Welcome to your new favorite recipe for soft and chewy vanilla sugar cookies with sprinkles! These delightful treats are perfect for any celebration or simply to brighten an ordinary day. Imagine the joy of a funfetti cake, but in a convenient, perfectly baked cookie form. What makes this recipe truly special is its incredible speed: you can mix and bake these sprinkle sugar cookies in 30 minutes or less, making them ideal for last-minute cravings or spontaneous gatherings.

Why You’ll Adore These Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

This isn’t just another sugar cookie recipe; it’s a game-changer! Here’s why these easy sprinkle cookies will quickly become a cherished favorite in your baking repertoire:

• Lightning Fast Preparation: These simple, soft sprinkle cookies come together in approximately 15 minutes of active prep time, making them ideal for busy schedules or sudden dessert cravings.
• The Perfect Texture Balance: Experience the ultimate cookie delight with a wonderfully crisp edge that perfectly complements a soft and supremely chewy center. It’s a texture combination that’s hard to resist!
• Minimal Ingredients, Maximum Flavor: You’ll only need 9 common pantry staples to whip up a batch of these delicious funfetti cookies. No exotic ingredients or complicated shopping lists required.
• Endlessly Adaptable: These cookies are a blank canvas for creativity. Easily tweak them for any holiday, season, or special event by simply changing the color of your sprinkles. Think festive red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter, or vibrant rainbow for birthdays!
• No Chilling Required: Forget about waiting hours for dough to chill! This recipe allows you to go from mixing bowl to warm, delicious cookies in no time, making it perfect for instant gratification.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Funfetti Cookies

Crafting the perfect batch of soft and chewy sugar cookies with sprinkles starts with quality ingredients. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is crucial for achieving that irresistible flavor and texture:

• Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature): Using unsalted butter allows you to control the exact amount of salt in your recipe. Ensuring it’s at room temperature is crucial for proper creaming with the sugars, creating a light, airy base for your cookie dough. This contributes significantly to the soft and chewy texture.
• Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: This combination is key to the classic sweet flavor and wonderful chewy texture of these cookies. Brown sugar adds moisture and a slight caramel note, while granulated sugar contributes to the crisp exterior and overall sweetness.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: As the primary flavoring in these drop sugar cookies, I cannot stress enough the importance of using high-quality pure vanilla extract. It infuses the cookies with a rich, aromatic warmth that elevates every bite.
• Large Egg (Room Temperature): The egg acts as a binder, adding structure, moisture, and richness to the cookie dough. Like butter, a room-temperature egg incorporates more smoothly into the mixture, resulting in a more uniform dough.
• All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our cookie. Be sure to measure it correctly, preferably by weight (grams) or by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off, to avoid dense or dry cookies.
• Baking Soda: This leavening agent provides just the right amount of lift and spread in the oven, ensuring your cookies achieve that desirable soft, slightly puffed center and perfect shape.
• Salt: A small but mighty ingredient! Salt doesn’t just add flavor; it balances out the sweetness of the sugars, preventing the cookies from tasting overly sugary and enhancing all the other flavors.
• Sprinkles (Jimmies Recommended): These are what make these sugar sprinkle cookies stand out! I highly recommend using jimmies (the long, cylindrical type of sprinkles) because their color is much less likely to bleed into the dough during mixing and baking, preserving those vibrant pops of color. Nonpareils (tiny ball sprinkles) tend to bleed more easily.

For a full list of exact measurements and detailed instructions, please refer to the comprehensive recipe card located further down the page.

Creative Substitutions & Delicious Variations

One of the best things about this soft sugar cookie recipe is how easily it adapts to different tastes and occasions. Here are some fun ways to customize your sprinkle cookies:

• Holiday Sprinkle Cookies: Transform these into festive delights by swapping out standard rainbow sprinkles for holiday or Christmas-themed ones. Think red and green jimmies for Christmas, pastels for Easter, or orange and black for Halloween. The possibilities are endless!
• Cookie Sandwiches: Elevate your treat by sandwiching two sprinkle sugar cookies together with a creamy filling. A generous dollop of vanilla buttercream frosting or a scoop of your favorite ice cream creates an extra indulgent and fun dessert!
• Flavor Boost: For a more traditional sugar cookie flavor, add a few drops of almond extract in addition to the vanilla extract. It adds a lovely subtle nuttiness that complements the sweetness beautifully. Lemon zest can also provide a bright, fresh twist.
• Smaller Bites: If you prefer smaller, bite-sized cookies, use a small or medium-sized cookie scoop (about 1.5-2 tablespoons capacity). Keep a close eye on them while baking, as they may bake quicker – check for golden edges after 6-7 minutes.
• Extra Sparkle: For an even more dazzling presentation, roll the cookie dough balls in extra sprinkles before baking. This creates a beautiful, sprinkle-coated exterior.
• Glaze or Frosting: While delicious on their own, a simple vanilla glaze or a light layer of cream cheese frosting can add an extra touch of sweetness and sophistication.

This recipe has been thoroughly tested as written. If you decide to replace or add any ingredients, we’d love to hear how it turned out! Please share your creative adaptations and results in the comments section below!

Choosing the Best Sprinkles for Your Cookies

The world of sprinkles is vast and colorful! While you’re free to use your favorite brand and style, here are some recommendations based on performance and appearance to help you achieve the best results for your funfetti cookies:

• For Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies: I highly recommend Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles. Their colors are not only beautiful and vibrant, but they’re also made with all-natural ingredients. Crucially, they hold up exceptionally well without bleeding into the dough, even in recipes like my Edible Funfetti Cookie Dough.
• For Christmas Sprinkle Cookies: When it comes to holiday baking, I often turn to the Wondershop and Favorite Day selections from Target. For the cookies pictured in this recipe, I used a festive mixture of their Red and Green Holiday Sprinkles and their charming Wish List Sprinkles. Look for jimmies (the long, stick-like sprinkles) as they are less prone to bleeding than nonpareils (the tiny round ones).

Step-by-Step: How to Make Irresistible Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

Making these soft and chewy sprinkle sugar cookies is a breeze, even for beginner bakers. Follow these simple steps for perfect results every time:

Expert Tips for the Best Soft Sugar Cookies

Achieving bakery-quality sugar cookies with sprinkles is easier than you think with these professional baking tips:

1. Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: Always remember to leave your butter and egg on the counter for at least 30 minutes to an hour before you start making your cookie dough. Room temperature ingredients emulsify better, leading to a smoother, more uniform dough and ultimately, a better-textured cookie.
2. Perfect Chewy Texture: The secret to truly soft and chewy sugar cookies is knowing when to pull them from the oven. Remove your cookies as soon as their edges start to develop a light golden tan and the centers look dry but still slightly soft. They will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet. Leaving them in for too long will result in hard, crispy cookies, losing that desired chewiness.
3. Uniformity for Even Baking: For beautiful, jumbo, bakery-style cookies that bake evenly, use a large cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop (approximately 3-4 tablespoon capacity) to create consistent, round cookie dough balls. This ensures all cookies bake at the same rate.
4. Measure Flour Accurately: Over-flouring is a common culprit for puffy, dry, and dense cookies. The most accurate way to measure flour is by using a food scale to weigh it in grams. If you don’t have a scale, use the “spoon and level” method: spoon flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a straight edge. Do not pack the flour into the measuring cup!
5. Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: Give your cookies space to spread! Place dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. This prevents them from merging into one giant cookie and allows for even heat circulation, which promotes better browning and texture.
6. Parchment Paper vs. Silicone Mats: Both parchment paper and silicone baking mats work wonderfully for this recipe. They prevent sticking and make cleanup a breeze. Choose whichever you prefer!
7. Cooling Process: After removing from the oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. This allows them to firm up slightly before you transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Moving them too soon can cause them to break apart.

Common Questions About Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

Here are some frequently asked questions to help you master this delicious sugar cookie recipe:

Storage & Freezing Instructions

Proper storage ensures your delicious sprinkle sugar cookies stay fresh and enjoyable for as long as possible:

Room Temperature Storage

Once completely cooled, store your baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will remain wonderfully fresh for up to 1 week. However, for the absolute best taste and texture, it’s recommended to enjoy them within the first 3 days. To help keep them extra soft for a longer period, you can add a slice of plain white bread to the container; the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread.

Freezing Instructions

Baked Cookies: For longer storage, cooled baked sprinkle cookies can be stored in a freezer bag or an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature for a few hours before serving, or warm them gently in the microwave for a few seconds for that freshly baked feel.

Cookie Dough: You can also freeze raw cookie dough balls. Once scooped, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding an extra 1-3 minutes to the baking time as needed.

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Kayla Burton