Sprinkled Spiral Cookies Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Megan Porta · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Say goodbye to boring and hello to sprinkles and color! These Spiral Cookies are fun! Red for Christmas, pink for a girl party or blue for pool-side snacks. They’ll make any occasion brighter and more fun!

Sprinkled Spiral Cookies Recipe (1)

Original post: December 2011 | Updated: December 2020

I first made these colorful spiral cookies from Sprinkle Bakes back in the wee early years of my blog. Not only are these spiral cookies pretty, but they are also deliciously tasty.

And you can imagine how much kids enjoy them! I heard someone say once after I made them, “Ooo, look! A Grinch cookie!” The green swirls do strangely remind me of the Grinch’s long, swirling fingers.

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How To Make Sprinkled Spiral Cookies

These cookies are versatile because they are great year round and easy to adapt with fun colors. They promise to be a hit!

Prep The Dough

STEP 1

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugars in a food processor and process to mix. Add butter and process until the mixture has a cornmeal consistency. Add the vanilla and process until mixture just forms a ball.

STEP 2

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the food processor. Add almond extract, gel food coloring and 2 Tbsp flour to the food processor until just incorporated.

STEP 3

Roll out each half of the dough between sheets of wax paper into an 8×11-inch(ish) rectangle, with a 1/4-inch thickness. Leaving the wax paper on the dough, stack on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Assemble The Cookies

STEP 4

Pour 1 cup of multi-colored sprinkles in a shallow dish.

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Remove the dough from the refrigerator and peel off the top pieces of wax paper from each half of dough. Flip the colored dough half over onto the white dough half so that dough is touching dough.

Remove the top sheet of wax paper and trim the long edges with a sharp knife so that the sides are straight and parallel with one another.

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STEP 5

When the dough becomes just pliable, roll it into a log beginning with a long edge. Gently curl the edge with your fingertips and do your best to avoid creating air pockets.

Carefully lift the log into the sprinkle-filled dish.Gently roll it around until the outside is completely coated with color.

Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to slice, about 4 hours.

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Bake The Cookies

STEP 6

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Slice the cookie log into 1/4-inch-thick discs and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the cookies are no longer shiny. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

  • If you have any scraps of dough leftover, just roll them out in worm like strips, bake them and enjoy a treat! They won’t need to bake as long so keep an eye on them.
  • The green swirl is fun for Christmas, but any color would be just as fun. Bright yellow for a spring-time cookie? Orange for a Halloween cookie? A swirl of colors for a birthday cookie?
  • Use a piece of 8.5×11 paper as a guide when rolling out and measuring the dough rectangle.
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To Sprinkle or Not To Sprinkle

If you’re not usually a sprinkles kinda person – just wait! These cookies need the sprinkles for two reasons.

  1. You will enjoy the crunch it gives to each bite of your cookie because they are a soft sugar cookie on their own.
  2. The extra pretty look it gives these cookies (and only these if that’s what works for you) make them more festive, and are worth picking up a bottle and rolling these cookies into them!

Gel vs Liquid Food Coloring

This recipe calls for you to use gel food coloring. Could you use liquid food coloring? Sure. But here’s a few reasons to switch over to gel.

  • It is thicker, it has a viscous texture.
  • Gel food coloring is concentrated and helps achieve a more vibrant color.
  • It does cost a little more but you won’t use as much and achieve a more true color that you were hoping to attain.
  • Gel food coloring will stain your fingers, so you might want to wear plastic gloves.

Storing Spiral Cookies

You made these tasty show-stopping cookies so be sure after they have completely cooled to place them in a air-tight container or a ziploc bag. You can enjoy them over the next few days if you can keep your hands off them!

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Best Dessert Recipes

  • No bake strawberry pie is a great dessert for gatherings of any kind. It is super easy to prepare and it is packed with delicious strawberry flavor!
  • Gingerbread Poke Cake = the marriage of Gingerbread Cookies and cake! This cake is beyond delicious and a total crowd pleaser.
  • Creamy banana cheesecake is the perfect way to use up ripe bananas. So delectable and satisfying! Top it off with caramel sauce for good measure!
  • This carrot cake recipe made without nuts is the way to go! It is moist, flavorful, perfectly spiced and topped with yummy cream cheese frosting!
  • Snack bites take less than 10 minutes to make and you probably have all of the ingredients sitting in your pantry. Kids adore them! Great after school or anytime snack with no preservatives or unknown ingredients.
  • Almond Cookiesare melt-in-your-mouth delicious and super easy to make! They are topped with an almond glaze and a touch of orange zest that will leave you wanting more (and more and more)!
  • Monkey bread with cream cheese hiding inside! Stuffing the dough with gooey-ness makes a delicious treat. Prepare to WOW your guests!

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Sprinkled Spiral Cookies Recipe (9)

Sprinkled Spiral Cookies Recipe

Say goodbye to boring and hello to sprinkles and color! These Spiral Cookies are super fun. They make every occasion brighter and more exciting!

4.50 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Refrigerate: 3 hours hours

Servings: 24

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Megan Porta

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter cubed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tube gel food coloring any color
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup multi-colored nonpareil sprinkles

Instructions

  • Combine the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, salt and sugars in a food processor and process to mix. Add butter and process until the mixture has a cornmeal consistency. Add the vanilla and process until mixture just forms a ball.

  • Divide the dough in half and return one half to the food processor. Add the almond extract, food coloring and 2 Tbsp flour and mix until just incorporated.

  • Roll out each portion of dough between sheets of waxed paper into an 8×11-inch rectangle, with ¼-inch thickness. Stack the dough, leaving in the wax paper, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

  • Pour the sprinkles into a shallow dish. Remove the dough from fridge and peel off the top pieces of wax paper from each dough half. Lift one and flip it over onto the other half so that the doughs are touching. Remove the top sheet of wax paper and trim the long edges with a sharp knife so that the sides are straight.

  • When the dough becomes just pliable, roll the dough beginning with a long end into a log. Gently curl the edge with fingertips and try to avoid creating pockets of air. Carefully lift log into the dish with the decors and roll until outside is completely coated. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to slice, about 2 hours.

  • Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

    Slice the cookie log into 1/4-inch-thick discs and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the cookies are no longer shiny. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • If you have any scraps of dough leftover, just roll them out in worm like strips, bake them and enjoy a treat! They won’t need to bake as long so keep an eye on them.
  • The green swirl is fun for Christmas, but any color would be just as fun. Bright yellow for a spring-time cookie? Orange for a Halloween cookie? A swirl of colors for a birthday cookie?
  • Use a piece of 8.5×11 paper as a guide when rolling out and measuring the dough rectangle.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 294IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?If you loved this recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below!

Sprinkled Spiral Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you put sprinkles on before or after baking cookies? ›

If you want to add sprinkles to cookies, cupcakes, breads, or cakes before baking, that is totally and completely ok. Add sprinkles to the tops of these baked goods right before they go into the oven. Adding sprinkles to “wet” batter is the only way to get them to stick without an additional “glue” like frosting.

How to get sprinkles to stay on sugar cookies? ›

While the cookies are still warm from the oven you can press sprinkles gently into the slightly soft surface. If you want better adhesion you can brush the cookie with corn syrup and then dip it into the sprinkles. Once the corn syrup sets the sprinkles will be solidly stuck to the surface.

When to sprinkle colored sugar on cookies? ›

One of the easiest ways to give your sugar cookies a colorful sparkle is by using sanding sugar, edible glitter, sugar pearls, or colorful sprinkles. You can add these additional pops of color either before the cookies go in the oven or when you are decorating them after they are dried.

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Do you sprinkle cookies with salt before or after baking? ›

Once the cookies are done baking, remove them from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Let cookies cool at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a cooling rack or enjoying them warm with a cold glass of milk.

What kind of sprinkles do you use for cookies? ›

The best sprinkles to use on foods are jimmies or nonpareils. Jimmies and nonpareils are an assortment of small shapes, colors, and sizes that change baked goods' appearance when sprinkled on top. The other types of sprinkles described above can be added to different desserts like cakes and cookies.

Do sprinkles for cookies go bad? ›

The good news is that an open jar of sprinkles, when stored in a cool, dry place can last up to a year, Summers says. An unopened jar of sprinkles will stay fresh for as long as three years.

How to sprinkle sugar evenly on cookies? ›

For a light dusting of color: Use colored sugars, non-pareils or jimmies on cookies. Sprinkle evenly on cookie, then press lightly. For more vibrant colors: Place a smaller or same-size cutter on the cookie. Pour sprinkles or colored sugars inside cutter and spread evenly over cookie.

How far in advance can I decorate sugar cookies? ›

If you want to make your cookies in advance… totally doable! 1 week before event: I start the process UP TO 1 week before the event and don't do any freezing in this time period (either of the icing or cookies).

Do you decorate sugar cookies hot or cold? ›

3. Cool the cookies completely. Ensure that your sugar cookies are completely cool before decorating; otherwise the royal icing will simply melt off the cookies.

Is it OK to use melted butter instead of softened? ›

Softened butter and melted butter are not the same. Using melted butter will change the texture of whatever you're baking. If you only want the butter to soften for spreading, microwave it on the Defrost setting (30%) in 5-second increments until it's softened as desired.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Do you decorate cookies before or after baking? ›

The first step to making beautifully decorated cookies is making sure the cookies are completely cooled when you begin adding the icing. Play it safe by making it a two-day process: Bake the cookies one day, then decorate the next day.

How to stop sprinkles from bleeding into icing? ›

Start with a base icing that has white gel added to it. Uncolored royal icing has an off-white natural tinge and is more likely to allow bleed and absorb color. Add white gel to your base to act as a stabilizer to prevent color bleed right off the bat. The biggest culprit in color bleed is usually oversaturated color.

Do you add sprinkles to brownies before or after baking? ›

If you dust the top of brownie batter with sprinkles just before baking, the sprinkles slightly sink into the batter and remain in position after baking. Alternatively, incorporate sprinkles with wet batter to include them in the brownie's center.

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