How to Get Sprinkles to Stick to Cookies - Baking Bites (2024)

FAQs

How do you make sprinkles stick to cookies before baking? ›

The easiest thing to do is to brush the tops of the cookies with a little bit of water or milk, using just enough to dampen the cookie dough and no more. This will help the sprinkles stick and won't change the finished appearance of the cookie when you're done baking.

Sprinkles should be put in the cookie dough prior to baking. If you would like sprinkles on top of your sugar cookies too, then press them on with your finger tips before baking. This will ensure the sprinkles stick to the sugar cookies.

If you want to add sprinkles to cookies, cupcakes, breads, or cakes before baking, that is totally and completely ok. Add sprinkles to the tops of these baked goods right before they go into the oven. Adding sprinkles to “wet” batter is the only way to get them to stick without an additional “glue” like frosting.

If you wanted to use it on baked cookies, either sprinkle it on freshly frosted cookies or brush cooled cookies with an egg white-wash before applying so the sugar will stay put. Uses for sanding sugar go way beyond the cookie—from cupcakes to holiday co*cktails, it won't be hard to use up the jar!

Dip cookie dough balls into a bowl of sprinkles. If the sprinkles aren't sticking, you can use wet fingers (dipped in a small bowl of water) and dampen the cookie dough slightly. Just enough for the sprinkles to stick. Note: don't use too much water or you will have a sticky mess.

DO THE SPRINKLES MELT IN THE OVEN? The sprinkles will melt slightly in the oven. When the cookies cool, the sprinkles firm back up, but will be adhered to the cookie.

Ensure that your sugar cookies are completely cool before decorating, or else the royal icing will simply melt off the cookies.

Use a small round tip (size 5 works) to outline the cookie with icing. Then, flood the inside of the cookie with more icing. Use a toothpick to push the icing around so that the cookie is covered. If there are small bubbles, you can use a toothpick to pop them.

The sanding method combines the dry ingredients with butter until you have a sandy texture. You can then add any flavourings you wish. Rice flour (or sometimes even cornflour) is often used in shortbread recipes to enhance the sandy texture.

Unless the recipe tells you to grease the cookie sheet, resist the impulse. The extra grease causes cookie dough (which already contains a lot of fat) to spread. If you're concerned about cookies sticking, line the cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone non-stick mat.

Do you decorate cookies before or after baking? ›

Our Test Kitchen recommends decorating your cookies the day after you bake 'em.

WHAT'S THE BEST KIND OF SPRINKLES FOR CAKE? If you're baking sprinkles into the cake for funfetti or birthday-cake flavored baked goods, you'll want to use jimmies or quins for best results. Quins and jimmies are the most common cake sprinkles since they hold their shape and color when baked.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. I like to decorate cookies directly on baking sheets so I can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help set the icing. So place the cooled cookies back on baking sheets.

How Far Ahead Can I Make My Decorated Cookies? I would say that, as a general guideline, you could make your decorated cookies up to 2 weeks in advance. If you are planning on gifting your cookies, I would probably only make them 1 week in advance so that your recipients don't have to eat them immediately.

You can use frosting or an egg wash to get sprinkles to stick to baked cookies. Whichever method you use, start with cookies that have cooled completely. Top the cookies with frosting (homemade or purchased) that is soft but not too runny. (Sprinkles will not stick to dry, stiff frosting.)

I just cut circles out of cookie dough, then pipe lines to look like snowflakes on each cookie's surface. This is easier than it sounds—and since every snowflake is different, there's no need to be precise. A sprinkling of candy or sprinkles at the end adds sparkle and can help to cover up any mistakes.

Dip cookie dough rounds in sprinkles or sugar before baking. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.

When Not to Use Parchment Paper. Parchment paper is not designed for high-heat cooking. Avoid using it in your oven or on the grill if temperature will exceed 400 degrees, says Michelle Weaver, chef at Charleston Grill in South Carolina, as there's a chance it could catch fire.

And there are no baking police: If your recipe tells you to flatten your cookies before baking, you just go ahead and do that however you want. So long as they end up evenly flat, that is; squashing cookies haphazardly under your palm means they may bake and brown unevenly.

Should I use parchment paper when baking sugar cookies? ›

To make sure cookies bake evenly every time, remember to line your pan with parchment paper.

Decorating your cookies doesn't get any easier than this! Top your cut shapes with sparkling sugar, nonpareils or jimmies for a quick color makeover, then bake. You can also roll dough or mix sparkling sugar or sprinkles right into your cookie dough for a little sparkle.

Wet: Wet the wooden stick by dipping it into the sugar syrup and then roll the wet wooden stick into the dry white sugar. The dry sugar will help the sugar crystals attach and grow onto the wooden stick.

Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate, which (in addition to chilling the butter) helps to make the cookie dough firmer, says baker and food stylist Jason Schreiber, who recently published Fruit Cake: Recipes for the Curious Baker ($21.85, amazon.com).

Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread.

After preparing your cookie dough, refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. This will make the dough easier to cut with cookie cutters (especially intricate ones) and may help prevent your cookies from spreading in the oven.

Youngman says chilling the dough for at least one hour before baking is crucial. An overnight sleepover in the fridge is even better. But if you can't wait, shape your dough into balls and freeze them for 15 minutes before popping them into the oven. So yes, resting your cookie dough makes better cookies.