Easy make-ahead sprinkle (over)loaded cookies.
This is a festive cookie full of rainbows, unicorns, and sprinkles. Well, maybe just rainbow sprinkles.
Do you remember my new recipe for hazelnut slice ‘n’ bake cookies? They’re so easy, they’re so flavorful, prep them ahead of time, and look at all that chocolate! You get the picture.
It was only a matter of time that I share another version with you. All decked out with life’s happiest ingredient: sprinkles.
Sprinkle Slice & Bake Cookies
These sprinkle slice & bake cookies couldn’t be easier. The trick to perfecting them is getting the ratio of ingredients right.
My slice ‘n’ bakes combine only 4 base ingredients: flour, sugar, egg, and butter. No baking soda or baking powder business; we want a dense cookie with zero lift. 2 cups of all-purpose flour will help create a firm, yet slightly tender cookie. Soaking up all this flour is creamed butter/sugar and just 1 egg. I opt for brown sugar instead of white sugar. Why? Well, thereโs flavor and moisture there! And that’s so important in slice & bake cookies, which (as I mention above) are typically dry and bland.
I add a little vanilla extract for flavor, as well as a touch of almond extract. I swear by almond extract in my sugar cookies (and the sprinkle variation of these shortbread cookies, too!) and I really think you’ll like it too. Just gives the cookies that little something extra. And pairs perfectly with all the vanilla and butter flavors already packed inside. And I haven’t even gotten to that silky white chocolate dunk yet!
Flavors you’ll taste:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla
- Almond extract
- White chocolate
The cookie dough is made in only 1 bowl! One bowl wonder. ๐
Once the cookie dough is prepped, divide it in two and roll it into log shapes. Youโll want to do this on a floured surface with floured hands. The length of the logs depends how large you want your sprinkle slice & bake cookies. Because the longer the log, the smaller in diameter the cookies. Get it?
I roll the logs about 7 inches long, making the cookies about 2.5 inches in diameter.
Then, roll the dough up very tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. My little tip for you: chill the logs overnight. This guarantees a firm, cold cookie dough (always a must) AND turns this recipe into the perfect make-ahead dessert.
Before baking, I roll the logs in a little coarse sugar. This gives the cookie edges a little sparkle. But I swear it’s not only for looks! The coarse sugar also gives the edges some crunch. I think you’ll love it. It’s totally optional.
Slice the logs, bake the cookies. Soft in the centers, super thick, crunchy edges, exploding with flavor, dense, and rainbow bright. How could these get any better?
Chocolate. The answer is always chocolate.
Dunk your slice ‘n’ bakes in melted white chocolate and top with more sprinkles. Here they are all dressed up as Christmas cookies!
Pictured sprinkles are from Sweetapolita!
More Slice & Bake Cookie Recipes
- Toasted Hazelnut Slice and Bake Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Orange Slice and Bake Cookies
- Salted Pistachio Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies
- Pecan Shortbread
- Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
- Pinwheel Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
- And you can find a mint chocolate version, a maple walnut version, and a vanilla spice version in Sallyโs Cookie Addiction
Sprinkle Slice ‘n’ Bake Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy make-ahead sprinkle-loaded slice ‘n’ bake cookies are the perfect party dessert! A floured surface is key to help you handle the cookie dough when rolling into logs. The logs of cookie dough must be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or even up to a few days (or even frozen!) so it’s really easy to just take them out when you need them, slice, and bake the cookies.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup sprinkles, plus more for garnish
- optional: coarse sugar for rolling
- 8 ounces (226g) white chocolate, coarsely chopped*
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and creamy. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extracts on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, and continue to beat until fully combined.
- Beat in theย flour and salt on medium speed until fully combined. The cookie dough will be thick and slightly sticky. Switch to high speed and beat in the sprinkles. Add a little more sprinkles if you’d like a little more (I usually use between 2/3 and 3/4 cup). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and, with floured hands, divide into two. Shape each half into an 8-inch log, about 2.5 inches in diameter. The measurements don’t have to be exact. Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.ย I always chill mine overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Remove logs from the refrigerator and roll in coarse sugar, if desired. Slice each log into about 12ย equally thick cookies and place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.ย Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until brown around the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Melt the chopped whiteย chocolate in a double boiler or (carefully!) use the microwave. For the microwave, place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl.ย Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip each completely cooled cookie halfway into the chocolate and place onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Top chocolateย with extra sprinkles. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to help the chocolate set. Once set, enjoy!
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Baked and chocolate-dipped cookies freeze wellโup to three months. Or you can freeze them without the chocolate and dip/decorate after they thaw out. Cookie dough logs freeze well too, up to three months. Allow the logs to thaw overnight in the refrigerator then continue with step 3.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Coarse Sugar (optional) | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional for melted chocolate)
- Chocolate:ย Make sure you are using quality, pure chocolate. Not chocolate chips. You can also use bittersweetย chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or milk instead. Or no chocolate at all! I use Ghirardelli brand white chocolate baking bars (found in the baking aisle).
- Adapted from Hazelnut Slice ‘n’ Bake Cookies.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi! Could these be made into lemon slice and bake cookies? Add lemon zest with the sugar and would adding a bit of lemon juice affect the cookie texture too much? Thanks!
Hi Liz! We would adapt this recipe for orange slice and bake cookies, using lemon, instead. Or you may love our lemon shortbread cookies.
Hi. Can I use mini M&Ms in this cookie instead of sprinkles?
While we’re sure you could, mini M&Ms would be tricky to slice through.
So tasty, simple, and cute! I did a white chocolate drizzle and then doused with more sprinkles! I will say, you MUST chill these overnight.
Great crispy cookies. Easy to make, great flavour. We didn’t have almond flavour, so we used vanilla, but I suspect other flavourings could work as well. Just make sure they nice and gold on the edges so they taste better and are super crunchy. We’re making them again today, but without sprinkles.
I made these in the month of May and my husband and I really enjoyed them. Because it wasn’t Christmas, I did not dip them in white chocolate but they were still pretty. I will make these again.
Would with work with all chocolate sprinkles? Maybe leaving out the almond extract?
Hi Tracy! You can definitely use chocolate sprinkles here – with or without the almond extract.
They taste good but look nothing like the pictures.
The sprinkles turned my a dough greenish pistachio color.
Hi Cheryl, we’re so sorry to hear that! Some sprinkles do bleed their colors more than others. Should you with to try again, we’d try with another brand of sprinkles. Be sure to steer clear of nonpareils, too, as those bleed their colors very easily. We hope you still enjoyed the taste of these cookies!
Hello, i am making this for a school event that requires them to be nut free. Can i exclude the almond extract? and if so should i replace it with something?
You can just leave it out, no need to substitute anything for it, or you can add a bit more vanilla. Hope they turn out great!
Hi Sallyโcan I use vegan butter in this recipe?
Hi Katherine, we haven’t tried it ourselves to know the exact results, but you can certainly give it a go. Let us know how it works for you!
I love the slice and bake method for cookies and these are so buttery and tasty!
Made this first as described but cutting the almond extract in half. I found the halved amount was nevertheless too strong so I quartered it for the second attempt and that was the perfect amount to give great flavor without turning the cookies into almond cookies; I think the second attempt was probably close to what your cookies tasted like based on your description. They were really good! I guess strength of extract varies between brands but it does seem odd to me that the variation would be so much– have you noticed that in your experience, Sally? The other explanation I thought of was that I don’t use almond extract a lot and it’s been in my pantry for several years, so maybe the extract somehow became more potent over time, like from slight evaporation or something? I’m making this up and am not sure if it makes sense, but I would love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Avra! Different brands of extract can definitely be more potent or have slightly different tastes. Almond extract is a very distinct flavor so if you don’t use it often, the flavor might seem a bit potent. You can certainly cut back as you did! Thanks so much for giving these a try.
Hi Amazing Sally and Team! Already thinking about Christmas cookies. Can these be rolled in sprinkles as opposed to the coarse sugar? Thank you!
Hi Jamie, sure can!
I made a few batches of these at Christmas and they were a big hit! Now I want to make them again, but with as a sandwich cookie with a buttercream filling. Do you think these cookies are sturdy enough to hold up?
Hi Caitlin, these cookies would be delicious with buttercream sandwiched between them. Let us know what you try!
Hello, Sally!
Is it possible to reduce sugar in this recipe? I’m a baking beginner, so I’m not sure what the impact will be if I reduce sugar. I tried this before, but it was too sweet for some of my family. Thank you so much!
Hi Lead, you can try reducing the sugar, but we’re unsure of the amount you can do so before altering the recipe too much. Sugar plays a role beyond taste and is important for texture and structure, too. If you do decide to give it a try, we’d recommend starting with a small reduction and then adjusting as needed for future batches. Hope this helps!
Love all your recipesโฆ they never fail! Can I do this as a sugar cookie and roll the dough/ chill, instead of doing a log?
Hi Abigail, We donโt recommend this dough for cookie cutters โ they will spread too much. Best to stick with slice and bake here! But you can use our recipe for these roll out sugar cookies and add 1/2 cup of rainbow sprinkles to that dough!
My dough for these smells AMAZING! I realized when I saw the logs in the fridge this morning that they’re too long and thin for the right cookie size, though. How can I best adjust? Should I let the logs come to room temperature and re-form them, or should I make smaller cookies (with less baking time, maybe?)?
Honestly, either of your solutions will work! It shouldn’t be that difficult to reform the logs if you let them sit out for just a bit. Enjoy!
Thank you so much! These turned out so cute! I made the brown sugar shortbread slice-and-bake last night as well, and they spread a ton, even straight from the fridge, but they taste great, so I’m going to give it another try soon and figure out why they got so enthusiastic in the oven ๐
Could I add a pinch of cinnamon to these cookies? I looove cinnamon and would like to add it to these cookies, perhaps just 1/4 teaspoon or so for a bit of additional flavor. Slice-and-bake cookies are relatively new to me and I’m lovin’ them already! My mind is whirling with different flavors, so I guess I’ll have to get in the kitchen one of these days and do some recipe testing! I was thinking lemon would be sooooooo good; maybe add some lemon zest to the dough, and dip in white chocolate? I don’t know how to incorporate lemon juice as well without altering the dough’s texture. Strawberry would also be amazing; would there be any way to use real, natural strawberry flavor? If not, I suppose strawberry extract (and tint the dough pink. That would be so pretty!). Oh, and I can’t help but think how amazing and festive a gingerbread slice-and-bake cookie would be! I’m assuming I would add gingerbread spices, but if I added molasses, would how would I adjust the other ingredients to compensate for the excess moisture? Thanks, Sally!
Do you have the paperback version of my 1st cookbook?. I have a recipe for lemon slice and bake cookies in that one! ๐ You can definitely add some cinnamon to this cookie dough. 1/4 teaspoon is a great place to start.
I love these cookies so much! In fact one of my friends is getting married this weekend and has asked me to make these as a snack to go with the coffee service during the reception. I’m currently in the process of baking 300 of them, but with such simple ingredients it’s been easier than anticipated!
I have recently made these and another slice and bake cookie of yours. Both delicious, by the way. My problem is the rolling. When I made the dough it was super soft and my roll was lumpy and misshapen. When I took it out of the fridge the next day it was too hard to reshape. If I let it warm up a bit or just chill less so that I can manipulate it, will it change anything?
Thank you for all of the wonderful recipes, ideas, and lessons.
Hi Melissa! I suggest letting the logs chill for just about 1 hour, then rolling into a smooth log, then chilling for the remaining time.
I added these to my Christmas baking list this year — it was one of 26 different varieties. As soon as my adult son popped ย one in his mouth, he smiled and said, “Keep these on the list for next year.” ย High praise indeed around my house! ย This recipe works perfectly as written and produces a wonderful cookie. I used a mixture of Christmas jimmies and sprinkles and a Ghirardelli white chocolate bar. Only thing I did differently was to cut the slices a bit thinner –mainly in order to end up with a greater quantity of cookies. Next time I’ll double the batch for sure. Thanks for another great cookie recipe.ย
OMG. I have made these 3 times this week, once for a christmas party, once for a staff holiday lunch, and once for my mom to bring to a holiday party. they turn out BEAUTIFULLY everytime (&everyone on my instagram keep asking about them!)
so I was thinking of variations. for wintertime, maybe instead of almond, some peppermint extract, melted gharadelli peppermint bark, sprinkled with crushed chocolate peppermint candy instead of sprinkles??
Robyn, your winter version sounds SO good with the peppermint bark and sprinkle of chocolate peppermint candy! I’m so glad that you love them. They’re one of my favorites for sure.
These cookies look really good. Instead of almond extract I want to use orange extract. How much orange extract would you suggest I use?
I’d use 1/2 teaspoon or 3/4 teaspoon orange.
What will these cookies taste like if I don’t use any almond extract? I don’t have any but feel like if I omit it, it will be tasteless (it’s happened before)
You can leave it out– for extra flavor, add in an extra 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract in its place.
Thanks! These cookies had great vanilla flavour. Your website is great btw ๐ Never a failed/bad tasting recipe from here!ย
These are SO GOOD. The whole house smelled amazing while they were baking. Thank you!! And they even came out just like your pictures ๐ hooray!
These cookies were sooooo good! I was hesitant to make them since they don’t have a ton of reviews but I’m so glad I did!! They were super easy to make, baked beautifully, and look so cute. They also way exceeded my expectations for taste. I brought them into my office and everyone loved them. Will definitely be making them again, and probably trying some of your other slice and bake variations =)ย
I was searching the web recently and found your blog and was so happy to find so many recipes involving sprinkles and cakes. I made these cookies for my friends birthday and now loads of my friends have visited your blog for recipes (we’re English teens with an obsession with American sweets and recipes) and loved your blog. I’m planning on making the birthday cake fudge for my friends party next week (I always make fudge for Xmas pressies) and I can’t wait for your book to arrive!!! (I rly freaked out that Amazon wouldn’t ship to uk
My daughter loves these cookies! I was wondering would these work as cookiepops? As in pop a stick in them before baking?
I can’t see why not!
Made these yesterday and they are amazing. First time working with almond extract. My sister had both of your books signed in Columbia, MD. Your treats are delicious. A Williams Sonoma just opened in Bethesda, MD- maybe a stop on your next tour. Happy New Year!