Cake is usually called upon to celebrate, but I think that these cookies are equally worthy of a celebration. For an extra bit of fun, you can add a bit of buttercream to each cookie.
Combine the room temperature butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Use a sturdy spoon or your mixer to combine the butter and cream cheese until they are smooth.
Add the sugars to the bowl and mix until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and stir until well combined.
In a bowl or a sifter, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Take care not to overmix, stopping when no visible flour remains in the dough.
You can use a cookie scoop or scale to portion the cookie dough. I like to make each cookie with one heaping tablespoon or about 30 grams of dough. This batch will make about 24 cookies of that size.
Pour your sprinkles into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Each portion of cookie dough will be rolled in the sprinkles before baking. A shallow bowl will keep the sprinkles contained and allow you to easily turn the dough in the sprinkles.
Form each ball of dough into a ball that measures about 1 ½ inches across. Flatten the ball into a round disk about 2 inches wide.
Place the disk of cookie dough into the bowl with the sprinkles. Turn the dough in the sprinkles, pressing lightly to help the sprinkles to adhere to the dough. You can add sprinkles to your liking. Add a few or cover the entire disk of dough with sprinkles. I like to completely cover mine.
The dough can be baked immediately after rolling in the sprinkles, but I find that it bakes up into a prettier, more uniformly shaped cookie if the dough is chilled for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. If I’m in a rush, I’ll place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while I preheat the oven and bake them directly from the freezer.
When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a standard oven or 325 degrees Fahrenheit for a convection oven. Line your baking sheets with a sheet of parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking sheet liner.
Space the disks of cookie dough at least 1 ½ inches apart on the baking sheet. I usually place six to eight balls of dough on the baking sheet. These cookies don’t spread much while baking, especially when the dough has been chilled.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 13 - 15 minutes. I like for these cookies to be pale in color so that the colorful sprinkles can really shine. Remove the cookies from the oven to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
For an added bit of fun, you can add a spoonful of buttercream frosting to the top of each cooled cookie. To make the buttercream, place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Using a sturdy spoon or a mixer, beat until the butter is completely smooth. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Add the powdered sugar in thirds, beating slowly after each addition to combine. Repeat until all of the sugar has been incorporated.
If using a mixer, turn up the speed to high and beat for 1 – 2 minutes. This will create a smooth and airy buttercream. If you find this buttercream to be too stiff to spread or pipe easily, thin it with a tablespoon or two of heavy cream or milk until it is to your liking.
You can add the buttercream to the cooled cookies with a spoon, small scoop, or with a pastry bag. If you’re really feeling it, add a pinch of sprinkles to the buttercream.
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
A Few Notes about this RecipeWITH OR WITHOUT SPRINKLES If you don’t care for sprinkles or don’t have them on hand, you can bake the dough without. You’ll end up with a buttery cookie topped with delicious buttercream: a sprinkle free cookie equally worthy of a celebration.REPLACING FLOUR WITH CORNSTARCH Cornstarch is used in this recipe to mimic pastry flour. By replacing a bit of the flour with cornstarch, the protein content of the flour is lowered. Lower protein yields a more delicate cookie. This is a technique I use in nearly every baking recipe (other than breads and pizza) that I make.A SOFTER COOKIE The cream cheese in this recipe helps to create a softer cookie. If you prefer an all-butter cookie with a crisp and firmer texture, you can omit the cream cheese and replace it with butter.FREEZING THE DOUGH This dough freezes well and can be baked directly from the oven. The sprinkles won’t adhere well to frozen dough, so I like to freeze this dough after I have added the sprinkles. Place the sprinkle coated disks on a baking sheet lined with freezer paper or parchment. Freeze until frozen solid before transferring to a freezer bag for long term storage. To bake the cookies from the freezer, remove them from the freezer and place them on a baking sheet. Allow the dough to warm a bit as you preheat the oven. Bake them as directed, adding a minute or two if needed to fully bake the frozen dough.