How to Add Sprinkles Before Baking Cookies

Decorating your cookies doesn’t get any easier than this! Top your cut shapes with sparkling sugar, nonpareils or jimmies for a quick color makeover, then bake. You can also roll dough or mix sparkling sugar or sprinkles right into your cookie dough for a little sparkle.

Skill LevelBeginner

Ingredients & Tools
Instructions

Ingredients

Roll Out Butter Cookies
Your favorite sprinkles

Tools
Cookie Sheet
Parchment Paper
Your favorite cookie cutters

Instructions

Click to mark complete

Roll out dough and cut shapes using cookie cutters of your choosing. To ensure the cut-out remains the same shape as the cutter, roll and cut cookies on a piece of parchment the size of the cookie sheet. Remove excess dough and transfer parchment with cut cookies to cookie sheet.
Position cut shapes 2 in. apart on cookie sheet.
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. Press sprinkles lightly to the cookie. Gently lift cutter away.
For multi-colored cookies: Place the original cutter around the cookie. Carefully add sprinkles to a smaller area, using a spatula to keep the sprinkles in place. Sprinkle the rest of the cookie with an alternate color.
To coat cookies in sprinkles quickly: Roll balls of uncooked dough in sprinkles or sugars, place on pan, flatten slightly and bake according to directions.
To add sprinkles to cookies during mixing: Add sprinkles as the last step in mixing the dough to get color throughout.
Bake according to recipe directions and enjoy!