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

Instructions

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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!