Sprinkle Cookies
Blanketed in multi-colored sprinkles, these gorgeous cookies are a staple of Italian bakeries and especially festive-looking for the holidays.
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Credit: Todd Coleman
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour, plus more as needed1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1⁄2 cup multi-colored sprinkles
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed of a mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, egg, and lemon zest, and beat until smooth; add dry ingredients, and beat until just combined. Using a 1-oz. ice scream scoop or 2 tablespoons, portion and shape dough into 1" balls; place balls 2" apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Lightly flour the bottom of a 1⁄4 measuring cup, and press each ball into a flat disk; chill disks for 30 minutes.2. Heat oven to 375°. Place sprinkles in a bowl; set asdie. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush tops of cookie disks with egg white and then press into sprinkles to adhere completely. Return cookies to baking sheets, and bake, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through cooking, until set and set and lightly browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Let cool before serving.
I also now know that the cookies in my local Italian bakery really are stale, as I've long suspected.