Amazing christmas sprinkle sugar cookies in 1 bowl

Hi, I’m Alex, and I’m so glad you’re here. If your house isn’t smelling like cinnamon and melted butter by mid-December, are you really celebrating? For me, the holidays aren’t complete without trays overflowing with color, and that’s why I’m sharing this absolute favorite: my recipe for soft and chewy christmas sprinkle sugar cookies! I spent years trying to find the perfect holiday cookie that didn’t leave me staring at dough in the fridge for hours, and wow, did I find it. This is a one-bowl, no-chill recipe that gives you that perfect bakery-style softness every single time. These red and green beauties are my family tradition now, perfect for leaving out for Santa (or maybe just for me before the kids wake up!). If you ever want to venture into making cut-out cookies that don’t spread, you can check out my guide for the best soft cutout sugar cookie recipe later on. But for today, these easy festive Christmas baking treats are just what we need!

Why You Will Make These Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies Every Year

I know you’re busy during the holidays, so I cut out all the fussy steps. These aren’t just good; they are the best easy christmas cookies you’ll try all season. Seriously, they produce incredible results with minimal fuss.

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• They are incredibly soft and satisfyingly chewy—no hard edges here!
• The one-bowl mixing means cleanup is super fast.
• Zero chilling time means they are ready ASAP—a true quick Christmas dessert savior!
• They bake up perfectly round and totally studded with festive cheer.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

The ingredient list for these holiday sugar cookie recipe stars is short, which is part of what makes them so approachable! Because we aren’t chilling the dough, the ratios have to be just right, so stick to these measurements. You’ll need one full cup of softened unsalted butter and one cup of regular granulated sugar for that perfect base.

We are using one large egg for structure. For flavor, I always splurge a tiny bit on high-quality vanilla extract here. Since these are primarily vanilla holiday cookies meant for gifting, that pure flavor really shines through! Don’t forget your dry items: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Oh, and of course, the star—half a cup of beautiful Christmas sprinkles. Trust me, the quality of vanilla makes a huge difference; I use the good stuff, like what I use in my vanilla cream pie recipe.

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Christmas sprinkles (red, green, and white jimmies or nonpareils)

Expert Tips for Making Soft Baked Holiday Cookies

Okay, creating soft baked holiday cookies that don’t spread into flat pancakes when baking is all about temperature control and mixing speed. You absolutely must use room temperature ingredients—I mean it! Your butter should be soft enough that you can press a finger into it easily, but it shouldn’t be greasy or melted at all. This lets the butter cream properly with the sugar to trap air. If your egg is ice cold, it can actually seize up the butter, ruining that lovely aeration we need later. It’s these little details that take cookies from good to ‘oh wow, are these bakery style?’

When you mix in the flour and baking powder, go slow! Overmixing dough is the number one way to activate too much gluten, and that makes your lovely cookies tough instead of tender. We want happy, fluffy dough here, not angry, chewy dough! If you want to learn more about getting that perfect texture in other recipes, check out my tips for soft chewy cookies.

Achieving Chewy Sprinkle Cookies Texture

Because we skipped the chilling step—our holiday miracle!—we rely on the ingredient balance to keep everything firm enough. The slightly higher amount of fat relative to the flour in this dough is what guarantees those satisfyingly chewy sprinkle cookies. The fat coats the flour just enough so that the cookies spread just a tiny bit in the oven for that classic, slightly crinkled top, but they hold their mound shape perfectly for that soft center.

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Step-by-Step: How to Prepare Your Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

This is the easy part, friends! Because this is our famous no chill sugar cookies version, you can go from craving cookies to eating them in under an hour. Preheat that oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your sheets with parchment paper; this step is non-negotiable for easy cleanup later! You’ll be scooping tablespoonfuls of dough onto the sheets, leaving a good two inches between them so they have space to look beautiful.

We bake these babies for about 9 to 11 minutes. You’re looking for edges that look set and just slightly golden. Don’t panic if the center still looks a little soft when you pull them out—that’s the secret to chewiness! They firm up immensely during the 5-minute rest on the hot pan. If you want to see how I make my rolled iced oatmeal cookies, you can check out that recipe here, but for these, we just scoop and flatten slightly.

Mixing the Dough for Red and Green Sprinkle Cookies

We start by creaming that softened butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy—you know the drill! Once the egg and vanilla are mixed in, it’s time for the dry ingredients. Add them gradually, mixing only on low speed until they *just* disappear into the wet. This is when you stop the mixer! Now, gently fold in your beautiful Christmas sprinkles using a spatula. Overmixing here will break up the sprinkles, turning your dough into a dull, brownish-purple mess instead of vibrant red and green sprinkle cookies. Be gentle; we want those colors to pop!

Making Your Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies Festive

The beauty of these christmas sprinkle sugar cookies is that they are instantly festive just by mixing in the color! To get that truly high-end, bakery look—you know, the kind that makes people ask for the recipe at your cookie exchange? I always suggest mixing your sprinkle types. I love using the longer, stick-like jimmies mixed with the tiny round nonpareils. That mix gives you great color payoff plus a fun little crunchy texture contrast.

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In my house, we go heavy on the red and green, but honestly, I sometimes toss in some gold or silver for extra sparkle. They make for the prettiest festive Christmas baking treats straight from the oven. If you want to see another fun, bright holiday cookie that requires a little more effort but is totally worth it, you have to check out my caramel ritz cracker Christmas cookies. But for ease and pure holiday pop, these sprinkle cookies are unbeatable!

Holiday Sugar Cookie Recipe: Gifting and Exchanges

These christmas sprinkle sugar cookies are honestly perfect for any holiday gathering because they are so sturdy and pretty straight out of the oven! Since we scoop them rather than cut them, every cookie is a consistent, manageable size. That means they stack beautifully on platters for those big holiday spreads or look amazing packed carefully into cellophane bags for gifting.

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If you’re wondering about the best Christmas cookie exchange ideas, these are always a winner because people recognize the classic sugar cookie base, but the sprinkles make them sparkle on the table. They hold up well for travel too! I usually package mine simply with a nice wide ribbon and a little tag. If you need a great recipe for decorative topping that isn’t sprinkles, you should look at my cookie icing recipe. For connecting with me on social media while you bake, feel free to find me on Facebook at Pure Cooking Joy!

Storage and Keeping Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies Fresh

Since the goal here is maximum softness, storage is key! Once completely cooled, tuck your Christmas sprinkle sugar cookies into an airtight container. Avoid stacking them too tightly, or you might squish those beautiful sprinkle mounds. They stay wonderfully soft at room temperature for about four, maybe five days. Honestly though, they usually disappear before day three, so I rarely have to worry about refreshing them!

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

I get so many fantastic questions about these cookies once the holidays roll around! I’ve put together the most common ones here so you feel totally confident knocking these out of the park. Remember, mastering these easy christmas cookies is all about understanding the texture we’re aiming for: soft and chewy!

Can I use cookie cutters for these christmas sprinkle sugar cookies?

That’s a great question! This specific dough is formulated to be super soft and slightly puffy, which means if you try to use cookie cutters right away, they will spread out quite a bit—you’ll end up with more of a thick, soft drop cookie shape instead of a crisp cut-out. If you absolutely *must* use cutters for your red and green sprinkle cookies, you’ll need to chill that mixed dough for at least two hours. Alternatively, you can reduce the butter by about 1/4 cup and add about 1/4 cup more flour when mixing, but honestly, I think the quick-and-easy scoop method works best for this very soft baked holiday cookie.

Why didn’t my cookies spread at all?

If your cookies look like little pale puffs instead of spreading slightly, it usually means your butter wasn’t soft enough when you creamed it, or you may have accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder (or vice versa!). Baking powder gives that lift we want for a beautiful, slightly crinkled top. If you want your next batch to spread just a tad more for that classic look, make sure your vanilla extract is pure, like the kind I use in my linzer cookies. A dash more vanilla sometimes helps keep the structure relaxed.

Can I swap the vanilla extract for almond?

You totally can! Almond extract is a fantastic flavor addition to any holiday sugar cookie recipe. If you do substitute, I would suggest using about 3/4 teaspoon of almond extract instead of the full teaspoon of vanilla. Almond is quite potent, and we don’t want to overpower the simple, buttery base of these chewy sprinkle cookies. It makes for a wonderful variation!

Nutritional Estimates for These Festive Treats

Okay, so these delicious christmas sprinkle sugar cookies are definitely more about joy than counting macros, but I always like to throw in a quick ballpark estimate just so you know what you’re getting into! Everything in baking is an approximation, especially when you factor in the exact brand of your butter or the size of your sprinkles. This information is based on using standard ingredients and dividing the batch into 24 cookies.

Here is a general look at the numbers for one cookie:

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 150
• Sugar: 12g
• Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 18g
• Protein: 2g

Remember, these cookies are fantastic with a glass of milk, so factor that in for the complete picture! Enjoy every single bite.

Soft & Chewy Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies (No Chill Option)

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Make these easy, soft, and chewy Christmas sprinkle sugar cookies. This recipe uses a simple one-bowl method, requires no dough chilling, and is perfect for holiday baking, cookie exchanges, or gifting.

• 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 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Christmas sprinkles (red, green, and white jimmies or nonpareils)

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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, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Gently fold in the Christmas sprinkles until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
7. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
8. Use the bottom of a glass or your palm to gently flatten each dough ball slightly. You can press the cookies into extra sprinkles now for a more festive look.
9. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden. The centers should still look soft.
10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• For bakery-style cookies, use a mix of jimmies and nonpareils for texture variation.
• If you prefer a firmer cookie, bake for an additional 1-2 minutes, but watch carefully to maintain softness.
• These cookies store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 150
• Sugar: 12
• Sodium: 85
• Fat: 8
• Saturated Fat: 5
• Unsaturated Fat: 3
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 18
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 2
• Cholesterol: 25