By Erin Clarkson on May 14, 2020 (updated Dec 17, 2023)
4.9 from 73 reviews
149 community comments
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Chocolate Sprinkle Sugar Cookies. These chocolate sugar cookies are thin and chewy, and rolled in sprinkles instead of the traditional sugar, which gives them a perfect crunch and super cute rainbow sprinkle finish. These are similar to crinkle cookies, but the sprinkle coating makes them extra cute, and they are so easy to make!
CHOCOLATE SPRINKLE SUGAR COOKIES
Hi! I want to apologise for how bright these images are - I’m not sure who’s dumb idea it was to take a dark cookie and roll it in neon sprinkles (mine - it was my idea), but here we are, and these are honestly too good not to share, even if I did burn my retinas a little editing up the images.
I often joke that my husband is a giant baby on the inside - he loves plain baked goods (think empty cream puffs), cartoons, cereal, and hundreds and thousands sprinkles more than most people I know. If I bake something for the blog he will often make his own batch of what we call “sh*tty chocolate icing” - which is icing sugar, cocoa, a tiny bit of butter and then boiling water, and spread it on whatever I’ve made, then totally drown it in hundreds and thousands (non pareils) sprinkles. I have a big old jar of sprinkles for him in the pantry, which he dumps on everything possible.
So you can imagine his excitement when I rolled a couple of chocolate sugar cookies in sprinkles just to see what happened and they came out perfectly. He insisted I make these for the blog, so I present to you - chocolate sprinkle sugar cookies! We are at the point where anything that reminds us of home is a win and these give me serious fairy bread vibes, which is a classic NZ birthday party treat consisting of buttered white bread covered in sprinkles. So good, and so nostalgic.
How to Make Chocolate Sugar Cookies
These are really just chocolate sugar cookies rolled in sprinkles, but they are so, so good, and I figured they could have their own post on the internet just for fun. The recipe is a riff on these cookies, which are a riff on the chocolate sugar cookies from my friend Sarah’s book, which is a favourite of mine. I just increased the flour a little to make them a teeny bit thicker, and then rolled them in sprinkles just before baking. They are super easy to make and you literally just roll the whole ball of dough in sprinkles then plop it onto the baking sheet, and you are good to go. Enjoy! x
A FEW WEE TIPS FOR CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES
- I don’t really have too much to say here - you can roll these in any sprinkles that you like but the non-pareils are probably the best! I like getting them from here, or here - they both have really fun mixes. The ones I used for these cookies I just got in bulk online!
- Use whatever cocoa that you like here - you can go with black cocoa for more of an oreo vibe, or a dutch cocoa. I would try to use something dutched if you can, but regular cocoa certainly won’t hurt either. If you do use black cocoa maybe just up the sugar by 30 or so grams to make up for the more bitter cocoa.
- These freeze well baked! We have a stash in the freezer now and they store super well - just pop them in a ziploc bag or airtight container.
For more Sugar Cookie Recipes, Check out:
- Earl Grey Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- Black Cocoa Sugar Cookie Sandwiches
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Chocolate Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.9 from 73 reviews
- Author: Erin Clarkson
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chocolate Sprinkle Sugar Cookies. These chocolate sugar cookies are thin and chewy, and rolled in sprinkles instead of the traditional sugar, which gives them a perfect crunch and super cute rainbow sprinkle finish. These are similar to crinkle cookies, but the sprinkle coating makes them extra cute, and they are so easy to make!
Ingredients
Scale
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 50g dutch process cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 300g sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Sprinkles for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line three baking trays with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add the flour and cocoa mixture, and beat on low until just incorporated.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop 2 tbsp worth of mixture at a time. Roll into a ball using your hands, then roll generously in sprinkles. Place on the baking tray, leaving plenty of room to spread (I had 6 cookies per baking tray).
- Bake one tray at a time for 11-12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up and are beginning to crack on the tops, and the edges are set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
To make these into holiday themed cookies you can use holiday sprinkles - I love the ones from Layer Cake Shop
Cookie recipe slightly adapted from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book
Key Ingredients
- Chocolate
- Sprinkles
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Reader Interactions
Caryn
These cookies were perfect! I see they freeze well once baked? Wondering if they freeze well raw or do the 100’s and 1000’s go funky?
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Hannah
Super delicious, and quick and easy. A great kids’ lunchbox staple:makes enough to keep some in the freezer for future weeks where there are unexpected visitors or there isn’t weekend baking. Highly recommend! Have made three times now: once with dutch cocoa and twice with regular, which my sweet-toothed children prefer…. Thanks for the recipe!
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Keri
These are so, so good. I doubled the recipe with the intention to freeze a bunch. Not sure if any will make it to the freezer!
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Lisa Turner
I just made the cookies for a bake sale and they look amazing. Unfortunately I won’t be trying the baked finished product as they so be sold. But the leftover cookie dough and sprinkles were delicious.
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Miriam
Ok. I am not a sprinkle fan but MY WORD, these cookies are perfection. I made a variation without sprinkles or sugar and it needs the crunch - trust the professional here (Erin) there is a reason she added it!
So quick & delicious and dangerously moreish, I feel ill I've eaten so many in one sitting (standing over the wire rack)!
Perfection!Reply
Megan
So yum and easy to make, they look amazing too. I turned them into ice cream sandwiches and the cold cookies were quite fudgy while still holding their shape well.
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Tiffany
So delicious! Super easy! Loved by all (especially my kiwi hubby who also loves fairy bread) to me they taste like a brownie, chewy and crunchy and just perfect, and they look so fun!
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Francine
Made these delicious sprinkle cookies tonight and they turned out wonderful 🙂.
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Michelle
This is such a fun recipe - yummy too! The cookies are like brownies and rolled in colorful sprinkles which makes it look so fun! The sprinkles add some crunch texture to the cookies. All my friends devoured them!
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Alicia
I made this recipe for a cookie exchange and it is excellent. The dough is so easy to work with and didn’t require chilling time. They turned out beautifully and are so yummy. Thank goodness for weight measurements, they absolute best way to bake!
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B
Am I able to make the dough a day or two ahead or should they be baked immediately after prepping?
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Erin Clarkson
I haven't tried chilling it but I know it freezes ok! Just freeze without the sprinkles on it. I imagine it will be fine chilled too 🙂
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Amy
These are so good! I love how you can make them festive too just by changing the colours of the sprinkles.
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Jess
These are so cute and so delicious. I've been making them whenever I need to take a plate somewhere, and they are very popular with children and adults alike. Hilariously my mum and then uncle both asked for your recipe and started making them too when they have social events! I've been enjoying giving them a festive touch with green, red and white sprinkle mix this xmas season, but the multi-colour rainbow version is my fav.
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Emma
Made these with the Christmas themed sprinkles - so good! Great for gifts, nice chocolate flavour without being too sweet!
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Shajon
You’re recipes are sooo good!! I’ve made this before and my kid requested it again for Christmas treats for his teachers. Thank you! 😍🎄
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Lucy
Turned out perfectly down to the cracks in the top! The sprinkles were so cute and made them extra special.
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Melissa
These are my vvv fave “quick chocolate fix” cookie. Slightly salty (we use kosher salt at home) and slightly sweet. They’re just perfect and hard to mess up. And the little crunch that the sprinkles add? Yep, you guessed it, also perfect.
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Linda
these cookies came out just like the picture. Every time I see Erin post a new recipe that grabs my attention. I look at the recipe list, hoping that I have everything in my cabinets to make them that moment it’s because of her I now have vanilla paste and castor sugar on hand at all times. Any of her recipes are sure to impress. And I don’t care that she has painted fingernails.
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Rhiannon
Hi Erin,
Is it possible to do this recipe as a vanilla cookie rather than chocolate? If so, would you increase flour when leaving out cocoa?
Thanks!
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Erin Clarkson
Hi! I have a vanilla cookie recipe on my site - I would use that instead 🙂
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Kim
Super easy to make and very delicious! Recipe also freezes well (I froze unbaked dough balls). Thank you, Erin!
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Bella
I followed the recipe exactly, but the cookies spread all over the pan and did not look like the photo at all. I only gave a star because the flavor was good, but their appearance was too ugly to give as gifts, which I had originally intended them for.
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Erin Clarkson
Hi! Something must have gone wrong - by chance was your oven too hot? Did you make the recipe by weight? Sorry they didn't work for you!
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Caro
Love making this with my kids, crackle top is A++ recommend making sure your oven is calibrated to right temp. Great to have on hand frozen to make a half dozen at a time.
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Irene Wong
Love love this recipe! It was so easy, but so beautiful when they are done! I made for Valentine’s Day for my daughter’s teachers! They’re super tasty, too!
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Lauren
These are a crowd pleaser - a big hit for kids and adults! My mom doesn't usually like sprinkles, but even she said they just work with the cookie so well! The cookie is delicious with almost a brownie-like texture. The only thing I would change is figuring out how to make mine beautiful since mine didn't get as flat, and the sprinkles didn't stick as well. Maybe the dough wasn't sticky enough? Too much flour?
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Erin Clarkson
Hi! Hmmm did you make the recipe by weight? So happy you loved!
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Rachel
Another Cloudy Kitchen recipe to add to the rotation. The recipe is easy to follow and the cookies turned out so well. Not only do the sprinkles make the cookies beautiful, they add a nice crunch too.
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Amy Lytle
I just made the cookies today. They turned out delicious! But just as someone else said below, the sprinkles did not stick as well. I did not make them by weight. So maybe I had a little bit more flour than needed in there or Coco. However, they taste delicious and I just wet the cookies a little bit before rolling them in the sprinkles and it worked out fine
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Erin Clarkson
Hi! Ahhh yes that will do it! the sprinkles sticking relies on them being sticky enough 🙂 so happy you loved!
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Rebecca L
Hi Erin,
These cookies are very tasty and cute! I have had a problem with them not spreading. After that happened I pressed the next tray with a glass and that was fine but there is no “crack”. Any thoughts on why they weren’t’ spreading from the ball stage?
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Erin Clarkson
Hi! It's a super thin recipe so they definitely should sink down in the oven. It may be that your oven temperature is off?
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Rebecca
Thanks-that may be it. I made them by weight. I also had them in the fridge over 24 hours before rolling and cooking. Maybe I should let them come to room temp?
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Erin Clarkson
Ah yes that will do it - this recipe doesn't require a chill time so that would have 1000% stopped them from sinking down in the oven.
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Katie Taylor
these didn’t even turn out how i wanted them too i did everything exactly and the ended up just burning when i cooked them
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Sarah Leach
I don't know what I was expecting but these are amazing nice chocolate flavour with a yummy crunch from the sprinkles
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Charlotte
My kids lived the way it looked and begged me to try it. I made the batter but it comes our Iike icing? Am I doing something wrong or must I just go ahead and bake it? I covered the batter but don't know what to do now as it's alot of ingredients gone to waste. Please help
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Erin Clarkson
Hi, if you followed the directions it will be all good! it's quite a sticky dough
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Brady
My 12-year-old chose this recipe to make to take camping with his grandma. It was so easy and they look so beautiful! Exactly like yours! He even used the trick to make them perfectly round. And he was precise on the measurements too. So cute. Also, they are insanely delicious!!!
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Taryn
The perfect cookie for hubby and I (he likes crispy, I like soft) and these were a mix of both. Crispy edges and the crunch of the sprinkles with a centre still just a touch soft and chewy. I actually left out the cocoa (subbed that 50g for more flour) and added some chopped white chocolate. Probably the best cookie I’ve made in ages! They won’t last long for sure.
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AJ
Hi Erin,
You mention that these freeze well baked, would the cookie dough freeze well too? And then roll in sprinkles when they’ve softened a bit, once out of the freezer??
Hoping to freeze a whole bunch of raw cookie dough and then bake and gift to people for Christmas 😃
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Erin Clarkson
Hi! I haven't tried it sorry but you could give it a go! I think it should work ok!
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Ashleigh Moss Brown
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Anita
Super easy to make and so good! I made a whole lot of the cookie dough and froze them in preparation as gifts for Christmas and they turned out really good! I rolled them in the sprinkles after they had defrosted a bit. Definitely recommend
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Patricia
These cookies were amazing! So easy and fun, and also delicious!!! I made them for a Christmas cookie box with red, green and white sprinkles.
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Angie
Delicious and fun recipe - great for getting little ones helping with baking, my little one loves rolling them in sprinkles. Plus eating them too.
Very very tasty, will be making them again.Reply
Kaylee
Beautiful, delicious, and fun to make with my little kids! They had a blast rolling the balls in the sprinkles. We will definitely be saving this recipe for future use!
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