These Rainbow Sugar Cookies are some of the most fun cookies I’ve ever made! It was like an adult version of play dough. Then I got to add sprinkles!! Total fun. And the kids didn’t even get to play. These cookies really took me back to my childhood when my mom used to make homemade play dough for me.
I remember when I was a little, my mom would make a batch of homemade play dough at least once a week and we would store it in those plastic green margarine containers. Anyone else remember those? My mom must have kept a lot of salt and cream of tartar powder on hand. I got to pick the colors I wanted. Our hands would turn color as we mixed the food coloring into the dough. Then I would spend hours at the kitchen table making shapes and pretend cookies. Thinking back, no wonder my mom would be so willing to whip up a new batch, it kept me occupied for hours. My daughter moves from activity to activity faster than I can pick up the hurricane mess she leaves in her wake. Even if it is play dough.
Back to these delicious, and oh so pretty rainbow sugar cookies. I was inspired by the Dr. Seuss Cookies I found on Pinterest and wanted to try a new method. I already have a tried and try Sugar Cookie recipe I love (and I’ve made colored Candy Cane cookies so I know it can color it well and hold it’s shape well) so I set out to make the brightest, most colorful cookies I could. I would say mission accomplished.
Apparently Wilton has neon colored food coloring gels. I never did get my hands on them in time to make these cookies, but I used what gel coloring I had on hand and must admit I was pleased with the results. Vibrate, beautiful, fun colors. All mixed together in one cookie then covered in sprinkles. They look like something straight out of Willy Wonka’s Candy Factory. Hmmm.. maybe I should have called these Willy Wonka’s Rainbow Cookies.
My family was impatiently patiently waiting for me to finish taking pictures of these cookies before I allowed them to sample. My recipe for Sugar Cookie makes some pretty tasty cookies so they knew regardless of what color these rainbow sugar cookies were, they would be delicious.
I brought some cookies to work and my daughter brought a container to school for her class mates. I can only imagine what the kids thought as my daughter passed around her cookies because my co-workers were oohing and aahing over the brightly colored cookies.
I thought these cookies were especially fantastic because I was able to make up the batch then keep them in the fridge until I was ready to bake them. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure the dough freezes really well too. Oh, and could you imagine these using just red and green food coloring? What a pretty Christmas cookie that would make! Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s the beginning of March and I really want to enjoy a hot and sunny summer before I start thinking of yummy Christmas cookies. 😉
Get the kids involved if you like, or keep the fun all to yourself. Whatever you do, make sure you have a good supply of sprinkles to roll the dough in and have some fun!
Rainbow Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Butter , softened
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 egg white and rainbow sparkles - optional
- Food coloring – recommended gel coloring
Instructions
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Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
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Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
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Shift together the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir into batter.
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Divide your dough into equal portions by the number of colors you wish to use. I used 5 colors so I divided my dough into 5 portions.
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Once you have colored the dough, roll each portion into a log about 10 inches long. Lay each of the colors side by side. Now press the rolls together and give your dough a few rolls to push all the colors together and to smooth out the edges. I gave my dough a little twist too but I didn’t notice any difference in the pattern. You could really have some fun here with patterns if you wanted to play. If your cookie roll is too thick, roll it out to your desired thickness. Mine was 1 ½ inches and it worked perfect for my purpose. The cookies do expand when cooking so consider that.
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Place the roll of cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours to harden. You could also freeze your dough at this point.
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When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 350 F.
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Create an egg wash using the egg white from one egg and 1 tbsp of water. Pour your rainbow sprinkles on a long plate that would ideally fit your cookie dough roll. Otherwise, cut the cookie dough roll to lengths that will fit your dish filled with sprinkles. Get a parchment paper lined cookie sheet ready to go.
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When you are set up, it’s ready to take the cookie dough roll out of the fridge. As mentioned, if you need to cut the roll to fit in your sprinkle dish, do so now. Take your cookie dough roll and brush the exterior with the egg wash.
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Next, roll the cookie dough in your dish of sprinkles. When you have coated your dough with as many sprinkles as you like, using a sharp knife, cut your cookie dough into little discs about 1/4” wide. Place your cookies on the parchment lined cookie sheet making sure to give them enough room to expand.
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Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes
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Those cookies are really fun to make and to eat, for kids and for the kid in us 🙂 . They look adorable and I love that you shared your memories as a child playing with the dough.