Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles

• Recipe •

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

• Ingredients •

• 1 cup (250 mL) candy sprinkles, for decorating
• 2 oz (60 g) white baking/couverture chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (65 g) icing sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1⅔ cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp (16 g) cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine salt

• Directions •

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Place the candy sprinkles in a wide shallow dish.

2. Melt the white chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring gently until melted. Set aside to cool (but using it while still a little warm is OK).

The white chocolate adds sweetness and moisture to this cookie, keeping the centre nice and soft.

3. Cream the butter, granulated sugar and icing sugar together until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, beating well. Stir in the white chocolate.

The batter won’t be smooth after you add the egg, but once you stir in the white chocolate, the batter will smooth out.

4. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and stir until well blended. Scoop a tablespoonful of dough and roll between your palms to form a ball. Roll each ball in sprinkles to coat it completely and set it on the baking tray. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) between each cookie.

Most sprinkles are designed to hold their shape and colour in the oven, but some do bleed or melt. You might want to test-bake a cookie to see how the sprinkles behave before rolling them all.

5. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, until they are lightly browned on the bottom. Remove the trays from the oven and immediately smack them against the counter, to collapse the cookies. Cool the cookies on their trays on a rack.