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These soft and chewy, sugar crusted rainbow sprinkle sugar cookies are pure nostalgia. They only take minutes to make and requires simple pantry ingredients you likely have on hand. The rainbow jimmies can be swapped out for other colors for holidays and special occasions.
My kids love these cookies, and for good reason. They taste like they came from a gourmet bakery, and they're so simple to make. I like to store a batch in the freezer and bake them off when the kiddos have friends over.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- These cookies are soft and chewy with a pillowy texture and slightly crisp sugar crusted edges.
- The flavor is vanilla and buttery, with some caramel-like notes from the brown sugar.
- Cookies are ready in under 30 minutes.
- No chilling of the dough required.
- Easy to follow recipe with step by step photo instructions.
Recipe Ingredients
All purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Fine sea salt
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar - contributes to toasty, caramelized flavor and keeps the cookies softer and chewier
Eggs
Vanilla extract - extract works just fine here, but vanilla bean paste is next level for these cookies
Sprinkles - specifically, rainbow jimmies
Recipe Instructions
Before beginning the recipe, preheat the oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
- Beat in the flour mixture until just mixed.
- Fold in the sprinkles.
- Scoop out the dough with a cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoon portions) and roll into balls.
- Roll the dough balls in the granulated sugar and place on the cookie sheets 2" apart. Press the cookies with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup just slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottom edges start to turn golden and the tops look just set.
Baking Tips
- Don't over bake these cookies. The less time the cookies bake, the softer they’ll stay. The tops should be just set and no longer damp looking. Don’t be tempted to leave the cookies in the oven longer as they will continue to bake from the residual heat once they're removed from the oven. Err on the side of under baking cookies slightly for the very best texture.
- Folding in the sprinkles, rather than beating them into the batter, keeps the sprinkles intact, and prevents over mixing the cookie dough.
- Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion out the dough. If you don't have a 1oz/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, you can use a tablespoon to portion out 2 tablespoons for each cookie.
Storage and Freezing
Cookie dough can be rolled into balls and frozen in an airtight container or zip top bag for up to 3 months.
Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Baked cookies can also be frozen. Just let the baked cookies come to room temperature, then pack them in an airtight container/zip top bag and freeze them. Thaw them in the fridge or on the counter when you’re ready to serve them.
FAQs
The moisture in the dough from the eggs, butter, and brown sugar help make these cookies extra chewy.
M&Ms, chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips would also be amazing with this dough. You can also omit the sprinkles.
If you make these sprinkle sugar cookies, let me know! Drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram.
Enjoy!
Ash xx
More Cookie Recipes to Try
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Recipe
Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Electric Stand Mixer (Or, a hand mixer)
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, or paste
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.2 ¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and mix until well combined.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, or paste
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. The dough will be thick.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the sprinkles.½ cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)
- Place the ⅓ cup of sugar into a bowl. Using a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and form into balls.⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Roll the dough balls in the sugar to coat and place two inches apart on the cookies sheets. Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to flatten the dough balls just slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges start to turn a light brown and the top begins to crack.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
christine
I baked these I loved them 🙂