Sprinkle-Coated Valentine's Day Sugar Cookie Recipe

Many holidays revolve around sweet treats, and Valentine's Day is no different. In February, if you aren't indulging in Valentine's Day candies, you are probably cooking up heart-shaped baked goods and sugary delights. While these cookies are not shaped like hearts, recipe developer and registered dietitian nutritionist Kristen Carli, MS, RD, brings us this recipe for sprinkle-coated Valentine's Day sugar cookies.

Carli says "These are my favorite cookies because they are thoroughly coated in sprinkles. If you are a sprinkle fan like me, you need to try these." Carli also mentions "I like to use red, pink, and white non-pareil sprinkles, but any small-shaped sprinkle will work here. Just keep in mind, bigger sprinkles don't stick to the dough as easily when coated like this." Make these cookies to enjoy throughout the holiday week. No plans for the big day yet? Don't worry — we've got you covered for a special Valentine's Day dinner at home too.

To make these sugar cookies, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, flour, and sprinkles.

Like all cookie recipes, this one starts by creaming together the softened butter and the sugar. You can do this by adding the sugar and the butter to a stand mixer, and mix these ingredients together with the paddle attachment. Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add in the remaining wet ingredients, including the vanilla extract, eggs, cream of tartar, and baking soda, and mix together. 

Then, add in the salt and flour, and using the paddle attachment, mix these ingredients together until a wet batter has formed. Carli notes "Because the dough has a high fat content, it's imperative that we chill the dough at this point, before scooping and baking it. If we were to skip this step, the cookies [would] melt into 1 big piece in the oven." We know it's hard to wait, but place the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill.

Once the dough is done chilling, remove the dough from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Next, using a 2 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, portion out the dough, and roll it into even balls. Then, roll the dough in the sprinkles, until completely covered. Place the sprinkle-coated dough balls on 2 large baking sheets that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Then, bake them in the preheated oven for 6 to 10 minutes, cool, and serve as desired.