Description
This Easy Slice and Bake Cookies recipe offers a simple and fun way to make classic sugar cookies with a delightful crunch of sprinkles on the outside. With minimal hands-on baking time and the convenience of slicing pre-made dough logs, these cookies come out soft, buttery, and perfectly golden at the edges. Ideal for making batches ahead, chilling the dough, and enjoying freshly baked cookies anytime.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or flavoring
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or flavoring
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Coating
- Sprinkles or nonpareils, as desired
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the mixture and blend well until fully combined. Then add salt and flour and beat until you achieve a uniform dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure even distribution of ingredients.
- Form Dough Logs: Roughly divide the cookie dough in half. Place each half onto a large double layer of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into logs approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter using the plastic wrap to help mold the shape. The dough will be soft, so it’s okay if the logs aren’t perfectly smooth at this point.
- Chill the Dough: Wrap the logs tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours. Chilling firms up the dough, making it easier to slice and bake.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking.
- Shape Dough Logs: Remove one dough log from the fridge and roll it on the counter while still wrapped to better define its round shape.
- Add Sprinkles Coating: Pour sprinkles or nonpareils onto a shallow tray or plate. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough log and roll it in the sprinkles to coat the outside evenly.
- Slice Dough: Slice the sprinkle-coated dough log into 1/4-inch thick slices using a sharp knife. Arrange the slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart. If the shapes aren’t perfectly round, gently adjust them by hand as desired.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn light golden brown. Baking for 10 minutes yields soft cookies; baking longer results in a crispier texture.
- Cool and Store: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks or freeze tightly wrapped for up to 12 months.
Notes
- The dough logs must chill for at least 4 hours to firm up for slicing.
- You can substitute sprinkles with colored sugar or crushed nuts for different coatings.
- For softer cookies, bake closer to 10 minutes; for crispier, bake a bit longer.
- Make sure butter is at room temperature for easier creaming with sugar.
- These cookies can be made in advance and frozen either as slices or baked cookies.
