Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies

These chocolate sprinkle cookies are a dream come true for chocolate lovers. Soft, fudgy, and packed with chocolate flavor, they’re like a cross between chocolate crinkle cookies and brownie-like cookies. The best part? They’re topped with plenty of colorful sprinkles. They're a fun, festive treat for any special occasion.

Whether you're baking these chocolate sprinkle cookies for a holiday season gathering, as a fun treat with your best friend, or just because, these delicious cookies are sure to be a hit.

💡 For more desserts that are the life of the party, try these ideas:

• Birthday Cake Cookies - This recipe is the vanilla cousin to these chocolate sprinkle cookies. They have that classic birthday cake flavor and are such a fun celebratory treat.
• Chocolate Sprinkle Cake - As the name suggests, it's a chocolate cake. With chocolate frosting. Covered in sprinkles. What could be better??
• 4-inch Mini Birthday Cake - A sweet and easy birthday cake, this mini dessert has sprinkles on the inside and out.
• Funfetti Oreo cookies - Sprinkles and Oreos? Another iconic combo, packed with all the nostalgia.
• Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies - If you're looking for a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe that's delicious and serves a crowd, here's your solution.

Jump to:

• ⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
• 📋 Key Ingredients in Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies
• Best Results: Baking in Grams
• 💡 Substitutions and Variations
• 📖 Step-by-Step Instructions
• 🤫 Secret to Perfectly Round Cookies
• More Tips for the Best Cookies 
• ❄️ Freezing and Storing These Sweet Treats
• Cookie Recipes
• Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies

⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy to make – My favorite thing about this recipe is that it comes together quickly. It uses simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry or can find in the baking aisle at your local grocery store.
• No chilling required – While some recipes call for chilled dough, these cookies bake up beautifully without extra wait time.
• Perfectly soft and chewy – Thanks to the right balance of butter mixture, cocoa mixture, and an egg yolk, these dark chocolate cookies have an irresistible texture.
• Great for gifting – Wrap them up with different sprinkles for a bakery cookie feel.

📋 Key Ingredients in Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies

The recipe card contains all the steps and ingredients for making these chocolate sugar cookies.

• Unsalted butter – Melted butter gives these cookies a rich texture.
• Granulated sugar & brown sugar – The mix adds sweetness and moisture for that chewy cookie consistency.
• Egg yolk – Adds richness and helps create fudgy cookies.
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder - Unlike natural cocoa powder, which can have a slightly acidic and bitter taste, this kind of cocoa powder is alkalized. In other words, the cocoa has less acidity and a smoother, milder flavor. This makes it perfect for creating intensely dark and chocolatey desserts without the sharpness that can accompany other types of cocoa powders.
• Rainbow sprinkles (or chocolate sprinkles) – The best way to add a pop of color and texture. I have a preference for Wilton and Betty Crocker sprinkles that are jimmies (the ones shaped like a tube). Other high-quality brands work fine, too.

💡 Substitutions and Variations

• 🍦 For ice cream sandwiches, let cookies cool completely before pairing them with your favorite ice cream.
• 🌈 Experiment with the kind of sprinkles you use. Chocolate sprinkles work, as do pastels and all kind of shades if you want to create a certain aesthetic!

📖 Step-by-Step Instructions

After melting your butter, let it cool for about 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Step 1: Cream Butter, Sugars, and Vanilla. Use a paddle attachment and the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and hand mixer. Cream melted unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and sugars together in your bowl for 3-4 minutes.

Step 2: Incorporate Dry Ingredients and Eggs. Stop the hand or electric mixer. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, add kosher salt (half as much if using table salt), baking powder, and baking soda as well as half of your eggs, cocoa powder, and flour.

Step 3: Finish Mixing the Dough. Mix dough for about 45 seconds on medium speed before adding the remaining egg, cocoa powder, and flour, beating again for 30 seconds. Now, add your rainbow sprinkles to your bowl. Fold these ingredients into the dough with a spatula.

Step 4: Shape the Cookie Dough Balls. With an ice cream or cookie scoop and your hand, form each round ball of dough. It should be about ⅔ the size of a golf ball. Right before baking, I roll the top of my cookie dough balls in rainbow jimmies. This really makes the colors pop.

Step 5: Arrange on Baking Sheet. Set each dough ball onto an ungreased aluminum cookie sheet (no pieces of parchment paper or silicone mats needed), with about 2 inches between them. 

Step 6: Bake Cookies. Bake in preheated oven for 11-12 minutes, at which point the edges of the cookies will be done baking. Leave them on the baking sheet 10 or so minutes outside of the oven, or until they're firm enough to handle. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool, and then serve or store.

🤫 Secret to Perfectly Round Cookies

As soon as your cookies exit the oven, you can also help shape and round them if you'd like.

🥛 Use a cookie cutter or even the open side of a glass that's slightly bigger than the cookies to gently slide them into a more circular shape. 

More Tips for the Best Cookies 

Below are some general tips to keep in mind when baking this cookie recipe and any recipe, really:

1. Periodically check the freshness of your leavening agents. Mix a pinch of baking powder with hot water to see if it reacts. For baking soda, you can mix a pinch of it with a few drops of something acidic, like vinegar or lemon juice. If your leavening agents have no reaction (i.e. you see no fizzing or bubbling), it means they also won’t help your ingredients rise during the baking process. 
2. Before diving into the recipe, clear your workspace and set out all your ingredients in front of you. This will make it less likely that you’ll forget to leave something important out of your mixing bowl! 

❄️ Freezing and Storing These Sweet Treats

Room temperature - These chocolate sprinkle cookies will stay fresh at room temperature (around 70°F) for about 3 days. Keep them in an airtight container.

Refrigerating - Instead of refrigerating them between servings, I'd recommend freezing. Bring them out in small quantities at a time if you plan to share them over the course of more than 3 days.

Freezing - They also freeze well for up to three months in an airtight container.

I add wax or parchment paper between the layers as I stack them. 

To enjoy, let them come to room temperature before serving. You may also gently warm them for a few seconds on low speed in the microwave.  

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