Buttery soft sugar cookies exploding with sprinkles and topped with a simple swirl of vanilla frosting. And more sprinkles.
But these here cookies? Well, they’re anything but ordinary. They’re the kind of buttery, soft and chewy sugar cookie that will make anyone, of any age, smile ear to ear. They’re the first to go on platter of Christmas cookies. A birthday, holiday, any celebration kind of cookie. A sprinkled dessert so jolly, they’ll make Santa blush. I call these sprinkle cookies “supreme” because that’s just what they are.
Supremely awesome. Just like my triple chocolate scones.
This has to be one of the most tested cookie recipes to come out of my kitchen. For the past month, I’ve played around with my Soft-Baked Funfetti Sugar Cookie recipe, my Sugar Cookie Bars recipe, and the Frosted Sugar Cookie recipe in my cookbook. I wanted a recipe for frosted sprinkle sugar cookies that would yield a decent amount of cookies—whether that be for a party, a get together, a bake sale, a cookie exchange, whatever. I also wanted an easy sugar cookie recipe AND there had to be a plethora of sprinkles.
A tall order. I got to work.
Once I baked that winning recipe, I made four batches in two days. My refrigerator was home to more butter and eggs than anything else. I found sprinkles on my glasses and frosting on my pants. I noticed the frosting on my pants while out in public, for the record. I made two batches of these frosted sugar cookies with rainbow sprinkles (I buy them in bulk from here) and 2 batches with Christmas colored sprinkles.
What the heck do I do with all that sitting on my counter?? Let’s just say I’ve had some very happy, sugar-high friends leave my house recently.
Though the recipe itself is pretty straightforward, there are a few helpful tips to read before you begin. I really want you to make these! Not only because I live and breathe sprinkles, but because they are so good. Really really good. They blow any store-bought sprinkle cookie out of the water.
You’ll probably look at this recipe and wonder why I add an extra egg yolk and some cornstarch. Neither are traditional sugar cookie ingredients, you’re right. However, there’s a method to my madness.
For the egg yolk: though I could certainly use 2 full eggs instead of 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, I’ve learned through the years that the yolk is where all the goodness hides. Eggs are an indispensable ingredient when it comes to cookie baking; they aerate, aid in setting, provide structure, leaven, emulsify, and thicken. Most importantly? They are used as a binder in cookie recipes. Using more egg whites in a baked good typically yields lighter, fluffier desserts. More yolks create a denser treat with a richer flavor—which is exactly what we want in cookies like this! You know how my chocolate chip cookies are so chewy, thick, and fudge-like? The extra egg yolk plays a huge role in that.
Oh, and the eggs—make sure they are room temperature. Typically, when a recipe calls for room temperature butter, the eggs should be room temperature as well. That’s something I picked up on recently. Room temperature eggs incorporate quicker and more easily into the dough, which prevents your cookie dough from being overmixed and allows your cookies to have uniform texture among the batch.
For the cornstarch: if you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know I love using cornstarch in some cookie recipes (another key tip from chocolate chip cookies and shortbread cookies!). It’s a miraculous little ingredient, pulling heavy weight in the chilling and baking process. It helps thicken your cookie dough as the dough chills and keeps your cookies soft as they bake. You will love how soft these frosted sugar cookies are!
Also… don’t forget to chill the cookie dough. I know I always remind you, but it’s so important. Set aside enough time to do so; your cookies will spread into one massive, unattractive cookie… mess… on your baking sheet if the dough is not sufficiently chilled.
Even though the cookies are supreme, I think the frosting is the star of the show. I love this vanilla frosting. I like to add a pinch of salt to offset its sweetness. Especially when it’s spread onto an already sweet sugar cookie.
Enjoy, sugar cookie lovers.
For a cookie cutter sugar cookie, try my soft cut-out sugar cookies..
See more recipes with sprinkles. There’s… a lot.
Buttery soft sugar cookies exploding with sprinkles and topped with a simple swirl of vanilla frosting. And more sprinkles.
