These Almond Sprinkle Cookies are buttery soft, with a classic nutty flavor from almond extract that melts in your mouth. They’re easy to make, taste absolutely wonderful, and are perfect for the holidays! Break out the red and green sanding sugars and have some fun!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I’m not kidding when I say that these buttery almond sprinkle cookies are absolutely wonderful! And just like my Classic Spritz Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, and Homemade Butter Cookies, they’re also incredibly easy to make and perfect for those holiday cookie tins!
The two main ingredients in this classic Christmas cookie are cream cheese, which makes them so buttery-soft, and almond extract, which gives them their classic nutty flavor.
For cookie decorations, you can use red and green sanding sugars, but if you want to be a little fancier, you could swap them out for a nice confectioners sugar glaze with some nonpareils sprinkled on top.
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients shown in the image below are used to make this easy almond sprinkle cookie recipe. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that needed a bit more explanation.
- All-Purpose Flour. With all my recipes, I prefer to use the King Arthur brand, but use what you have on hand!
- Cream Cheese. Full-fat cream cheese in brick form. My preferred brand is Philadelphia. This is the ingredient that gives these cookies their soft, tender bite!
- Almond Extract. The other key ingredient to this recipe. You don’t need much, but it gives these cookies that classic nutty flavor!
- Sanding Sugars. Red and green are used for these holiday sprinkle cookies, but use whatever colors you like! You can also use nonpareils.
For quantities and instructions, please see the recipe card below.
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a brief overview of how to make this holiday almond sprinkle cookies recipe. For the full printable recipe, which can be made using US customary or metric measurements using the toggle switch, visit the recipe card below.
Step 1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Set aside.
Step 2. Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar together on medium-high speed until well blended.
Step 3. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Step 4. Add the whisked flour mixture to the blended wet ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until the cookie dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 5. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
Step 6. Roll a small spoonful of dough into a ball. Coat it in sanding sugar, then place it onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten the top of each cookie with the bottom of a glass.
Step 7. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350ºF. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes.
Step 8. Transfer the cookies to the cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
To keep almond sprinkle cookies, store them in an airtight container for up to one week.
To freeze almond sprinkle cookie dough, roll the dough into balls, flatten each with the bottom of a glass, then freeze them on a parchment sheet until solid. Transfer them to a freezer bag or an airtight container for storage. When ready to bake, roll the cookie dough balls in the sanding sugar, then place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. You may need to add 1-2 minutes to your baking time for baking the frozen cookies.
Helpful Tips
- For the cookies, chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- You can use a spoon to scoop and roll out the almond cookies, or for a more consistent size, use a 1- to 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop. I still recommend rolling them in your hands after scooping them to smooth them out.
- Sanding sugars are an easy way to decorate these sprinkle cookies, but you can also use a simple powdered sugar glaze or nonpareils.
- To keep your almond sprinkle cookies soft, add a slice of bread to the container. I do this with my Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms and Super Soft Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies, and it works really well!
Recipe FAQs
Almond sprinkle cookie dough needs to be tightly covered with plastic wrap and chilled in the refrigerator for at least one hour. If you chill the cookie dough for longer than 1 hour, say overnight, for example, make sure to bring it out to room temperature about 30 minutes before rolling the dough into the balls.
I recommend keeping this key ingredient in the recipe, as it’s part of the name and gives them that classic nutty flavor.
No, baked almond sprinkle cookies can keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
If you tried these Almond Sprinkle Cookies or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Classic Almond Sprinkle Cookies
Equipment
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 2 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- Red and Green Sanding Sugars, for rolling in dough
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.3 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Salt
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the unsalted butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed.1 cup Unsalted Butter, 2 oz Cream Cheese, 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.1 Large Egg, 2 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- Add the whisked flour mixture to the blended wet ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until well blended.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. If you chill the dough for more than 1 hour or overnight, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping into balls.
- Adjust your oven rack to the middle position (or the rack just above it), preheat your oven to 350ºF, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Take a small spoonful of dough and roll it into a ball, then roll it in red or green sanding sugar. If you're planning to freeze the cookie dough, see the Notes section below.Red and Green Sanding Sugars
- Space the almond-sprinkle cookies roughly 1-1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. When done, use the bottom of a glass to gently press the cookie down, flattening it slightly. Bake the cookies 10-12 minutes at 350ºF.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Keep any leftover almond sprinkle cookies in an airtight container for up to one week at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used. See Nutritional Disclaimer for more info.
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