Grinch Cookies with Red Heart Sprinkles

Grinch Cookies with Red Heart Sprinkles

These scratch-made sugar cookies bake into round, slightly domed shapes with pale-green tops, tender centers, and just-set edges. They are not cutouts; the tree shape belongs to the serving platter, not the cookies. Each cookie gets one red heart sprinkle pressed onto its surface immediately after baking.

Keep the dough cool enough to hold a rounded shape, and judge the cookies by their set edges and soft-looking centers rather than waiting for them to brown.

Ingredients for Grinch Cookies

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (280g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but not greasy (113g)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon green gel food coloring to start, plus more as needed
• About 24 red heart-shaped sprinkles, plus a few extra

Gel coloring tints the dough without adding much liquid. Add it gradually; the shade will depend on the coloring you use.

How to Make Grinch Cookies

1. Prepare the oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Cream and tint: Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add the green gel coloring a little at a time, mixing until the color is even.
4. Finish and chill the dough: Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no dry flour remains. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is cool enough to hold a rounded shape.
5. Portion the cookies: Scoop about 1½ tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared sheet, spacing the portions about 2 inches apart. Keep them rounded; do not flatten them.
6. Bake one sheet at a time: Bake for about 10–12 minutes, starting to check at 9 minutes. Remove the cookies when the edges are just set and the centers look slightly puffed and soft. The tops should remain pale green, with little or no browning. Rotate the sheet if one side browns faster.
7. Add the hearts: Immediately after removing the sheet from the oven, gently press one red heart sprinkle onto each warm cookie. Keep the hearts visible on the surface.
8. Cool: Leave the cookies on the sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the sheet cool before baking another batch.

When to Add the Heart Sprinkles

Add the hearts as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. The warm surface helps them adhere; once the cookies cool, the sprinkles may fall off. Press lightly so each heart stays on top instead of sinking into the cookie.

How to Tell When the Cookies Are Done

Look for just-set edges and centers that are still slightly puffed and soft-looking. Smaller portions or a hot oven may shorten the bake time, so begin checking at 9 minutes. The cookies firm as they cool; waiting for browned edges can leave them darker and drier than intended.

How to Prevent Excess Spreading

Use softened butter rather than melted or greasy butter. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears, and chill the dough until it holds rounded portions. Between batches, use a completely cool baking sheet so the dough does not begin spreading before it reaches the oven.

Can You Use Cake Mix Instead?

Cake-mix dough makes a separate, softer, more cake-like version. Follow the directions and bake time for that dough rather than using the timing for these scratch-made cookies.

Serving Grinch Cookies

Arrange the round cookies on a white platter or holiday cookie tray with the red hearts facing up. A tree-shaped platter works well, but the cookies themselves stay round. Serve with hot chocolate or another warm drink.

Storage and Freezing

Cool the cookies completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Stack carefully to avoid crushing the hearts. If the kitchen is especially warm, refrigerate the cookies and let them come toward room temperature before serving.

For a softer cookie, microwave one for about 5–8 seconds; overheating may soften the sprinkle. To freeze baked cookies, freeze them in a single layer until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Dough portions can also be frozen and baked from frozen; allow roughly 1–2 extra minutes and use the same doneness cues.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on a yield of 24: 110 calories, 2g protein, 4g fat, and 16g carbohydrates. Per 100g: about 435 calories, 6g protein, 17g fat, and 63g carbohydrates. Values will vary with ingredient brands, sprinkle size, and cookie portions.