Description
Chewy Sprinkle Cookies are a delightful treat featuring a soft, tender crumb dotted with colorful sprinkles. Ready in just 30 minutes, these cookies combine cold butter and cream cheese for a unique chewy texture, making them a fun and quick recipe perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (can use gluten-free flour)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder (ensure it’s fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (halve if using table salt)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup Cold Butter (do not substitute with softened butter)
- 4 oz Cold Cream Cheese (avoid spreadable cream cheese)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar (can substitute with coconut sugar)
- 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar (no direct substitution available)
- 1 large Egg (essential ingredient)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (can use almond extract)
Additional
- 1/2 cup Sprinkles (jimmies preferred)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line your baking pans with parchment paper or silicone mats for easy cleanup.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Pulse gently until everything is well incorporated, ensuring an even distribution of leavening agents.
- Blend Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugars: Add cubed cold butter and cold cream cheese to the food processor along with granulated and powdered sugars. Pulse until the mixture becomes sandy and crumbly, creating the base for your chewy cookie texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract into the mixture. Blend again until a soft dough forms, bringing all ingredients together.
- Shape Cookie Balls: Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch diameter balls. Then roll each ball in colorful sprinkles until fully coated for a fun and festive look.
- Arrange Cookies: Place the sprinkle-coated dough balls on the prepared baking pans, spacing them about 1-2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Flatten Cookies: Gently press down the dough balls to about ¼ to ½ inch thickness to promote even baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Look for a slightly underbaked texture to maintain chewiness.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, ensuring they set without becoming hard.
Notes
- Using cold butter and cream cheese is crucial for achieving the chewy texture.
- Do not substitute cold butter with softened; the cold temperature helps create the desired dough consistency.
- Fresh baking powder is important for proper leavening and rise.
- Powdered sugar has no direct substitute; it contributes to the cookie’s texture.
- Sprinkles are best if you use jimmies, as they hold up better during baking.
- For a subtle flavor variation, you can substitute vanilla extract with almond extract.
- Watch the cookies closely near the end of baking to avoid overbaking and losing chewiness.
