These Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies are everything you love about classic sugar cookies ,soft, buttery, and perfectly sweet but with a festive twist! Filled with colorful holiday sprinkles, they bake up with crisp edges and chewy centers, making them irresistible to both kids and adults.Best of all, they come together in one bowl and require no chill time.
I believe the holiday season just isn't complete without a batch of festive cookies, and these Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies are here to become your new favorite tradition. Forget stiff, dry sugar cookies or complicated cutout shapes. Just like my Christmas Monster Cookies, these easy and festive sprinkle cookies have soft and chewy centers, thick edges, and are packed with vibrant Christmas sprinkles in every single bite.
Best of all, this recipe requires absolutely no chill time, which means you can go from mixing bowl to warm, delicious cookies in under thirty minutes. They are simple enough for bakers of all ages, making them the perfect cookie to bake with your kids. And the best part? They look stunning on any holiday cookie platter and taste like pure Christmas magic.
For more fun and easy Christmas recipes try my peppermint chocolate chip cookies, Christmas blondies or cinnamon shortbread cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft and chewy texture: Perfect balance of tender center and crisp edge.
- Festive and fun: Filled with red, green, and white sprinkles for the ultimate Christmas cookie look.
- No chill dough: Ready to bake right away which means perfect for last-minute baking.
- One bowl recipe: Simple ingredients and easy cleanup.
- Freezer-friendly: Great for making ahead and baking fresh whenever you need them.
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour: The base for structure and chew.
- Cornstarch: Also known as cornflour helps the cookies stay soft prevents them from spreading too much in the oven.
- Baking soda & Powder: Helps the cookies spread just the right amount.
- Salt: Enhances the buttery flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Use softened butter for a smooth, creamy dough.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and gives that classic sugar cookie flavor.
- Light Brown sugar: Gives the cookies a nice chewy texture
- Egg: Binds the dough and keeps the cookies soft.
- Vanilla Extract: Use good quality pure vanilla extract. You can use vanilla bean paste as well for an extra boost of flavor.
- Pure Almond Extract: Although optional here I find it adds that classic sugar cookie flavor to these cookies.
- Almond extract: Optional here for that classic sugar cookies flavor.
- Christmas Sprinkles: Use good quality jimmie sprinkles (the rod-shaped ones) for mixing into the dough. I would avoid using nonpareils (the tiny round balls) inside the dough as their color can bleed easily when baked. Save those for rolling the outside!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is how to make these easy Christmas sprinkle sugar cookie recipe. You can use stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand mixer.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and both sugars or 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add wet ingredients: Mix in egg, vanilla extract and almond extract(if using) until combined.
Add dry ingredients: Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
Add sprinkles: Using a rubber spatula stir the sprinkles gently into the cookie dough .
Scoop: Using a cookie scoop, Scoop dough into 2 tablespoon balls and roll each ball in white granulated sugar to coat.
Bake: Place the cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set but centers look slightly underbaked.
Cool: Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
I prefer to bake one cookie sheet at a time, but you can bake two at once , just be sure to rotate and swap the pans halfway through for even baking.
Expert Tips
- Room temperature butter: Make sure the butter is at room temperature for easier creaming with sugar, which helps create a tender and chewy texture.
- Let the dough rest: I find that letting the dough rest at room temperature after mixing for 20- 30 minutes allows flour to hydrate and fats to firm up slightly. which gives these cookies thick and chewy centers
- Don't overbake: Remove the cookies from the oven just as the centers should look soft and slightly underbaked. They'll finish setting as they cool.
- Use jimmies for best results: Nonpareils can sometimes bleed color when mixed into the cookie dough.I prefer using only jimmies.
- Switch up the coating: Instead of coating the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar you can use sprinkles, nonpareils or even colorful sanding sugar for a more colorful look.
- Perfectly round cookies: While the cookies are still warm, place a circular cookie cutter or a circular drinking glass around one of the cookies (it should be larger than the cookie so you don't cut off any edges) and give the cookies a spin. Swirling the cookie should help to smooth out any uneven edges and make the cookies perfectly circular.
Recipe FAQs
You can skip the cornstarch but it helps to keep these cookies soft and thick.Just replace the cornstarch with equal amount of all purpose flour.
Yes, You can, but colored sugar tends to melt slightly, while sprinkles keep their shape and color best.The colored sugar might also make the cookies more sweet.
If you prefer thicker cookies, let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking to reduce spreading.
Absolutely! This is a versatile recipe. Use rainbow sprinkles for birthdays, pastels for Easter, or red/pink for Valentine’s Day
I found the most common reasons include butter that was too warm/melted, over mixing the dough, or using old baking soda/powder. Make sure your butter is just softened and follow the mixing instructions carefully.
Storage & Freezing
Storage: Store cooled Christmas sprinkle sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing Baked Cookies: Freeze cooled cookies in layers separated by parchment paper for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Shape dough balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
More Holiday Recipes You Will Love
Recipe
Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 2 Baking sheets
- Stand or Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 grams) Unsalted Butter softened
- ½ cup (100 grams) Granulated Sugar plus more for coating
- ¼ cup (50 grams) Light brown sugar
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Almond Extract optional
- 1 ½ cups (190 grams) All-Purpose Flour spooned and leveled
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Christmas Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla and almond extract, until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix!
- Gently fold in the Christmas sprinkles (jimmies) until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop (about 1.5-2 tablespoons of dough per cookie).Roll the dough balls in ¼ cup of granulated sugar for extra sparkle! Place them on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look slightly puffy and soft. Remember, they will continue to set as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Don’t Melt the Butter: Your butter should be softened, not melted. This allows proper creaming, which incorporates air for a tender texture.
- Preventing Spread: Ensure your baking sheets are cool (don’t put dough on a hot sheet!). You can also pop the scooped dough balls in the freezer for 5-10 minutes if your kitchen is very warm.
- Sprinkle Types: Jimmie sprinkles are best for mixing into the dough as they hold their shape and color well. Nonpareils (the tiny balls) can be used for rolling the outside of the dough for a colorful coating, but they sometimes bleed color when baked inside the dough.
- Optional to chill: you can chill the cookie dough prior to baking if desired. From 1 hour or up to 3 days covered in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature, then roll and bake as directed below
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