I wanted to bake some cookies for my friend's birthday party this weekend, and what screams birthday more than multi-colored sprinkles?  In this case, I'm experimenting with some Wilton Jumbo Nonpareils I found at my local Target.  I originally saw a recipe for these swirl cookies on Sprinklebakes, but if you search on the internet, there are many variations, and I actually decided to use this one from Pip and Ebby, making some modifications of my own.  I liked that her recipe called for all purpose flour, and not cake flour.  The key to this recipe is to use a food processor because the butter is cold butter, and it blends with the dry ingredients a lot better when it gets finely chopped by the food processor.



Sprinkle Swirl Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter - cold and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon peel powder or lemon zest
  • Gel food coloring, color of your choice
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup jumbo nonpareils
  • 1/2 cup regular-sized nonpareils
1. In a food processor, combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, sugars) and process until combined
2. Add in butter and process until the dough looks like cornmeal
3. Add the vanilla and process until the dough almost forms a ball
4. Remove half of the dough and set aside
5. To the remaining dough, add lemon extract and powder or zest, gel food coloring (start small, like 1/4 tsp), and 2 Tbsp flour and process until just combined and color is evenly distributed
6. Roll out each ball of dough between two sheets of wax paper, trying for a rectangle the size of a standard sheet of paper about 1/4 inch thick
7. Place both sheets of dough on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours
8. Pour nonpareil mixture into a rectangular dish
9. Remove dough from the refrigerator and peel off on side of the wax paper
10. Flip the exposed side of one dough over onto the other dough
11. Gently roll the combined dough over the wax paper to ensure they are stuck together, then add a little pressure on the ends to taper the dough to make it easier to roll
12. Remove the top sheet of wax paper, take a knife, and cut the dough into a rectangle
13. When the dough has become pliable, roll the dough into a log shape
14. Place the log in the dish with the nonpareils and roll to affix the sprinkles, using your hands to  press the sprinkles into the bare spots
15. Place the roll back into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours
16. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
17. Slice the dough roll into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment or silpat covered baking sheet
18. Bake 15-17 minutes or until the cookies aren't shiny and the vanilla dough is lightly brown on the bottom

Look at the Sprinklebakes version for additional hints on preparing the cookies.  Remember, her ingredients are slightly different.  I actually was not happy with the baking outcome from this recipe.  My cookies flattened out too much, so I'm not quite confident Pip and Eddy's modifications were for the better.  Maybe next time I'll try Sprinklebakes' version.  The flavor ended up coming primarily from the fruity flavors of the jumbo nonpareils.