My delightfully tasty sprinkle crinkle cookies are super easy to make and a fun way to celebrate the holidays with your family! These tender vanilla cookies are speckled with festive green and red sprinkles that almost look like snow-covered confetti, how fun!
Crinkle Cookies With Sprinkles
These delectable Christmas cookies start off with an easy vanilla crinkle cookie recipe that is made even more fabulous with a generous helping of sprinkles! They are perfect for bake sales, holiday parties, or to make as gifts for friends!
Soft on the inside with a slightly chewy and textured outside, these cookies aren’t just for show. The sprinkles may make the cookies fun, but the flavor will have you savoring every delicious bite!
Colorful Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies are a tasty and fun treat for kids of all ages!
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❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
Kids Love Them! It may be messy, but kiddos will love to help dump in the sprinkles and roll the dough almost as much as they love to eat them!
So Tasty! Very similar to shortbread cookies, these delicious cookies pair perfectly with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate!
It's Customizable! Use sprinkles of different colors for different events or use your favorite colors just because!
🥘 Ingredients
For this recipe you only need a few standard baking ingredients you likely already have at home and…sprinkles! Get your butter and eggs out beforehand so they can come up to room temperature before you start baking.
- 1 cup Butter- Salted and softened at room temperature.
- 1 ½ cups Sugar- Sugar not only makes your cookies sweet but helps with the crinkly texture!
- 2 Large Eggs-These are key to binding all your ingredients together! Eggs should be room temperature to ensure even baking. Set them out on the counter ahead of time or place them in a warm bowl of water for 5 minutes.
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract- I generally recommend pure vanilla extract for baking, but these cookies will still taste delicious if you use imitation vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla bean caviar.
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda- Both baking soda and baking powder are typical leavening agents used in baking but are not interchangeable as they react differently while cooking.
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder- Baking powder works with the baking soda to make the “crinkle” effect of your cookies!
- ½ teaspoon Salt- Just a pinch of regular table salt. Use a tad bit more if using unsalted butter.
- 1 cup Confectioners’ Sugar- You may have heard this referred to as powdered sugar or icing sugar.
- 3 cups All-purpose Flour- The most common type of white flour, easily found at your local supermarket.
- ⅓ cup Sprinkles- Red and green for Christmas, or any assortment of colors you desire!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 Instructions
Whip these easy cookies up by hand, using a hand mixer, or in your stand mixer. Any which way you make them, they come together and bake up wonderfully!
Make the dough
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer) add 1 cup of softened butter (2 sticks) and 1 ½ cups granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Beat the large eggs in one at a time, just until they are incorporated throughout the dough.
- Add dry ingredients and vanilla. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of salt to your mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Then, incorporate the flour. Little-by-little mix in the 3 cups of all-purpose flour until blended well. Fold in the ⅓ cup of sprinkles, mixing until spread throughout the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.
Form & Bake your cookies
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 325℉ (163℃). Using parchment paper, or silicone baking mats, line a baking sheet(s). (This recipe will make 60 cookies so have at least a set of baking sheets ready.)
- Form balls and roll in sugar. In a shallow dish or bowl, sprinkle 1 cup of powdered sugar. Take your dough and form 1-inch balls. This can be done by hand, with a cookie scoop, or a melon baller. Roll each dough ball in the powdered sugar until thoroughly coated. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets leaving a 2-inch gap between each ball to prevent them from baking together.
- Bake. Place your cookies on the middle rack and let them bake for 12-14 minutes or until you notice the bottoms of the cookies are a light gold color.
- Cool. Before transferring your cookies to a cooling rack, allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes. Let cookies cool fully before adding any additional powdered sugar.
This recipe makes a whopping 60 cookies. Gift cookies by placing them on a festive disposable plate and wrapping it in cling-wrap or colorful cellophane before tying it closed with a bow! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If you plan to add an extra dusting of confectioner’s sugar after baking, allow the cookies to cool for 20 minutes or the sugar will melt.
- The dough will be sticky! Save yourself some trouble by coating your hands with powdered sugar (as you would with flour when rolling out bread dough) before you form your dough balls.
- For more prominent crinkles, use more powdered sugar. When rolling your cookie dough into balls, make sure you have a thick layer of powdered sugar on the outside to really make those crinkles pronounced.
- Bake in batches if you cannot fit all your cookies on the middle rack. If you overcrowd the oven, the cookies will not bake evenly!
- If you want to color the whole cookie, add a few drops of food coloring to your batter!
🥡 Storing
Store your sprinkle crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and eat within 3-5 days. Make sure to put a layer of parchment paper between stacked cookies or they might stick together.
Freezing Crinkle Cookies
When freezing baked cookies, store them in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers of cookies for up to 3 months.
Freeze unbaked dough by forming into balls (do not roll in confectioners’ sugar) and placing them on a baking sheet. Freeze the dough balls on the baking sheet (usually about 2 hours) before transferring them to a freezer bag for long-term storage.
Squeeze as much air as you can out of the freezer bag to keep the dough fresh.
Bake the frozen dough within 2-3 months for the best taste. Thaw the cookie dough on the counter for at least 30 minutes before you roll the dough in powdered sugar and bake as directed.
🎄 Other Great Christmas Cookies
❓ Recipe FAQs
The combination of baking soda and baking powder raises the pH level of the dough while also weakening the gluten structure. This makes for cookies that expand while they are baked, causing cracks that are not covered with powdered sugar.
You can! Place the balls of dough on a baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes after you have rolled it in the confectioner’s sugar. Before you bake, allow the cookies to sit on the counter at room temperature for 15 minutes. The fats in the dough will have solidified, they will take longer to melt while baking, and the cookies will not spread or flatten as much.
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📖 Recipe Card
Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sprinkles (holiday or assorted colors)
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat the eggs in one at a time, just enough to fully incorporate the eggs. Add the vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt then mix to combine.
- Add the flour and mix until fully combined, then fold in the sprinkles. Cover your mixing bowl with plastic cling film and set aside for 15 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Put the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl or a shallow dish, then shape the dough into 1-inch balls (I'm using a #50 scoop or melon baller). Roll each dough ball in the confectioners' sugar before placing them onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving 2-inches of spacing between the cookies.
- Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 12-14 minutes or until the cookie bottoms are just beginning to turn light golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store vanilla crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Place parchment paper sheets between layers if stacking.
- If you want to sprinkle additional confectioners' sugar over the cookies, wait at least 15-20 minutes so that they are cool enough that the sugar won't melt.
- The better your coating of confectioners' sugar is on the dough, the more pronounced the crinkle appearance will be.
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