookies recipe.
The recipe makes a small batch and can easily be doubled for a large family, get together, or party. You’ll bake about 15 decent sized cookies from 1 batch. Just enough to place in your cookie jar.
There’s room for a ton of sprinkles. The dough is thick enough to hold a fair amount of the good stuff. In my recipe testing, I found that sugar cookie dough can be overly greasy, making it hard to incorporate sprinkles. Not these – they’re the perfect soft pillow for a magnitude of sprinkles.
I am quite certain that nothing compares to sinking your teeth into a soft, chewy sugar cookie. The cookies are so tender, they will melt in your mouth.
Print
Soft-Baked Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 15-16 large cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
My absolute favorite recipe for soft-baked, chewy sprinkle sugar cookies. There won’t be a crumb left!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles, plus more for topping*
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in 1/2 cup of sprinkles. Dough will be thick and sticky. Scoop large sections of dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough each) and roll into balls. If desired, lightly dip the tops of the cookie dough balls in more sprinkles. Place dough balls onto a large plate or lined baking sheet.
- Cover and chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 4 days).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Arrange chilled cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough, roll into balls, and chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. (See note about cookie dough chilling.) Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Room Temperature Butter: Here’s my trick to soften butter quickly. Works every time.
- Sprinkles: Any sprinkles are great, but I recommend avoiding nonpareils (the little balls) as they tend to bleed their color in cookie dough and cake batter.
- Chill Cookie Dough: Chilling the cookie dough is imperative. These cookies are very buttery and the colder the cookie dough, the less your sugar cookies will over-spread. The cookie dough can get a little hard after 2 hours in the refrigerator, so I recommend rolling the dough into balls before chilling. Here are all of my tips to prevent cookies from over-spreading.
See more sprinkle recipes.
See more cookie recipes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Loved these cookies. Added about 1/2 tsp almond extract and only put in half the sprinkles. Dipped half the cookie in white chocolate and then put more sprinkles on top. Would absolutely make again and would double it the next time. Made 13 cookies with my cookie scoop.
Best cookies ever!!I have made these like 6 times already and they never fail!! I was wondering if you could replace the sprinkles for chocolate chips? Thank you!!
These are incredible!I thought they were not going to come out correctly, because I am only 10, but they are really easy.They are GIANT!My whole family loved them.I am happy I chose this recipe.
Love this recipe! I’ve used it probably 5 times now for different occasions and it never fails. It is simple and easy, yet the sprinkles make them feel fun. I’ve also rolled them in colored sanding sugar for extra color before baking.
Hi Sally.
Can I add cocoa powder to this recipe for a chocolate variation? Please let me know.
Hi Heather, Cocoa powder is a tricky ingredient so unfortunately it’s not as easy as just adding some to a recipe. However, my favorite chocolate cookie dough I have tested and used in many different recipes! You can find it here and simply use sprinkles instead of the chocolate chips (or use a combination of both!): https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/inside-out-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Excellent. I thought they would be overly sweet, but they were not. Will definitely make this recipe again. Have you done a sugar cookie that tastes like a London fog tea?
Thanks Lisa! So glad you tried these cookies.
No, I haven’t.
MY little girls fifth birthday is coming up, so I’ve been looking for the best sprinkle cookies for the kid that loves everything sprinkle. I decided to start with this recipe, and I’m glad I did. I only used 1/4 cup of sprinkles, because I was using a 1/4 cup measure, and went to dump the next 1/4 cup in but it already looked perfect so I left the second quarter cup out. I also made them only one tablespoon inside, because even though she loves sprinkles she’s not big on sweets, even though she loves she idea of sweets lol, so smaller is usually the way to go. I baked them for eightish minutes, and they came out perfect. I don’t know if it’s because mine are smaller cookies. but they arent as thick at yours. They are beautiful and crackled on top, with a slightly crisp bottom and soft texture inside, so I’m definitely not complaining. They came out perfect as far as I’m concerned. Plus my little girl loved it, and ate two right away. I probably didn’t have to make them helf size lol. This will be my go to recipe.
Hello I really want to make this recipe but don’t have cream of tartar. I read I can use lemon juice. I’m just not sure the amount? Can you suggest what would be best….1 teaspoon or 2? Thanks
Hi Christina! I recently tested this recipe without cream of tartar– you can see it here: drop-style sugar cookies.
My 3 yo loves sprinkles cookies! Rather thank buying an entire box since she’s the one one eats them, I thought we will try to make a few at home! To my surprise these are really Delicious to adults standards!! Totally exceeded expectations! Will definitely make again!
Hi Sally, Is it okay to leave out the sprinkles? 1/2 C. takes up some space in the batter and I don’t know if it will affect it in any way. Thank you.
You can leave out the sprinkles with no other changes to the recipe. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, I found your recipe about a year ago and in looking at the copy I printed, it looks like you’ve taken the amount of cream of tarter from 1 t. to 1/2. Did you find a better result with this? I LOVE this recipe and just wanted to see if you’ve made this somehow better! Thank you!
Hi Meghan! Looking back on my notes, it looks like the recipe has always called for 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Regardless, use 1/2 teaspoon OR try my newer version with baking powder instead of CoF and baking soda: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/drop-christmas-sugar-cookies/
Fabulous! Turned out great. Thanks for a great recipe. For sure a keeper.
I just made these and my family can’t keep their hands off long enough for me to take a picture! I loved thee will make again. Tip: you can freeze the dough balls for 1 hour instead of refrigerating for 2.
Holy Moly! I made these a few days ago and they were to die for! My husband even snuck a few and he is NOT a big sugar fan. They were absolutely amazing. I’m actually probably going to make them again today!
Hi just wondering if I chilled them and made the balls bigger will that make them less flat? I love thicker cookies
Hi Chloe, Did you chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 4 days)? You can also try rolling the balls into a “tall” shape instead of perfectly round. Also, be sure to use this post as a troubleshooting guide: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/tips-for-cookie-spreading/
Best cookies I have ever made. This website is PURE GOLD!!!!!
I made these today & they turned out perfect. Such a good little sugar cookie! Crispy on the outside & soft & chewy in the middle. Thanks for the great recipe!
Is it possible to not chill the dough?
Chilling the dough is the most important step. I would skip it too if it weren’t so crucial to the finished product!
Sally, THESE COOKIES ARE AMAZING! My family and I gobbled them down, these yummy morsels are highly addictive, one cookie is a tease! I must say this recipe is exactly what I was looking for and exceeded my expectations. I’m an amateur baker and they turned out perfectly perfect. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!! I will definitely be trying your recipes 🙂
Thank you!! These were just a bestseller at my school’s bake sale!
Sally, these are amazing!!! We just moved into a new house and are having our family over for a pool party and I thought these would be a perfect sweet treat. Now I have to actually stop eating them and save them for tomorrow…. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!!
Good morning!
Your Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is amazing. I made them this morning, and my colleagues contend that they “look like something from a magazine ad.”
Question: May I just chill the sugar cookie dough, or must it be chilled on the cookie sheets? I don’t have the room in my fridge to chill the dough on the sheets.
Thank you!
You can chill the cookie dough whole, yes. Make sure you let the chilled cookie dough sit at room temperature for around 20 minutes before beginning to roll into balls. The cookie dough will be a little hard and solid right out of the fridge.
Made these today. They are the best cookies yet. Perfectly soft.
Hi Sally! I just wanted to let you know these cookies were amazing! I love baking like you and I made these for my coworkers. Lets just say they were a huge hit. I made two batches of your recipe, with the first I rolled them in red and green sugar. The second batch got holiday M&M’s added. They were great both ways. Thanks for this wonderful recipe. This is the first of your recipes that I’ve tried and she it won’t be my last.
Hey I was wondering if there’s any substitute for cream of tartar that I may be able to use since I don’t have COT at hand.
There are no substitutions for cream of tartar in this recipe.
Hi Sally!
Could these be decorated with royal icing?
They could, but depending on the look you are going for keep in mind that because the tops are not perfectly flat, the royal icing won’t dry flat.