My go-to sugar cookie recipe is these Sprinkle Cookies. They're wildly vanilla-y, made slightly richer with a little cream cheese. They're not-too-sweet (an oxymoron for a sugar cookie), very tender, and incredibly cheerful.
While you can roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar, I roll them in sprinkles for extra cheer. I'm not generally a sprinkle person, but I can't resist them for these - sprinkles turn the cookies instantly festive.
Not only are they delicious - the dough freezes incredibly well. That means you get cheerful cookies the day you make the dough, and you can stash extra dough away for a rainy day when you need a little sweetness.
Seriously, you should make these. After all, who could resist this face?
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Why I Love Sprinkle Cookies
I love these sprinkle cookies because they're:
- Soft and tender - adding cream cheese keeps the cookies soft for longer.
- A grown-up sugar cookie - not cloying, and slightly richer and more complex thanks to the cream cheese. But they're still...
- Bright and fun - sprinkles make them instantly cheerful.
- Freezer-friendly - I always freeze this dough so we can bake a few cookies whenever we want.
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Ingredients You'll Need
All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure. A cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend may work, but the cookies may be more delicate.
Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness and texture.
Unsalted butter: Provides flavor and tenderness, and allows the cookies to spread slightly. Be sure it's at room temperature so it mixes smoothly; cut the salt to ¼ teaspoon if using salted butter.
Cream cheese: Adds richness and slight tanginess, keeps cookies fresh for longer, and makes them puff upward rather than spread outward. I use full-fat cream cheese, but lower-fat Neufchatel cheese should work if that's what you have on hand. Be sure cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing; lumps of cold cream cheese never blend in.
Egg: Binds the dough and adds tenderness.
Vanilla: Enhances the flavor and keeps the cookies from tasting flat. You can also add ¼ teaspoon almond extract for added oomph.
Baking powder, baking soda, and table salt: Lift the dough, making the cookies light. Baking soda in particular interacts with the cream cheese to help the cookies puff and rise, while salt balances the flavor.
Sprinkles: The whole point of the cookies! They make a simple sugar cookie so cheerful. I typically use long jimmie-style sprinkles, but you can also use little round nonpareils. In a pinch, I roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar.
How to Make Sprinkle Cookies - Step by Step
Once your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, it's time to make cookies!
- Start by beating together your butter and cream cheese until lightened and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla, and beat well. It's ok if the mixture looks a little curdled.
- Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low until just combined.
- Scoop tablespoons of dough. A medium (1.5-tablespoon or #40) cookie scoop (affiliate link) or similar disher makes portioning much easier.
- Smooth each ball of dough, then roll ⅓ to ½ of it in sprinkles.
- Place the dough sprinkle-side up on a lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. (They puff more than they spread out, thanks to the cream cheese.) Gently flatten each cookie to a ½ inch thickness, using the bottom of a glass. Dough rarely sticks, but dip the glass in granulated sugar if it does.
- Parchment and silicone mats both bake evenly, so use whichever you prefer.
- Bake until they're pale and just beginning to brown on the bottom.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them with a spatula to a cooling rack.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They'll stay good for several days, if you and your family don't devour them all before that.
If you need to have them for longer than a few days, freeze the dough instead (see the make-ahead section below). Freshly baked cookies always have the best texture.
Make-Ahead and Freezing
The dough should keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days if covered tightly. It'll be harder to scoop after chilling.
Freezing: I usually bake one sheet of cookies and portion, then freeze, the rest of the dough. Balls of sprinkle cookie dough freeze and bake very well.
Scoop and sprinkle the dough as usual. Place the balls on a plate or small tray lined with plastic wrap for easier removal, spacing them out so they're not touching. Gently flatten them, then freeze until solid.
Once frozen, transfer the dough from the sheet and into a labeled freezer-safe zipper bag. The dough will keep for at least 3 months.
Bake frozen cookie dough - no need to thaw - as directed, adding an extra 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
From the Archives (2023)
In 2023, I wrote:
I originally wrote about this recipe back in 2016, when I made them with a toddler nearby. She played with Keurig cups while I assembled cookie dough, and stole sprinkles that fell off of the cookies that I put on baking sheets.
(She was very good, and only smooshed one cookie with a container after I flattened it with a glass. But who can blame her for trying to help with the cookies!)
Other Buttery, Vanilla-y Treats
Other Simple, Everyday Cookies
If you liked how reliable these cookies were, here are more no-stress cookie recipes.
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Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
Sprinkle Cookies
Equipment
- electric mixer
- medium (1.5-tablespoon or #40) cookie scoop (affiliate link)
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons butter 2 sticks/8 ounces/227 grams; softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese 2 ounces/56 grams, or ¼ of a 8 ounce brick of cream cheese; softened
- 1 cup sugar 200 grams
- 1 egg ~50-55 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 grams
- 3 cups flour 360 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sprinkles
Instructions
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer (affiliate link), cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium speed, until lightened and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix for another minute, until it's blended. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to be sure everything's well mixed.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed until dough is almost combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl again to check for unmixed bits of butter or flour, then mix again briefly so the dough just comes together.
- If your dough is too soft to hand, refrigerate it for 20 minutes. Otherwise, start scooping.
- Place sprinkles in a bowl. Use a #40/ 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, or two spoons, to portion the cookie dough. Roll the dough briefly in your hands to make a rough ball. Then dip the top ½-2/3 of the ball in the sprinkles, coating it thickly.
- Place cookie dough, sprinkle-side up, on a parchment- or Silpat-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies to ¼-1/2 inch thickness.
- Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes at 375F. Cookies will be pale but will have begun to brown on bottom.
- Cool for 4-5 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove the cookies to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Make-Ahead
- Scoop the dough and roll in sprinkles as above. Place balls of dough on a plate or baking sheet lined with plastic wrap or waxed paper, then flatten each with a glass. Freeze.
- Once the cookies are completely frozen, remove them from the plate and store in a labeled freezer bag.
- To bake frozen dough: remove cookies from the freezer once your oven has preheated; no need to thaw. Place frozen dough on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 11-12 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
[Post originally published September 16, 2016 and rewritten January 2023. Restructured and revised March 10, 2026.]
Leona Konkel says
I love these cookies. They're a great way to use up the last of a block of cream cheese - but more importantly, they're cute, cheerful, and delicious. I hope you enjoy as much as I do. Let me know how they turn out!