Looking for a fun and festive cookie idea? These sprinkle cookies check all the boxes! They’re soft, buttery, colorful, and so easy to make. Thanks to the cream cheese, they have a rich, creamy texture, while the sprinkles add a playful crunch and pop of color.
Serve them for Easter, birthday parties, or a cozy Friday night movie snack. One of my favorite things? You can swap out the sprinkle colors to match any holiday or celebration. Ready to bake a batch of these cheerful little cookies?
Easy Cream Cheese Sprinkle Cookies
Kid friendly. I love a dessert that the kids and adults will both genuinely love. I know that I never get too old to enjoy sprinkles. BUT also, this is a great recipe to get the kids involved in the creation process. They can help you roll the cookie dough into balls and coat them in the sprinkles.
Make-ahead friendly. You can make this cookie dough in advance and leave it chilled overnight in the fridge. You could even freeze the dough and have it ready for your next party, if you would like.
Colorful and customizable. Use different sprinkle colors to match any holiday or celebration—Easter, birthdays, baby showers, or just a fun Friday night.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cream cheese, softened. Be sure to use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the best results. Avoid using whipped cream cheese or the type in spreadable tubs. Check out our tips on softening cream cheese.
🧐The reason to avoid whipped cream cheese because it has too much air from the whipping process. The cookies will spread too much and have an odd texture.
- Butter, softened. The reason for softening butter is that the temperature and consistency of the butter can play a massive part in how the baked items turn out.
- Sugar. For this recipe, plain granulated white sugar works best.
- 1 large egg.
- 📌Tip: Bring your egg to room temperature before mixing. A cold egg could cause the creamed butter and cream cheese mixture to seize or separate.
- All-purpose flour.
- Baking powder. Be sure that your baking powder is fresh. If it isn’t fresh, the cookies may not have proper lift.
- Sprinkles. Be selective with your sprinkles. Since they are an essential ingredient, you want to get some that actually taste good.
Step-by-Step
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed for about 1 minute until fully combined.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a different medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
Make the dough. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the remaining flour and stir until the dough is fully incorporated.
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Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. This helps the dough firm up and makes it easier to roll.
Preheat and prep. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Roll and coat. Scoop the chilled dough into 1 ½-inch balls. Roll each ball in sprinkles or sanding sugar, then place them on the cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart. Flatten the tops slightly with your fingers or the flat bottom of a cup.
Bake. Bake the cookies for 9–10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers still look soft.
Cool and serve. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Tips & Tricks for Perfect Sprinkle Cookies
Store leftovers in an airtight container. These cookies stay soft for up to 3 days at room temperature. I recommend storing them in a container, not a sealable bag. You can also freeze the baked cookies (once thoroughly cooled) for up to a month—just let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
Chill the dough. You need to chill your dough for at least an hour. It may be tempting to skip this step, but don’t. Chilling the dough helps it firm up so the cookies hold shape and don’t spread too much in the oven.
Flatten gently and then bake. These cookies won’t spread out much, which is nice. However, this also means that you want to gently flatten them a bit before baking so that they have that cookie look to them.
Cream Cheese Sprinkle Cookies
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Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Sprinkles at least ½ cup or sanding sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well. Then add the remaining flour and stir until fully incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop the dough into 1 ½-inch balls. Roll each ball in sprinkles or sanding sugar and place on the prepared cookie sheets, at least 1 inch apart.
- Flatten the cookies slightly with your fingers or the bottom of a cup.
- Bake for 9–10 minutes, or until just set.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
