Yay! These are soft, chewy, sprinkle loaded drop sugar cookies made from only 8 ingredients. No rolling pin or cookie cutters required! To prevent over-spreading, make sure you chill the cookie dough balls for at least 2 hours before baking.
We all know and love sugar cookies. Rolling pin, cookie cutters, decorating galore. It’s all so much fun, especially around the holidays.
Drop Sugar Cookies
But what about sugar cookies of the *other* variety? Roll the cookie dough into balls and bake them drop-style. No fancy equipment or knowledge of how to decorate sugar cookies required, unless you consider the mountain of sprinkles on top. (Is it even a sugar cookie if there’s no sprinkles?)
Today let’s ditch the rolling pin, toss the cookie cutters, and break out our mixers because it’s time to for drop style sprinkle sugar cookies. These buttery cookies are soft-baked, simple, and mega chewy. I can’t wait for you to try them!!
Video Tutorial
Cookie Chemistry
These drop style sugar cookies are based off of a familiar recipe: Soft-Baked Sprinkle Sugar Cookies. They’ve always been a favorite, but I often receive questions about the leaveners used. When testing cookie recipes, one problem I always face is finding the right amount of leavener. That recipe calls for baking soda and cream of tartar.
If you’re interested, it’s helpful to read my baking soda vs baking powder article. As you’ll learn, recipes calling for baking soda must also contain an acid such as sour cream, brown sugar, cream of tartar, or buttermilk. The acid reacts with the baking soda to create carbon dioxide, which allows the cookies to rise. In that recipe, I use cream of tartar because it’s mostly flavorless and doesn’t change the texture of the sugar cookies.
I reworked the recipe. Now I use baking powder instead of the baking soda/cream of tartar combination. (Baking powder already contains an acid so it doesn’t require any special ingredients.) Using too much baking powder leaves a bitter aftertaste, which was my problem a few years ago. Good rule of thumb I’ve learned since then: use around 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 1 cup of flour. Today you’ll use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.
Science is definitely delicious.
How to Make Drop Sugar Cookies
You only need 8 ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, butter, egg, sugar, and sprinkles. That’s it! For extra flavor, feel free to add a splash of almond extract.
Preparing the cookie dough is easy. Whisk dry ingredients in one bowl and beat wet ingredients in another. Combine everything together. Sugar cookies get all of their flavor from butter and vanilla extract, so make sure you’re following the recipe closely. Proper room temperature butter is imperative.
Chilling the cookie dough is another non-negotiable. These drop sugar cookies are very buttery and the colder the cookie dough, the less they’ll over-spread. The cookie dough can get a little hard after 2 hours in the refrigerator, so I recommend rolling the dough into balls before chilling. Here are more tips on how to prevent cookies from spreading.
*Extras*
- Easily Double the Recipe: This recipe yields about 15 medium cookies. You can double the recipe if you need a larger batch for a birthday party, bake sale, or other event.
- Extra Sprinkles: We’re definitely testing the limits on “how many sprinkles is too many sprinkles?” here. You can skip the sprinkles or load them up like I do. I also like to dip the tops of the cookie dough balls into sprinkles before chilling/baking.
These drop sugar cookies will be a new staple in your cookie rotation, right next to your chocolate chip cookies! Customize them with different sprinkle colors for any holiday or occasion.
Drop Style Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You can make these soft, chewy, sprinkle loaded drop style sugar cookies with only 8 ingredients! No rolling pin or cookie cutters required. Make sure you chill the cookie dough for at least 2 hours before baking.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles, plus more for topping*
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in 1/2 cup of sprinkles. Dough will be thick and sticky. Scoop large sections of dough (about 2 Tablespoons/40g of dough each) and roll into balls. For extra sprinkle goodness, lightly dip the tops of the cookie dough balls in more sprinkles. Place dough balls onto a large plate or lined baking sheet.
- Cover and chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 4 days).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Arrange chilled cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough, roll into balls, and chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. (See note about cookie dough chilling.) Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Sprinkles: Any sprinkles are great, but I recommend avoiding nonpareils (the little balls) as they tend to bleed their color in cookie dough and cake batter. I used these naturally colored sprinkles in the pictured cookies. If desired, you can leave out the sprinkles for plain drop sugar cookies.
- Dough Chilling: Chilling the cookie dough is imperative. These cookies are very buttery and the colder the cookie dough, the less your sugar cookies will over-spread. The cookie dough can get a little hard after 2 hours in the refrigerator, so I recommend rolling the dough into balls before chilling. Here are all of my tips to prevent cookies from over-spreading.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now and it is amazing. They always turn out wonderful! Highly recommend.
My son and I made these for a cookie exchange and they were so easy to make. I added 1/8 top of almond extract and it was a perfect addition.
My husband snagged one before the event and he said that it was the best cookie he’d ever had. I’m making more tomorrow.
Trying these cookies for the first time soon (newbie cookie baker here). Would squishing the dough, a tiny bit, before chilling and baking, make them spread a little more and make them less thick? Also, super newbie question, chilling usually refers to the fridge right? English is not my first language so it confuses me a little, sorry. I also wanted to add a coconut glaze to the top of the cookies, by doing so, would they still be good at room temperature for a week after baking or would you recommend storing them in the fridge when it has the glaze, meaning how long would they be good for with the glaze? Sorry for all the questions and thank you! 🙂
Hi Stephy, pressing down cookies will always help them spread. If they seem thicker than they should be, there may be too much flour in your dough. Always spoon and level dry ingredients to avoid packing too much in. Yes, chilling dough refers to the fridge :). Glazed cookies can usually be stored at room temperature for up to a week. Happy baking!
Thank you so much! I was also wondering if I could make these coconut flavored? Substituting the vanilla extract for coconut or instead trying 1/2 teaspoon of each extract? I wanted to try doing a Coquito version of them. I was also wondering if this recipe could be halved? Since I’m experimenting I don’t want to do such a big batch but since the recipe calls for a large egg, I’m not sure how to half that in the recipe,hehe. Thank you!!
Hi Stephy, you could certainly try a coconut flavored version of these cookies. Replace half of the vanilla with coconut extract, and then you can adjust for more or less in future batches. You could also try swapping some of the sprinkles with sweetened shredded coconut. Or, you might enjoy these coconut macadamia nut cookies instead. To halve one egg, simply crack it into a bowl, whisk, and use half of the whisked egg mixture.
Hi Sally just dropping a note to you, I come from a Italian family and a line of Chefs in my family cooking/baking is my comfort zone, I truly love it and no better way to express love to others than through food. I wanted you to know and I know others feel the same way I’ve made many of your recipes and they are spot on, excellent and I subscribed, so appreciated.
Gina
Gina, thank you so much for this kind note! I appreciate it so much. Thank you for visiting my site and trusting my recipes, too!
Sally I forgot to add I made 2 batches of your artisan bread for thanksgiving so delicious and so easy. Could I add pepperoni and mozzarella to this recipe?
In another recipe you mentioned adding an extra egg yolk for softness and chewiness. Have you ever done that with this recipe?
Hi Samuel, We find that these cookie are plenty soft and chewy as written. You can certainly try it but just keep in mind that too much protein in a cookie can turn the texture a bit rubbery. Let us know if you decide to experiment!
Fantastic cookie and so easy to make. A good one to include the kids with.
I used my smaller cookie scoop, about 1 tablespoon and chilled them for an hour or so.
They spread perfectly and looked just like Sally’s in the picture.
Sally, you never disappoint!! These were exactly what I was craving!! The perfect amount of crisp and chewy! I had leftover almond-flavored buttercream and topped them with that! I will make them for my students for Halloween with just the sprinkles. Getting stoked for the holiday cookie season!! Thanks for your dependably wonderful blog!!
So, what happens when you use baking soda instead of baking powder? Is there any way to salvage it after it has been all mixed?
Hi Loni! Baking soda is a very different ingredient and stronger than baking powder. There isn’t much you can do at this point but you can read more about the differences between the two in this post!
OBSESSED with this recipe!!! The only issue i have is that after being in the freezer for about 5 hours they took 21 minutes to bake? Not sure what I’m doing wrong! Either way they are always a hit!
Hi Cass, your oven may run a bit cooler and it causing the frozen cookies to take a bit longer to bake. Not a problem if they’re coming out to your liking! So glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe.
I made these cookies, followed your instructions…..DELICIOUS! So easy, so simple so tasty! Thank you for a homerun! My husband ate half the batch right away. I ordered more sprinkles from Nuts.com today, I have printed this recipe out and put in in my favorites!
Thank you, Sally!
Hi!
I made the recipe and it was a huge hit! So good! I made it with margerine since my brother is lactose intolerant. I was wondering if anyone made the recipe with other substitute for butter, and if yes, how did they turn out?
Loved the recipe the cookies turned out really yummy & looked cute!
I made these to gift to a neighbor. So easy! I tasted one after it cooled & thought it was a little bland. But tried another the next day & it’s delicious! The recipe made twenty cookies which fit perfectly into an empty (clean) Pringles container that I wrapped and can now gift as planned! Thank you Sally for another winning recipe!
Can the cookie dough balls be frozen after adding sprinkles? and for how long? Thanks !
Hi Leah, we always include freezing instructions in the Notes section of the recipe. For these cookies, the instructions are: You can make the cookie dough, roll into balls, and chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.
This recipe was a hit with my grandson. Would there be a problem with doubling ot tripling the mix at one time rather than making 2 or 3 batchez separately?
Hi Leslie, it’s usually OK to double/triple cookie recipes as long as you have a mixer large enough to handle the volume.
Just mixed up batch 3 in as many days. My grandkids love these cookies so much! Every “Sally” recipe I’ve tried has been a winner. Her snickerdoodle recipe replaced the tried and true one I had used for 40 years. What a talented baker and author.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Marilee!
These were perfect to make for two of my very good friend’s birthdays that happen to fall on the same day! They were a festive treat and my friends immediately asked for the recipe.
I finally tried out this recipe and it was SO GOOD! Though the sides of the cookie were a bit bitter. Is there something in this recipe that made it bitter?
Thanks!
Hi Lian, is it possible that your baking powder was expired? Expired baking powder can sometimes leave a bitter aftertaste. We’re glad you still enjoyed the cookies!
Instead of the sprinkles, could you frost these cookies?
Hi Robin, yes, you could add buttercream on top of these cookies if desired.
Delicious, but thick
I made these cookies for my boyfriend, and he loved them. however the recipe did not yield 15 cookies. i rolled the dough into a log, cut the log in half, rolled the logs again and cut the dough and rolled it into balls. i made like 24 cookies it was insane. i guess because of the 2 hour chill time, it resulted in very thick cookies. they were absolutely delicious. but like i said they were very thick they did not flatten entirely but they were amazing. i had a question. if i did it the same way….and decided to cut the dough into 4 logs and make the cookies half the size i made them before, would they still bake the same? like if i made the dough balls smaller would i still bake them at the same temp for the same time and they would still come out the same…?? or because they are a smaller size would they bake faster and i should cut the time? help
Hi Kristina, the recipe should yield about 20 cookies. If you make them smaller, reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes, and take them out of the oven when the edges are very slightly browned, but the centers are still soft. They’ll continue to set on the baking sheet for another 5 minutes before you move them to a wire cooling rack. Hope this helps!
My 3 year old loves to bake and like most kids, LOVES sprinkles! We have made these multiple times now. They are so easy (although he detests the 2 hour chill, ) and look so colorful and yummy. They are just a lot of fun!! Thanks for the recipe!
Very popular recipe and so easy to make. Baked for events. Only problem is there aren’t any left for me to take home.
PS I liked your old name much better. It was unusual and more memorable. When I google recipes it would always catch my eye and I knew I found a recipe worth trying.
Thank you so much, Sue! So glad these are a hit. sallysbakingaddiction.com is still the website URL and Sally’s Baking/Candy/Cookie Addiction are the names of my books. Sally’s Baking Recipes is now the umbrella for it all. 🙂
I read your comments before I baked these delicious cookies tonight so I decided to smush the balls (just a bit) with the bottom of a measuring cup. It worked and my cookies were beautiful~ they looked just like the ones in Sally’s picture!
I followed this recipe perfectly, even measured the flour correctly but they did not spread at all like Sally’s from the photos. I was reading past comments and saw that a few other people had the same issue. I was hoping Sally could do a remake of this recipe, update it and share it again!
I had the same issue, and I didn’t chill the cookies at all – just mixed and baked right away with almost no spreading at all. I ALSO hope Sally comes back to this recipe with some advice!
I did not try this recipe yet, but can I use a whisk instead of a stand mixer?
Hi Lian, a whisk will not be strong enough to mix the dough, but you would use a wooden spoon or a hand mixer. If using a spoon, it will just take some arm muscle!
Hi, my son wants a sugar cookie pizza style cake for his birthday, I LOVE these cookies, so you think they could be pressed in a pan and baked?
Hi Jane, definitely, or you might enjoy this sugar cookie cake recipe, too!
How large are these cookies in diameter? I asked a few weeks ago but never received an answer!
Thank you!
Hi Robin, we haven’t measured these cookies. Perhaps about 2.5 inches in diameter?
I searched low carb cookies and this recipe popped up. Would you consider developing as actual keto or low carb cookie? The world would be forever thankful.
Hi Madeline! How strange this recipe popped up for that search term. I have very little experience baking low carb or keto recipes. Instead, I recommend finding an expert on the topic whose low carb recipes would likely be much better than anything I try to create!
Here’s a recipe that I do weekly for my diabetic mother:
Mix in a bowl:
– 164g brown butter, room temperature or normal butter
– 128g Erythritol
– 1 tsp Vanilla
– 2 eggs
Mix on another bowl:
– 336g Almond flour
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
– 1/2 tsp baking soda
Mix the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Add 140g sugarfree chocolate chips and 140g nuts or a pack of blueberries
Bake 350F 12-13minutes
They seem really good but is there any other ingredient that could substitute the little sprinklers? Love how they look but not a fan of the flavor! Thanks !
Hi Andrea, you can simply leave out the sprinkles for plain drop sugar cookies! Enjoy!
How many cookies will the recipe make if I omit the mixed in sprinkles? TIA!!
How large are these cookies in diameter??
Thanks
It depends on how big you make the cookie balls. Also the more you freeze them, the less they will spread so if u want small and thick cookies, freeze it for at least like 4-5 hours but if u like thinner and wider cookies then 2 or more hours is good