Halloween Sprinkle Cookies
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These Halloween Sprinkle Cookies are easy to make and have chewy centers with crisp edges! They’re perfect for the spooky season!
I have a serious problem with buying sprinkles. These past couple of months I’ve acquired way more varieties of Halloween Sprinkles than the average person needs which inspired these adorable Halloween Sprinkle Cookies. They’re essentially a vanilla flavored sugar cookie with crisp edges and chewy centers loaded with spooky sprinkles. They’re perfect for a Halloween party or a Halloween movie night! I used a mix of orange, green, purple and black sprinkles but you can use whatever Halloween colors you like as long as they’re jimmies and not nonpareils because nonpareils tend to bleed into the dough. I also pressed some candy eyeballs into the cookies after they finished baking to make them extra spooky but that’s totally optional!
Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the cookies structure.
Baking soda & baking powder – both leaveners are needed to help the cookies rise.
Butter – provides flavor and structure. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt later on. Do not use cold or melted butter.
Granulated sugar – provides sweetness and texture.
Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
Sprinkles – make sure that you use jimmies and not nonpareils because nonpareils tend to bleed into the dough.
How To Make Halloween Sprinkle Cookies
1. In a small bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until almost combined (there should still be streaks of flour). Then add the sprinkles and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix the dough because it will make the cookies tough and the sprinkles will bleed.
5. Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto lined baking sheets (be sure to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). If desired, you can press extra sprinkles onto the tops of each cookie dough ball so that they bake up extra pretty!
6. Bake sprinkle cookies at 350°F for 14 minutes then cool on the baking sheet. The cookies will still look slightly raw when they come out but will continue to bake as they cool. If desired, immediately press candy eyeballs into warm cookies. Store Halloween Sprinkle Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Pro Tips For Halloween Sprinkle Cookies
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Don’t over mix the dough! There should still be streaks of flour in the dough when you add the sprinkles. Over mixing = more gluten development which means tough cookies. We don’t want any tough cookies here! Over mixing can also cause the sprinkles to bleed into the dough.
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack. This ensures that there is even heat circulation.
- Don’t over bake them! They will still look a little raw when they come out of the oven but will continue to bake as they cool on the baking sheet. This is the secret to crisp edges and chewy centers.
- Use jimmies sprinkles and not nonpareils because nonpareils tend to bleed into the dough.
- If using candy eyeballs make sure that you press them into the cookies right after they come out of the oven. If you try to add them once the cookies are cooled they won’t stick and if you try to add them before baking then the eyeballs will melt.
- Try pressing some extra sprinkles onto the tops of each cookie dough ball so that they bake up extra pretty!
- Try adding 1/4 tsp of almond extract to the dough for almond flavored sprinkle cookies!
My Favorite Cookie Tools
- Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
- Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Scoop
Can Halloween Sprinkle Cookies Be Frozen?
Yes! Simply Scoop dough onto a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer dough to a zip top bag then freeze for up to 3 months. Bake sprinkle cookies straight from the freezer at 350°F for 14 minutes. You might need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
More Recipes For Halloween
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Halloween Sprinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Cookie scoop (I use a 3 tablespoon scoop)
Ingredients
- 330 g (2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 300 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 96 g (1/2 cup) Halloween jimmies sprinkles
- Candy Eyeballs for pressing into baked cookies optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time and vanilla until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until almost combined (there should still be streaks of flour). Then add the sprinkles and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix the dough because it will make the cookies tough and the sprinkles will bleed.
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto lined baking sheets (be sure to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). If desired, you can press extra sprinkles onto the tops of each cookie dough ball so that they bake up extra pretty!
- Bake sprinkle cookies for 14 minutes then cool on the baking sheet. The cookies will still look slightly raw when they come out but will continue to bake as they cool. If desired, immediately press candy eyeballs into warm cookies.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the 1/2 tsp salt.
- Store Halloween Sprinkle Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
