5 Amazing christmas sprinkle cookies Joy

Hi, I’m Alex, and I’m so glad you’re here. If the thought of holiday baking has you reaching for the Tylenol, trust me, I totally get it. For years, the kitchen was the last place I wanted to be when Christmas rolled around. But these christmas sprinkle cookies changed everything for me! They are the lifeline for anyone needing speedy holiday cheer. You can learn more about my philosophy over on my About Page.

I’m talking about cookies that are incredibly soft, wonderfully chewy, and exploding with festive color. The best part? Absolutely no dough chilling and zero rolling required. We just scoop, coat, and bake! I’ve tested this recipe so many times to ensure that perfect texture holds up, making these some of my absolute favorite family cookies to share. You’re going to feel like a baking wizard this season.

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Why These are the Best Christmas Sprinkle Cookies for Your Holiday Tray

I need you to trust me on this: these aren’t just pretty for your holiday tray; they are genuinely delicious, and they solve so many holiday baking headaches. If you’re planning for a big cookie exchange or just need to fill your freezer fast, these are the winners. You can find more ideas for easy entertaining over at my Easy Entertaining page, but for now, let’s look at why these specific christmas sprinkle cookies are my go-to.

• They deliver maximum festive impact with almost zero decorating time. Seriously, just roll and bake!
• These become the ultimate chewy holiday cookies—soft in the middle, perfectly set on the edges.
• They are truly easy Christmas cookies; even if you’ve never baked before, you can handle this dough confidently.
• My recipe produces that beautiful buttery flavor that everyone expects from classic holiday treats, not something overly cakey.
• They hold their shape beautifully, which means every single cookie looks fantastic on your cookie platter.

Zero Chill Time Required for Quick Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

This is the magic bullet, folks. Who has time to wait 24 hours for cookie dough to chill? Not me, and probably not you either! Because the fat-to-flour ratio is spot on in this recipe, the dough is stable enough to scoop and bake immediately. This means you can have quick Christmas sprinkle cookies cooling on the rack in under 30 minutes total. That time saved is time you can spend wrapping presents or sipping something warm!

Achieving the Perfect Soft Sprinkle Cookies Texture

It all comes down to how we treat the butter and sugar, and how little we bother the flour once it’s added. We’re going for that melt-in-your-mouth feeling, right? We achieve this by creaming the butter and sugar until they are genuinely light and fluffy—we’re incorporating air, not just mixing things around. And then, we stop mixing the second the flour disappears. That gentle handling keeps the gluten relaxed, which is exactly what guarantees you get those wonderful soft sprinkle cookies every single time.

Gathering Ingredients for Your Festive Cookie Recipes

Okay, let’s get down to brass tacks. Since these cookies are so straightforward, the ingredient quality really matters, even though they are incredibly pantry-friendly! When you’re making holiday magic, you want to use reliable components. I’ve listed everything out for you below, and honestly, there’s nothing too fussy here. No fancy extracts or exotic flours required. This keeps them firmly in the “easy holiday baking” category, which is what we love!

We use butter here, not margarine—always butter for that rich, buttery crumb we’re aiming for. And trust me, the type of sprinkle you use makes a huge difference in the final look!

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Ingredient Clarity and Preparation Notes

To get those perfect results we talked about—the soft centers and the vibrant color—you have to treat your ingredients right before they hit the bowl. Pay attention to these little details; they’re how we ensure consistency batch after batch.

• The Butter: It absolutely must be softened, not melted! When I say softened, I mean you should be able to press your finger into it and leave a clean indent without your finger sinking right through. This step is vital for the creaming process.
• The Flour: This is where many people go wrong, making their cookies dry! Do not scoop your measuring cup directly into the flour bag, or you’ll pack it in too tightly. Instead, fluff the flour up with a spoon, lightly spoon it into your measuring cup, and then level it off with a knife. This specific technique ensures we don’t add too much flour.
• The Sprinkles: You need a good coating of color! I specifically love using “jimmies” (the rod-shaped ones) mixed into the dough because they don’t bleed color as much as some of the smaller nonpareils do. Then, we roll the dough balls in extra sprinkles to make sure the outside pops with red and green when they bake.
• Baking Soda vs. Powder: We use both! The baking soda reacts with the sugars to get a little spread and richness, while the baking powder gives us just the right lift, keeping them from getting totally flat. Don’t skip one or the other!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Soft & Chewy Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

Alright, let’s get these vibrant beauties in the oven! Since we skipped the chilling, the mixing process is paramount. This is where we build that incredible texture you’re craving. Remember what I always say: the rhythm of the mixer guides the final texture of the cookie, so pay attention during these steps. You can check out my general baking workflow tips over on the blog!

Mixing the Wet and Dry Components for Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

First things first, let’s tackle the wet stuff. Get your stand mixer or a big bowl and your hand mixer ready. You need to cream that softened butter and the granulated sugar together first. Get it nice and light—we’re talking pale yellow and fluffy, like whipped clouds, before you even think about adding the egg and vanilla. This aerates the dough, which is your best insurance against dense cookies!

While that’s whipping away, quickly whisk your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Now, here’s a little trick I learned early on: as you add the dry mix to the wet mix, keep the speed LOW. We only want to mix until the flour streaks *just* disappear. Honestly, I often stop the mixer when there are still a few faint flour lines visible, give the bowl a good scrape down myself, and finish that last little bit by hand with a wooden spoon. That small effort prevents you from developing the gluten too much and keeps your christmas sprinkle cookies tender.

Once that’s just combined, fold in half a cup of those festive sprinkles directly into the batter. That way, you get color deep within the cookie, not just on the outside.

Coating and Shaping Your Festive Cookie Dough Balls

This is the fun part where the kids can 100% take over! Set up a shallow plate with the remaining quarter cup of extra sprinkles—this is for the final coating. We aren’t rolling out dough, so ditch the rolling pin! We’re just making scoops.

Use a rounded tablespoon—or a small cookie scoop if you have one—to portion out the dough. Gently roll that scoop between your palms just enough to make a decent ball shape. Don’t press too hard! The goal is a nice, cozy sphere. Immediately drop and roll that ball into the extra sprinkles until it’s thoroughly coated on the outside. You want Christmas green and red sticking everywhere!

Place those beautiful, colorful dough balls onto your parchment-lined sheets, leaving about two inches of space between them. They will spread a bit, but because we aren’t flattening them, they keep that great dome shape.

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Baking Times and Cooling for Perfect Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

Time for the oven! Bake these at 350°F (175°C) for 9 to 11 minutes. Now, pay close attention to the visual cues, because this is key for the soft and chewy texture. You are looking for the edges to look just set—a tiny bit golden, but the very center should still look soft and maybe even slightly underdone. Seriously, if they look fully cooked, they will be firm when they cool down.

Once they come out, do not touch them! Let them sit right there on the hot baking sheet for a full five minutes. That carried heat finishes baking the center just enough without drying it out. After those five minutes, *then* you carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. That rest is what locks in the moistness for the best Christmas sprinkle cookies!

Tips for Perfect Holiday Baking Ideas

I love talking shop! Once you’ve got the basic rhythm down for these cookies, you start wondering what tweaks you can make for next time or how to save yourself if you’re short on something. Building confidence means knowing how to pivot a little bit in the kitchen, and that’s what we’re all about here at Pure Cooking Joy. These simple changes let you keep baking even when the pantry is looking sparse. You can check out my favorite comfort food recipes for cozy nights here!

Ingredient Substitutions for Your Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

Sometimes life throws us a curveball, right? Maybe you ran out of pure vanilla or you only have salted butter on hand. Here are my takes on substitutions for these christmas sprinkle cookies:

• Salted Butter: Yes, you can use it, but you MUST cut back on the added salt! If you swap the 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the dry ingredients for salted butter, I’d use only 1/8 teaspoon of salt total, or just skip it completely. Salted butter is generally 1/2 teaspoon salt per stick, so you’re already adding some.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla is crucial for rounding out the buttery flavor, but if you’re completely out of extract, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract instead. A little goes a long way; almond pairs surprisingly well with the buttery base. However, if you have neither, just omit it, but the flavor won’t be quite as deep.
• Sprinkle Types: This is a great question! I prefer jimmies because they hold their shape and color. If you use nonpareils (the tiny, hard balls), they can sometimes dissolve or bleed color into the dough as they bake, which can make the cookie look messy or slightly gray. If you want that classic look, stick to the jimmies for the dough and the coating.
• Baking Soda vs. Powder: Do not swap these evenly! We need both for the specific lift and spread we are aiming for. If you are out of baking powder, you can try increasing the baking soda to 1 3/4 teaspoons, but know the cookies might spread a bit more and taste slightly more brittle.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips for Your Holiday Cookie Tray Ideas

The absolute best part about these christmas sprinkle cookies is that they are fantastic make-ahead treats! Holiday time is chaotic enough without having to bake every single cookie the morning of the party. The good news is that these cookies are sturdy and maintain that wonderful soft texture for days, making them perfect for prepping early when you have a spare moment to whip up a batch!

If you’re putting together something for a big event, you can definitely mix the dough ahead of time. I’ve got some great advice for appetizers and snacks you can prep days in advance over on my Appetizers and Snacks page, and these cookies fit right into that strategy!

• Room Temperature Storage: Once completely cooled, store the cookies in a sturdy, airtight container. Make sure they are completely cool before sealing them up, or you’ll end up with damp, sticky cookies! At room temperature, they stay perfectly soft and chewy for about four to five days. If you stack them, use a small piece of parchment or wax paper between the layers so the sprinkles don’t stick together.
• Freezing Baked Cookies: Yes, you can freeze these! Wrap cooled cookies tightly in plastic wrap first—I usually do groups of four or six. Then, place those wrapped bundles into a freezer-safe, airtight container or bag. They freeze beautifully for up to three months. When you want some, just let them thaw on the counter for an hour or two. They taste just as fresh!
• Freezing the Dough: This is my personal favorite make-ahead move, especially around the holidays. Scoop your dough balls, roll them in the exterior sprinkles, and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze them solid (about an hour). Once they are hard little balls, transfer them into a freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. When you need fresh cookies, just pull out the number you want, place them on your lined sheet, and add about 2-3 minutes to the baking time. It’s like having fresh-baked magic ready on demand!

Serving Suggestions for These Easy Christmas Cookies

We spent all this time making these gorgeous, colorful little gems, so now we have to talk about how to serve them! These christmas sprinkle cookies are so much fun because they require zero fuss in terms of presentation. They look festive all by themselves, but when you pair them with the right drink or place them strategically on your holiday dessert bar, they really shine.

Seriously, if you’re making these for a holiday party or a swap event, they are guaranteed winners for any Christmas cookie exchange treats lineup. They travel well and always look stunning!

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• The Perfect Milk Pairing: You know I love a good glass of wine when I’m entertaining, which you can read more about over at my Easy Entertaining page, but sometimes you just need nostalgia. These cookies beg for a tall, cold glass of whole milk. The buttery richness of the cookie cuts through the fat in the milk perfectly. It’s my simplest recommendation!
• Coffee & Cocoa: For an afternoon treat, these are fantastic dipped lightly into a warm mug of hot chocolate or a strong cup of coffee. The sprinkle coating gets slightly softened by the heat, giving you an immediate, cozy feel.
• Building a Holiday Cookie Tray: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! When you arrange your cookie tray, use these vibrant sprinkle cookies as your visual anchor. Contrast their bright, primary colors against something darker, like a rich chocolate thumbprint or a deep molasses cookie. The contrast makes these simple sugar cookies pop even more!
• Sharing the Joy: Since they are so easy to keep fresh, these are my go-to for neighbor gifting! Package about six in a simple cellophane bag tied with a red ribbon. It’s a huge visual impact for very little effort on your part. If you grab a picture of your finished treats, tag me on Facebook—I love seeing your creations! You can find me here: facebook.com/purecookingjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

I know that sometimes when we jump into a new baking project, little questions pop up. That’s totally normal! I’ve collected some of the most common things people ask me when they are trying this recipe for the first time. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have others; you can always drop me a line on my contact page!

Can I use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar in these christmas sprinkle cookies?

That’s a smart question for adjusting texture! You *can* swap some of the granulated sugar for brown sugar, but I wouldn’t recommend a full 1:1 replacement here. Brown sugar has more moisture and molasses, which generally makes cookies softer and chewier—which sounds good, right? However, in this specific recipe, we rely on the structure of granulated sugar combined with the creaming method to keep their dome shape. If you use too much brown sugar, your christmas sprinkle cookies might spread out more and become flatter. If you want that extra chew, I’d try replacing maybe one quarter of the granulated sugar with packed light brown sugar. That gives you a little richness without sacrificing the shape.

What is the best way to store these soft sprinkle cookies?

The goal here is to keep them totally soft, so storage is important! Since these are soft sprinkle cookies and not crisp ones, they need an environment where they don’t dry out. Once they are completely cool—I mean stone cold—they need an airtight container. If you stack them, use small pieces of parchment paper between the layers, mainly to keep the exterior sprinkles from smearing onto the cookie below. Stored this way, they stay wonderfully soft and fresh for about four or five days on the counter. If you need them to last longer, freeze them!

Estimated Nutritional Data for Your Festive Cookie Recipes

I always like to include this information for anyone counting things out, but please take this with a big grain of salt—literally! These numbers are calculated based on the standard ingredients listed, serving size, and portioning I recommend. In the real world, where sprinkles vary or your tablespoon scoop might be bigger, things always change a little bit!

If you need to review my full legal stance on these estimates, you can check out the fine print on my Disclaimer Page. But for a quick look at what’s in one of these buttery beauties:

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 160
• Sugar: 13g
• Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 21g
• Protein: 2g

Enjoy them responsibly, because honestly, who stops at one when they are this soft and colorful? That’s the real question!

Share Your Colorful Christmas Baking Creations

Now that you’ve mixed, rolled, and completely transformed your kitchen into a festive bakery, I would absolutely love to see what you’ve created! Seriously, nothing makes me happier than knowing these easy christmas cookies made it onto someone else’s holiday tray this year.

If you made a batch, please don’t be shy—leave a comment right down below! Tell me how they worked out for you. Did they turn out as soft and chewy as you hoped? Did your family fight over the last one? Your feedback helps me and other home cooks who are just starting out gain confidence in the recipe.

And if you snapped a picture of your bright, sprinkle-covered cookies, share them! Tagging me on social media means the world to me. It helps build this wonderful community we’re creating here at Pure Cooking Joy, where we find happiness in making delicious food together. You can check out my Terms of Use page if you’re wondering about sharing photos, but generally, just tag away!

Baking is always better when it’s shared. Go enjoy those cookies, and I hope your whole holiday season is filled with sweet, simple joys!

Easy, Soft & Chewy Christmas Sprinkle Cookies (No Chill, No Roll Required)

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Make these festive Christmas sprinkle cookies for your holiday celebrations. This recipe delivers soft, chewy cookies packed with color, requiring no dough chilling or rolling.

• Author: purejoyalex
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 11 min
• Total Time: 26 min
• Yield: 24 cookies 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Christmas sprinkles (jimmies or mix)
• 1/4 cup extra Christmas sprinkles for rolling

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Stir in the 1/2 cup of Christmas sprinkles until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
7. Place the extra 1/4 cup of sprinkles in a shallow dish.
8. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons. Roll each scoop lightly into a ball, then roll the ball in the extra sprinkles to coat the outside.
9. Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. You do not need to flatten them.
10. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers still look soft.
11. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• For the softest cookies, measure your flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
• Use a mix of red, green, and white jimmies for the most festive look.
• These cookies are great for cookie exchanges because they hold their shape well.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 160
• Sugar: 13g
• Sodium: 110mg
• Fat: 8g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 21g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 2g
• Cholesterol: 30mg