Sugar Crystal Sugar Cookies (with Video)
After making our Christmas sprinkle cookies, my daughter was begging to make more sugar cookies rolled in sprinkles. Today’s Sparkly Sugar Cookies Rolled in Sugar Crystals have to be made a little bit differently to ensure that the sugar crystals stick to the cookie dough – but they are just as simple to make and turn out absolutely gorgeous!
Sparkle Sugar Cookies Recipe
We all knew it was just a matter of time before I figured out how to make a “glitter cookie” – and today’s sugar cookies rolled in sugar crystals can definitely be described as glittery!
I thought making these cookies would be similar to our Christmas Sprinkle Cookies, in that we’d be able to roll balls of cookie dough in the sprinkles and they would stick perfectly… yea, that was not the case!
I found that trying to roll these cookies in sugar crystals resulted in uneven distribution of the sugar crystals, so our best results were from slicing the dough into circles and pressing them into sugar crystals. So you actually refrigerate the dough as a log, not as individual cookie dough balls.
These sparkly sugar cookies are soft and pillowy with a delicate sugar cookie flavor that is not too sweet, so the crunchy sprinkle coating doesn’t overwhelm them.
You can use this method of making sugar cookies with sugar crystals to make different themed cookies all year round!
- Pink, white and red sprinkles for Valentine’s Day
- Rainbow sprinkles for St. Patrick’s Day
- Pastel colored for Easter
- Red, white and blue for 4th of July
- Orange and black for Halloween
- Orange, red and yellow for Thanksgiving
- Red and green for Christmas
Can this cookie dough be frozen? The unbaked dough or the baked cookies can be frozen for up to a month. Some people may say that the cookie dough can be frozen for up to three months, but you will see a quality loss around the 2 month mark.
The dye from the crystals can bleed with freezing or refrigeration, so keep that in mind.
Check out our quick video to see how easy these sugar crystal cookies are to make – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe:
Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- White Sugar
- Large Egg, room temperature
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract <– this secret ingredient gives these sugar cookies an amazing flavor profile
- All-purpose Flour, plus more for rolling
- Baking Powder
- Cream of Tartar <– I buy the big container or from a bulk store as those little jars are so expensive! You can use cream of tartar to make snickerdoodle cookies or even homemade play dough.
- Salt
- Red Sugar Crystals
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: omit the almond extract, if desired.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
- Cutting board
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Sheets
- Cooling racks <– I have and love these tiered cooling racks, they save so much counter space and are also oven-safe
- Small bowl or plate for holding the sugar crystals
How to Decorate Sugar Cookies with Sugar Crystals
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.
Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until completely combined.
Knead the dough for 1 minute and then roll into a log shape and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour.
Preheat oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Remove the dough from the fridge and cut the cookies in 1/4” thick circles. (Discard the uneven ends.)
Pour the red sugar crystals onto a plate .
Roll the sugar cookie log in the red sugar crystals, and then use a sharp knife to cut into 1/2” thick cookies and press into the sugar crystals to coat completely.
Place the cut cookies on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, until just slightly golden.
Pin this Glittery Sugar Cookie Recipe:
Grab your free printable for our glitter sugar crystal cookie recipe:
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Sugar Crystal Sugar Cookies
How to decorate sugar cookies with sugar crystals, resulting in glittery cookies with a delicious crunchy exterior and soft, pillowy interior that just melts-in-your-mouth.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Red sugar crystals
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.
- Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until completely combined.
- Knead the dough for 1 minute and then roll into a log shape and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and cut the cookies in 1/4” thick circles. (Discard the uneven ends.)
- Pour the red sugar crystals onto a plate .
- Roll the sugar cookie log in the red sugar crystals, and then use a sharp knife to cut into 1/2” thick cookies and press into the sugar crystals to coat completely.
- Place the cut cookies on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, until just slightly golden.
Notes
Omit the almond extract and replace with additional vanilla extract, if desired.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
36Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 60Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 39mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
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