These are my cookie SPARKLES. A classically soft sugar cookie rolled in sparkles, aka sanding sugar sprinkles. Not only are the sprinkles adorably festive, they give the cookies a delicious crunch on the outside, which contrasts wonderfully with the soft centers. They may even look familiar to you—it’s the sugar cookie sparkles recipe from Sally’s Cookie Addiction all dressed up in holiday colors! Also pictured: Christmas tree sugar cookies using my favorite sugar cookies and royal icing recipes.
Christmas Cookie Ingredients
We’re using all of the usual sugar cookie ingredients today. In fact, this recipe is the same as my cream cheese sugar cookies (without the frosting)! Here’s what you’ll need:
Flour: Sturdy all-purpose flour is the base of these cookies. Baking Powder: Baking powder helps them rise. Salt: Salt adds flavor. Butter: Butter adds creaminess and lots of delicious flavor. A sugar cookie staple! Make sure you have proper room temperature butter before beginning. Cream Cheese: A little cream cheese turns these soft sugar cookies into SUPER soft sugar cookies. Sugar: We use all granulated sugar in this sugar cookie recipe. Egg: One egg binds everything together. Vanilla + Almond Extracts: Use both for the best flavor! I love the addition of almond extract in these cookies. Sanding Sugar: This is the same sugar we use for our almond butter sparkle cookies. Use your favorite colors for rolling. Or skip the crunchy sugar for super creamy sugar cookies!
How to Make Christmas Cookie Sparkles
I love that these are simple drop style sugar cookies—no rolling out cookie dough like we have to do when making my classic sugar cookies. If you don’t have a rolling pin or don’t feel like messing with cookie cutters, these sugar cookies are for you. We’ll roll the cookie dough into balls and you don’t need any special tools for that. YAY!
The Secret Ingredient!
This cookie dough is made from typical sugar cookie ingredients like butter, sugar, egg, and flour. I also add a little secret ingredient that turns these soft sugar cookies into SUPER soft sugar cookies. What a difference a couple ounces of cream cheese makes! Not only does this addition produce softer sugar cookies, it creates a wonderfully creamy tasting cookie as well. The texture is unlike any other sugar cookie I’ve tasted.
To Sparkle or Not to Sparkle
If a delightful crunch on the exterior doesn’t seem, well, delightful at all… leave the sprinkles off. Instead, bake the sugar cookies plain and frost them, just like my cream cheese sugar cookies. It’s the same cookie recipe, but I decorate with cream cheese frosting on top. So if you’re all about a super soft and creamy sugar cookie, but want nothing to do with the colorful sparkle, try them that way. Delicious with frosting! Look how creamy and soft they are inside! If you need more holiday baking inspiration, here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my best success guides & tips.
