Description
Christmas Cookie Sparkles are delightful and festive cookies featuring a tender cream cheese dough coated with colorful sprinkles. Perfect for holiday celebrations, these cookies offer a soft, buttery texture with a hint of almond and vanilla, making them an irresistible treat for any cookie lover.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 ounces (57g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Coating
- 3/4 cup (150g) sprinkles (sanding sugar, nonpareils, and/or jimmies)
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
- Prepare Wet Mixture: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until relatively smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until combined and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to combine.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be thick.
- Chill Dough: Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 3-4 days. If chilling longer than 2-3 hours, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard and the cookies may not spread properly.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Form and Coat Dough Balls: Pour sanding sugar or your choice of sprinkles into a bowl or multiple bowls if using different colors. Roll balls of cookie dough, about 1 Tablespoon per cookie, then roll each ball in the sprinkles to coat. Place each dough ball 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a measuring cup or drinking glass, gently press down on each dough ball to slightly flatten.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 13 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges.
- Cool: Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store: Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week.
Notes
- You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Unbaked cookie dough balls (without sanding sugar coating) will freeze well for up to 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then roll in sanding sugar and bake as directed.
- Almond extract is optional but adds wonderful flavor; you can omit it without replacement.
- You can use sanding sugar, nonpareils, or jimmies for coating the cookies, available in most baking aisles.
- Use parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking and promote even baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
