THE SPRINKLE 'MUNCHKIN' COOKIE
The little rainbow sprinkle munchkin always has a special place in my heart! This cookie is an ode to my favorite munchkin of the box!
Chew chew….a train of thought coming through:
Me + The Sprinkle Munchkin: A Love Story
Back when I was in elementary school, every time my birthday rolled around, I brought a treat to share with the whole class. If I had extras, I’d even roam the hallways offering them to teachers in exchange for a happy birthday sticker, a glittery stamp, or if I was really lucky…a shiny new quarter.
My favorite part of the entire birthday ritual was choosing what sweet treat to bring, and unsurprisingly, it was always a box of Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins. My dad would take me to the store early before school and ask me to pick the flavors. Naturally, I’d say, “I want all the sprinkle munchkins.”
Thankfully, he had the foresight to add a few other flavors for variety but I was a happy camper knowing most of the box was filled with sprinkles. Of course, there was always a separate bag of munchkins to snack on during the car ride, while I carefully guarded my pretty little birthday box.
This cookie is an ode to those sprinkle munchkin birthday memories.
Let’s talk about the cookie:
Let’s be honest, don’t these cookie dough balls look like the actual sprinkle munchkins! I had to seriously stop myself from popping one straight into my mouth. When I was developing this recipe, I kept asking myself: what actually makes a sprinkle munchkin taste like a sprinkle munchkin? After a little research (and a full trip down memory lane), I landed on freshly grated nutmeg for that classic donut-powder flavor, a touch of clear vanilla extract, and a dash of almond extract. This flavor combination gives me all the nostalgic DD vibes, and the rainbow sprinkles instantly transport me back to childhood birthday sprinkle munchkins magic.
THE SPRINKLE ‘MUNCHKIN’ COOKIE.
Serving: Makes ~17 cookies
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (226 grams)
1 3/4 cup white sugar (350 grams)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon clear imitation vanilla extract
A drop of almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour (360 grams)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup nonpareils sprinkles (150 grams)
Method:
Make the Cookies
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed for about minute until light and fluffy.
¾ cup of cool room temperature unsalted butter (170 grams)
1 3/4 cup white granulated sugar (350 grams)
Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, clear vanilla extract and almond extract into the whipped butter/sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon clear imitation vanilla extract
A drop of almond extract
Take a large bowl and add the add the all purpose flour, baking soda, salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Give everything a stir.
3 cups all purpose flour (360 grams)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until combined and no dry pockets remain.
Use a large 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop out all of the dough onto a parchment lined tray. You should have about 17 cookie dough balls. Set aside.
Pour the sprinkles into a deep medium sized bowl.
Roll each cookie dough ball in between your palms to make it round and even then roll it generously in the sprinkles until the cookie dough is fully coated.
Note: Rolling the cookie dough between your palms heats up the butter in the dough which helps the sprinkles stick to the cookie dough.
Place 5 dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet pan and let them bake for about 8 minutes or just until the sides of the cookies are set, the cookie flattens and the center gently puffs.
Pull the cookies out of the oven and scoot the cookies into position using a round ring to make the cookies thicker and circular.
Once the cookies have baked, let them cool on the tray for about 5 minutes until cool to handle. Move the cookies onto a wire rack to fully cool and enjoy!
Storing + Making & Freezing Ahead of Time
Storing Once Baked
Once baked, the cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container outside for up to 2 days.
Making & Freezing Ahead of Time
If you’d like to make the cookie dough ahead of time you can do that too!
If you plan on baking the cookie dough within a day or two of making the dough you can place the cookie dough balls in a tray/plate and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap in your fridge until ready to bake. When ready to bake, let the cookie dough come to room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour until no longer cold. Bake as directed.
If you’d like to freeze your cookie dough to bake later on (up to a month later) place the cookie dough balls on a parchment lined plate/tray and give the dough a little room in between each other. Let the cookie dough freeze on the tray/plate for at least 2 hours, then you can pull the cookie dough off the tray and place the frozen cookie dough into an airtight freezer safe storage bag/ container. When you are ready to bake, take out as many cookies as you’d like and let them come to room temperature outside, about 1-2 hours. Once thawed, bake as directed.