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 “shitty 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:
Made this recipe and love it?
If you made this recipe then I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!
A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Using the double / triple function in the recipe card
You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!
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Chocolate Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
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
- 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
Cookie recipe slightly adapted from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book
Keywords: sprinkles, sugar cookies, chocolate sugar cookies, sprinkle sugar cookies
Comments
I made these today with my 2 year old nephew and we LOVED them! The sprinkles were so much fun for both of us to roll the cookie dough balls around in and they turned out so well! So well balanced: a soft brownie cookie with delish, crunchy sprinkles— perfection! Thank you so much, Erin! Your recipes are always such a pleasure to make!
★★★★★
Hi! Ahhhhh yay I am so, so glad that you liked them! Thank you so much for the review - I really, really appreciate it! x
Hi Erin!
Can't wait to try to make these — I have Guittard Dutch-Processed Sweetened Ground Chocolate https://res.cloudinary.com/nassau-candy/image/upload/c_fit,w_1000,h_1000,f_auto/v1602712940/949258.jpg
Would you recommend I alter the amount of sugar or vanilla since it is sweetened? As an alternate, I also have unsweetened Ghiradelli 100% Cocoa Powder.
Thanks for your help!
Gabby
Hi! I would just use the cocoa powder! I haven't used that before so I don't know how it works, but altering the sugar in a recipe also will change the texture so I wouldn't recommend!
These cookies came out delicious! They are so simple to make, and will be a great addition to my Christmas cookie line-up 🤩
★★★★★
I made these cookies and they got so big and thin and ran together. Are you sure this recipe needs two sticks of butter? I think that is too much
Hi! Yep it is the correct amount. Did you make the recipe by weight? Also do you have an oven thermometer in? Your oven temp may be off which causes these to spread.
I wonder whether using Dutch process cocoa and baking soda is the trouble? No acid in the cocoa to match the base in the baking soda, to give rise and lift? Was this deliberate Erin?
No that wouldn’t have been the issue - I made them that way for the photos and they came out just fine 🙂
I made these with my son. They were really simple to make and yum. Will definitely be making them again.
★★★★★
This recipe is the new go to for bake sale cookies. They taste as good as they look.
★★★★★
I made these recently and they're incredible. Just came back to the recipe to make them again!
Yay I am so glad you like them! Thank you so much for the sweet comment!
Are we supposed to refrigerate this dough before baking? I followed this recipe and my cookies spread like pancakes and dissolved the nonpareils. They came out nothing like the pictures. Not sure what I did wrong... 🙁
Hi! Sounds like something definitely went wrong - did you make the recipe by weight? You don't need to refrigerate the dough but if your oven was too hot it would have made the cookies spread too much!
I don’t have a scale, but I have a measuring cup with grams that I used. Is it supposed to have more sugar than flour? Thanks for your help.
Hi! I am not sure sorry - are you using the same measuring cup for each ingredient? Because a cup of sugar and a cup of flour do not weigh the same. I can't help without seeing what sort of cup you mean and even then I'm not 100% sure sorry! Let me know if you need a good scale recommendation!
Rebecca, I’d suggest a gram to cups converter online. I’m getting 1.5 cups + 1tbsp of flour, 1/4 c + 3 tbsp cocoa, 1 c butter, and 1.25 c + 2 tbsp of sugar
Please use a scale if you have one. These cookies in particular are pretty finicky in terms of their flour and butter ratio and so need to be made by weight. Let me know if you need a good recommendation!
Have made these a few times and love them! They’re so easy and quick and a little nostalgic, too. Idk if you’ve ever had Archway brand Dutch cocoa cookies, but I grew up eating those and these remind me a little of them. Thanks for such a great recipe!
★★★★★
Hiiii thank you so much for taking the time to write a review - I appreciate it so much! I haven't had those before! We love these cookies so much in my house - my husband called them 'unreasonably delicious' hahah. xx
I am thinking of making these for a Valentine’s Day cookie box I’m selling. I will need at least 150 cookies so I usually make dough, scoop cookies and freeze. Then bake fresh to package. I know you said baked cookies freeze well, but I’m thinking of rolling them in the sprinkles and freezing on a cookie sheet. Do you think that would work? Thank you!
Hi! I don't know sorry - I haven't tried it this way. If you do try I would love to hear how you got on!
By far the best chocolate cookie I have ever made! The crunch of the sprinkles with the gooey cookie is amazing! They remind me of the Aussie treat, Freckles!
★★★★★
Hi! Ahhhhh I am so glad that you like them! Thank you so much for the review! x
These were so easy, so delish, and made us all so happy at work. The rainbow sprinkles brightened all of our day and the cookie itself is fantastic! Can't wait to make these with my neice!
★★★★★
Hi! Yayyyy I am so glad that you like them! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
These are so fun and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
Can I freeze this dough? Thanks!
I haven't tried it sorry! Would love to hear how it goes if you do 🙂
I saw these and immediately wanted to bake them! I used a conversion chart for the grams to cups and it worked out perfectly! The cookies are super chocolatey and fudgy and the sprinkles on the outside give a nice crunch! For those of you looking for a conversion, this is what I used: 1c and 13 TBPS flour; 8 TBSP cocoa powder; 1 c (2 sticks) butter; 1c and 8 TBPS sugar. I don't have a scale, so I used those conversions and didn't have an issue. Thank you for the great recipe! 🙂
Yay so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Hi Erin!
First attempt at one of your recipes and it was these beauties - oh my gosh, so delish! Love the neon sprinkles on the top, too hahah. Perfect crunch. These are going straight into my recipe book at home! Thank you 🙂
Hi! Yayyy so glad you enjoy! x
Made these for our preschool Christmas party and they were the first thing to disappear from the table! Also super easy, quick, fun to do with kids and crazy yum.
★★★★★
Ah yayyyyy I bet they went down so well with kids! Rich is basically a fully grown 3 year old so I always know anything he loves will be a huge hit with kids too hahahah. So glad you loved, thank you so much for the review! Hope you are well there xx
Haha absolutely, throw sprinkles on it and the kids (and Rich) will be like moths to a flame haha. These will definitely be repeated xx
Awesome recipe! Followed the instructions with no ingredient substitutions and they came out perfectly, just like the pictures. My family devoured them before they had time to cool. Also, always weigh your ingredients with a scale when instructed to!!
★★★★★
Yayyyy I love to hear this! Thank you so much for the review! I appreciate it so much 🙂
Easy recipe...came out perfect and tastes delicious!
★★★★★
Yay I am so glad you loved! x
Awesome recipe! Followed the instructions with no ingredient substitutions and they came out perfectly, just like the pictures. My family devoured them before they had time to cool. Also, always weigh your ingredients with a scale when instructed to!!
★★★★★
I made these today with my 2 year old grandson and he loved rolling them in the candy sprinkles. Almost as much as he loved eating them. We will definitely be making them again.
★★★★★
Ah yayyy love to hear this! Thanks so much for the review!
these turned out great! thanks for the recipe
★★★★
Yay you are so welcome 🙂
So quick.
So simple.
So so so delicious.
Try not to eat all at once (especially while a little warm 🤤) ty for this recipe!
★★★★★
Yayyyyy you are so welcome! My husband described these as 'unreasonably delicious' hahahah x
I COULD NOT MAKE THESE COOKIES BECAUSE I DONT KNOW THESE AMOUNTS U USE. CANT U PLEASE PUT THE INGREDIENTS IN ENGLISH PLEASE..THANK U MOOMAW
Hi, the recipe is in english. This is not the place to be ignorant. If you would like to convert the recipe, google it. But do not come into my comment section shouting.
I'm late to the party, but wow this is rude! I hope you've learned to be more respectful of the generous creatives who give free access to their recipes. If it's not written in a format you like, then I suggest you go and search the many millions of other options on the internet for one that does.
★★★★★
Made these today, I used a 1 tbsp scoop to make them a bit smaller than you suggested and they came out perfect. Thank you.
Yayyy perfect! I love them tiny too
I turned these into a gluten free version using Orgran self raising flour (what I had in the cupboard)
• added an extra 50g of gluten free flour
• reduced the baking soda by 1/4t too
• We didn’t have any normal sugar so I used 150g each of brown sugar and icing mixture because that’s what I had left
Because recipes in grams make more sense, this recipe worked with my changes. Always recipe in grams, ppl!
★★★★★
Yusss you're the best, thank you so much for this! So helpful x
Made with my one year old today. And loved them. Even my partner loves them. I was gutted I couldn’t find bright sprinkles like your cookies in my local supermarket in nz maybe next time. Will definitely remake!
★★★★★
Ah yayyyy so glad you love! x
Where did you get your sprinkles from? The link doesn't work on your "here" and "here". I love your cookies so much, they are fantastic!
Hi! So sorry! I updated the links x
I made these weighing all the I gredients and had the same pancake issue others had. Could it be European butter?
Hi! It shouldn't be the butter - more likely to be an oven temperature issue. If your oven is running hot then it may be causing them to spread. Have you got an oven thermometer in there?
Love these every single time.
So quick, so easy and soooooo tasty.
Love the salty element to them too 😍🙌🏽
Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Yayyyy so happy you love!
what a fun recipe! super easy to make and bake. the sprinkles make them extra magical. will be baking these again and again and again!
★★★★★
Thank you!!
Ok, so my scale was wonky so I “tried” conversion...I now have pancakes. Can you give me a recommendation for a scale?
Sure thing! I have the escali one and I love it! 🙂
Such a delightful cookie!
★★★★★
I look forward to making these soon but for us in the U.S. it would be convenient to see measured ingredients in ounces/ by cup measurements rather than grams.
😊
Hi Annie,
I do not provide recipes in cups are they are not accurate. If you would like to convert yourself please feel free but I cannot guarantee accuracy of the recipe. I live in New Zealand and the cup measures here are different to the US and so it also does not make sense to provide a unit of measurement that only applies to one country when There is a perfectly accurate recipe already there. Happy to recommend a scale if you like! 🙂
Super delicious and so so fudgey, chocolatey. It was weirdly very soothing to shape and roll each ball in the bowl of sprinkles so highly recommend if you need a moment of Zen with a tasty treat at the end. Just fyi: I used a #40 scoop and got 24 cookies exactly and needed more than half of a 7oz container of sprinkles.
★★★★★
So happy you loved them!
Thank you for this delicious recipe, so easy to follow, success every time and an absolute hit with our whole family. The extra details in your blog posts are so helpful. I’ve learned so much about baking from you and appreciate all the tips and tricks you share. Also, cooking by weight has changed my life! It means every recipe is a success. Thank you! Huge fan over here in Australia!
★★★★★
I've just made these for the second time this lockdown at the request of my parents...not even for children haha. They are insanely delicious for such a simple and quick recipe. So fudgy, decadent and chewy. Yummmm!
Mum - "I don't even like sweet things but these are so delicious"
★★★★★
Super easy and cute! Everyone loved these cookies 🥰
★★★★★
Hi! Could I make these smaller (1 or 1.5 tbs scoops) instead? Would I just keep them in the oven for a shorter time?
yep that would work fine! And yes, start checking for doneness a little earlier!
These are just delightful!! My husband and I made these for Christmas using various sprinkles and they are festive and tasty. They taste like a brownie in the best possible way.
★★★★★
I have made these multiple times and they have been delicious! Once was to test them out and the second was for a Halloween cookie tray. I am making them for Christmas now and am sure they will be great!
I am experimenting with freezing the dough this time, though. I portioned the dough out before freezing on a tray. Then, I plan on rolling them in sprinkles right before I bake.
★★★★★
Replying to myself: freezing and baking them worked pretty good.
I would definitely roll them in the sprinkles before freezing next time, and baking from frozen resulted in a softer, mounded cookie (which makes sense). Still very delicious!
★★★★★
So tasty and so quick and easy to knock out. Made them for my Xmas cookie boxes and they were a hit! 10/10 recommend for eye-burning, mouth-pleasing chocolate goodness. I underbaked them by just a bit (9-10 mins) bc I like more chew, which worked out well. Next time, I think I’ll use black cocoa for *extra drama*. Thanks for such a delightful recipe!
★★★★★
Wow! The recipe is so quick to put together, and delicious! I did swap out the butter for nondairy brand and I only had regular sprinkles on hand, but it still came out SOO GOOD - Perfectly crisp edges with a soft chewy center. If you want a cookie and a brownie at the same time - This is the recipe for you.
★★★★★
I made these for Christmas with red, green, and white sprinkles…turned out great!
★★★★★
Made these cookies as part of my Christmas baking, and they were so simple to make! They turned out so well and were very tasty - and good advice to only put six per sheet! They do spread out. Loved the chewy texture. I rolled mine in granulated sugar instead of sprinkles to make them a bit more wintry.
★★★★★
I made these cookies over Christmas and what a hit! Not only do they look beautiful, but they taste incredible too! Can't wait to make these again, which will be super soon, I'm sure!
★★★★★
Yummmmmmy!! These cookies are the perfect blend of salty, sweet, crunchy, soft. I added caramel cups and they are very delish. Funny story- doubling the recipe and making them with a hand mixer is a workout! My MIL doesn't have a stand mixer but it was worth it in the end!
★★★★★
I made these today for the first time and they are perfect. I even used measure for measure gluten free flour and they are delicious!
Ooooh this is so good to know, thank you! So happy you loved them x
please convert grams to ounces.Thanks
Hi there, please see the note above the recipe which explains why my recipes are in grams. You are welcome to convert yourself but I do not have the measurements in ounces. Thanks!
Just made these and I’m obsessed. The crunchy, the chewy, the chocolatey… so so good. Also the easiest and friendliest cookie recipe. Thank you Erin 🙂
★★★★★
I just made these and they are great!! Great directions, easy to make and yummy. What else can you as for!
★★★★★
Loved this recipe! Super easy and straightforward to make! The perfect crunchy outside but soft inside. LOVED them! I ran out of non-pareil sprinkles and used several other types, all of which still turned out great!
★★★★★
Hi made these cookies today. They are ok but nothing to rave about. I made them exactly as instructed. They looked good but not as sweet as I expected. I even rolled some in sanding sugar and still just ok.
Loved this recipe. The cookies look so cool and are like 100s and 1000s but with chocolate. They definitely freeze well too. Would potentially chill the mixture before rolling in the sprinkles to help keep the shape.
★★★★★
These are fantastic! Taste like a brownie but in cookie form. Have made them a few times, I use a 1 1/2 tbsp cookie scoop and get 30 cookies.
★★★★★
These are iconic! Defiantly in my top 10 cookies of all time! The chewiness of them + the crunch of the sprinkles is to die for!
★★★★★