Made with a soft sugar cookie dough and finished with frosting and festive sprinkles, these Christmas sprinkle cookies are a holiday classic for a reason. The dough uses simple pantry staples and chills before baking, which helps the cookies bake up thick and tender every time. Decorate them simply or go all out with piping and sprinkles, they’re perfect for cookie trays, gifting, or baking with kids during the holidays.
Perfect Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies Every Time
Whenever I think of Christmas cookies, these Sprinkle Cookies always come to mind. They’re festive, easy to make, and are great for giving out to friends and family during the holiday season.
The dough is a simple sugar cookie dough with cornstarch and cream of tartar for the perfect amount of tenderness. After mixing the dough, it goes into the fridge for at least 3 hours, which makes the it easier to roll or cut.
These cookies bake up perfectly thick and chewy, just like the store-bought kind but much better and sprinkles make them so much fun. If making a cookie tray, add these along with some creamy fudge for a contrast in flavor and texture.
The frosting spreads smoothly and pipes cleanly, so you can get creative with designs or leave them simple. Piped Christmas trees are an easy option, but sprinkles alone do the job just fine. These are a fun cookie recipe to make with kids, everyone loves a cookie with sprinkles!
Basic Pantry Staples + Extras
You don’t need much, just the basics. Make sure to check the recipe card for all the details.
- Jimmies: Stick with jimmies instead of nonpareils so the color doesn’t bleed into the dough.
- Food coloring: Gel coloring works best if you’re tinting frosting, since it won’t thin the texture.
Making Christmas Sprinkle Cookies Is Easy
Step One: Make the Dough
Step Two: Bake the Cookies
You can roll the dough out with a rolling pin and cut the dough into your favorite shapes instead of shaping into balls.
Step Three: Mix the Frosting
Step Four: Decorate
These Christmas sprinkle cookies are easy, dependable, and exactly what a holiday cookie should be. The dough bakes up soft and thick, the frosting spreads smoothly, and the sprinkles do most of the decorating work for you.
Whether you’re filling cookie tins or baking with family, this is one recipe you’ll come back to year after year.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup jimmies
FROSTING
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 2 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed and mix until just combined. Gently mix in the jimmies, just enough to mix into the dough without causing them to bleed. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Remove from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 325º. Let the cookie dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes until it is easy enough to scoop.
- Form the dough into balls using a cookie scoop. Bake for 11-12 minutes until the edges are slightly browned, the centers will appear soft. Allow to cool on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frosting: With a hand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla and salt and mix on low speed until combined then increase speed and mix for 3 minutes until it's smooth. Add more sugar or cream if too thick or thin. Remove a small portion and add green food coloring.
- Once the cookies are cooled, frost and decorate with a design and add more sprinkles.
Notes
- If making large cookies with a regular sized ice cream scoop it will make 24 cookies.
- Use can use a baggie with the corner cut out to pipe the frosting.
- If the frosting is too soft, put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Add red and green sprinkles after piping the Christmas tree.
- For something different, crush some candy canes and add to the top of the cookies.
